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New designers to watch: Michelle Lowe-Holder & Partimi

Mandy Barder — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 08:12:47 +0000

London College of Fashion’s enterprising program for ethical designers The Centre for Sustainable Fashion occupied a central space at estethica this year with two of its participating designers exhibiting some of their pieces. Mandy Barder finds out what drives them and the affect the innovative program has had on them.

Michelle Lowe-Holder and Partimi are two of the impressive brands that have contributed to The Centre for Sustainable Fashion’s hybrid of business teachings and radical fashion design.

Michelle Lowe-Holder’s SS10 collection ‘Summer Smock’ looks back to the ‘labourers embroidery’ of the Middle Ages and is an appropriate follow-on from her AW09 collection ‘Smocking’ of a darker, more sensual nature.

The collection is modeled around the concept of ribbon work, which is an appliqué clothing technique, where different ribbons are traditionally layered on top of each other with pieces cut out to form a sort of optical appearance. “It’s taking old techniques and reconverting them and trying to modernize them. I use end-of-line ribbons and hand crochet and everything is super labour-intensive,” she says.

Michelle has taken this simple craft and given it her own modern and provocative twist, from fitted black dresses with central layering giving the overall LBD a sumptuous redesign, to floaty smock dresses with the Lowe-Holder ribbon print cascading down the oversized sleeves. A celebrity favourite are the leather chokers and cuffs, cut into exaggerated ribbon pleats. Eco enthusiast Livia Giuggioli wore some to the Elle Style Awards in February.

Print design is a big part of the brand, where the focus lies with stunningly intricate and feminine floral and ribbon designs, which are almost always delineated in a smoky black that hardens the delicacy of the patterns. Handicraft plays another important role in the designer’s process, where she deems craftsmanship to be more important than material.

As a designer, working with vintage and reusing materials has always been a very organic process for her and without putting a deliberate green label on it. “The seminars have been a really good match for me and it’s something that I don’t have to work too hard on because it is what I am. It’s not something I associate myself with particularly, its just stuff I do”.

As Michelle’s designs follow an unconscious green path, Partimi does the opposite. Eleanor Dorrien-Smith is a recent graduate from Central Saint Martins and since the summer of 2008, her label has been slowly revealing its sustainable identity, from raising awareness about over-fishing to constantly on the search for eco-friendly fabrics. As a new comer to the world of ethical fashion Eleanor has found the workshops hugely encouraging in helping her push Partimi into the limelight.

The AW10 collection is a preview for her main collection for SS11, giving her plenty of time to grow her workforce and concentrate on discovering new ways to express her ideas.

Art that has an interesting story attached to it is a hard abstraction to disengage from and fashion has often been accused of dismissing a deeper narrative. Partimi certainly doesn’t fall into this category. The collection pays homage to Eleanor’s grandmother who collected costumes from the Ballet Russes, an avant-garde Russian ballet group that ran from around 1909-1929. Some of the pieces have been sold to the V&A and are due to be showcased in an exhibition dedicated to the famous ballet troupe in September.

“What’s special about what I’m doing is I’ve grown up being able to look inside the garments, to handle them and to see all the mistakes that the public could not. I’m concentrating on all the repair methods, looking at the labels inside the garments with all the dancers names in, the sweat patches and areas that really show that the garments were actually worn and danced in and travelled in; the history” she says.

The Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes 1909–1929 is at the V&A and starts in September 2010 until January 2011.

Katharine Hamnett’s new beach collection

George Walker — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:00:45 +0000

Stuck for what to wear on the beach this summer? Choosing the right style of swimwear can be hard for both guys and gals, especially if you’re looking to keep the contents of your beach bag ethical. Luckily Katharine Hamnett’s new beach collection for Yoox.com offers 14 Fifties-inspired swimwear items and accessories that will have you strutting to the beach confident and carefree. George Walker takes a look at the new ‘Save the Sea’ collection by the pioneer of ethical style.

When it comes to sorting out our summer wardrobes once again, it’s often the thought of buying swimwear that looms in our minds as we make our way around the shops. Buying swimwear is difficult – finding that comfortable, body flattering style can strike fear in many people’s hearts, especially for women who have all manner of designs available (for us guys it’s easy: just a big no-no to Speedos!) Also the fact that swimwear and beach accessories quite often use unsustainable plastics, fabrics and dyes makes it hard for people who want to live ethically to get something both environmentally friendly and stylish.

But fear not dear Greenmystyle readers: help is at hand from the fashion elite. Katharine Hamnett, the internationally known designer who has been championing ethical clothing since the Eighties, has teamed up with the Italian high-fashion online retailer Yoox.com to release a stunning range of bikinis, swim shorts and dresses for your summer jaunt.

The ‘Save the Sea’ collection combines Katharine Hamnett’s trademark ethical sloganeering with clever design touches, many of which are inspired by Fifties designs. Hamnett said: “I have called this collection Save the Sea as the sea that we all love is dying due to the impact of human activities such as oil spill, sewage dumping, industrial pollution, agricultural chemical fertilizers and pesticide run-off, lack of fish stock management and over fishing.”

Sadly at the moment everyone is all too aware of the dangers of sea pollution after the BP oil spill, making this a good time to think about how we can support a healthy future for the oceans. Hamnett suggested: “It’s important as consumers and voters that we all know the facts, so that we can do what is needed to save it. Take action - you can make the difference.”

A percentage of the retail price of the collection goes to help farmers in West Africa through the ‘Fashioning a Better Future’ project set up by Katharine Hamnett and run by the Organic Exchange, a registered U.S. charity. It also uses organic cotton, recyclable polyester and other such sustainable fabrics, so you can be safe in the knowledge that these items won’t be harming the sea you take a dip in.

But is the collection up to the style stakes?

‘Save the Sea’ is printed on some of the t-shirts and tote bags in this collection, bringing a bit of Hamnett’s iconic Eighties stylings to your summer look. For those who are a bit wary of such a bold Eighties look, however, much of the collection is more subtle, with chic wrap dresses and cheeky polka dot bikinis all making an appearance.

The swimsuits and bikinis appear well structured – mainly because Hamnett has used tried-and-tested retro cuts that flatter a womanly shape. Polka dots and stripes add an edge of fun, making this range splendidly sexy and full of humour.

One standout piece from the collection is the organic silk dress (pictured left, £122 ). It’s the perfect item for a holiday as it’s casual yet luxurious look means you can wear it straight from the beach to the bar.

Unfortunately the men’s items are a bit less interesting – as often seems the way with ethical clothing lines made for both men and women *sigh*. Although there’s nothing wrong with the khaki shorts and t-shirts, it’s a shame some little touches of Fifties patterning didn’t make their way into the men’s collection.

The ‘Save the Sea’ collection for men and women is now available from Yoox.com.

Explore the Fashion Footprints exhibition

Eleni Sardi — Mon, 17 May 2010 13:05:27 +0000

The Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World is organising a unique exhibition this summer to explore fashion’s complex cycle and the industry’s challenges for the days ahead. You can be a part of this exciting project too as the Centre is hosting an open call for designers and creatives working in the field of sustainability. Eleni Sardi writes.

The exhibition ‘Fashion Footprints: Sustainable Approaches’ is the result of the collaboration of four recent graduates of the MA Fashion and the Environment at the London College of Fashion. The aim of the project is to unravel the complex world of fashion from the cotton field to our own wardrobe with a new perspective that addresses the different issues of sustainability.

Fashion Footprints will be focused on eight themes: materials, production, use, end of life, consumption, localism, speed and connection to producers offering a complete overview of a fashion product’s lifecycle and realistic solutions to the challenges posed by our insatiable need for a constant fashion fix.

Showcasing garments, projects and concepts, the exhibition will give visitors an insight into how their every day actions can collectively build a more sustainable future.

Ranging from pioneering pieces that display a zero waste premise, to hand-me-down and cherished garments that identify with quality and speed of consumption, the clothes – accompanied by film and photography – will help everyone uncover a world unknown and teach how each of us as a consumer can help lessen the burden fashion places on the world’s resources.

The exhibition will open at Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World project space in Exeter and will subsequently begin a national tour in 2011 around fashion and textile institutions in the UK. The exhibition is supported by an experimental fashion show and series of workshops and events, such as Wash Day, promoting traditional washing techniques and Dinner to Dye For, an exciting fusion of natural dyeing and food.

If you’d like to be involved in Fashion Footprints, you can submit your work if you are a designer, visual artist or simply a creative working in the field of sustainable textiles and fashion.

Accessories boutique Sequel London launches online

Jennifer Butler — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 22:00:36 +0000

Spring is coming and it’s high time to replace your old winter handbag with a shiny new one. An online boutique for new ethical accessories brand called Sequel London launches this month. Jenny Butler writes.

Sequel’s range of leather bags are created from recycled leather jackets, discarded silk ties and unwanted curtains.

The Spring / Summer 2010 collection consists of six designs, which are priced from £39 to £79, and offer bespoke, durable styles at high-street prices.

The aesthetic of the first collection features leather covered button details, and a removable recycled silk tie decoration, which has been used to add colour and texture to the range. Linings are sourced from offcuts of high-quality secondhand curtains, provide the delicate detail which makes each individual Sequel product unique.

Sequel London was set up by cousins Laura Queening and Claire Baigent as a means to reduce waste and encourage sustainability in fashion. Sequel carefully select unwanted clothing from Oxfam Wastesavers, breathing the life back into old clothing.

All products are designed by Laura Queening, who graduated from London College of Fashion in 2007, she said: “We wanted to use those cast-offs that most of us have in the back of our wardrobes, to produce classic, beautiful pieces which can be worn with pride time and again.”

The tie details on each bag will vary depending on the stock donated to charity, so no two bags will ever be the same. The whole range is available in black leather, with some styles available in either black or brown.

Like the name suggests, all the accessories are made in the capital and Sequel London uses recycled materials wherever possible, with all swing tickets, packaging and stationary made from recycled paper. The company also aims to reuse whatever materials it can on a day-to-day basis.

Queening said: “Fashion can change so quickly, and often we see clothing that is in excellent condition, but wouldn’t be worn by the more fashion conscious among us. We only choose the best quality material, even if the clothing itself has long since passed its fashion sell-by date, and from that we make a new product, reducing waste and offering something different in today’s disposable lifestyle.”

Sequellondon.co.uk.

London Fashion Week AW 2010 trends

Eleni Sardi — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:00:51 +0000

With Paris Fashion Week making headlines, we’re still buzzing with the trends seen at London Fashion Week trying to figure out the looks that we’ll be wearing come September when the nude craze will be old news and we’ll be itching for something new to keep us warm and stylish during the British winter. Eleni Sardi writes.

As Stella McCartney debuts her new collection at the runways in Paris, everyone’s talking about the sharp tailoring of her designs that exude an androgynous feel. It seems that the contrasting of opposites will be a major theme for Autumn-Winter 2010 as designers at estethica also heavily explored that theme.

Emesha's silk jumpsuit

Menswear fabrics were used in abundance as several designers employed them to create feminine silhouettes with some really sharp tailoring. By Stamo and Emesha both mentioned their inspiration as such using tailoring fabrics and hard woollens respectively to produce covetable dresses and coats. Junky Styling was also a prime example of the ‘opposites symphony’ as original men’s trousers and jackets were transformed into contemporary classic dresses and skirts for women. Tailoring also seemed to be the word at Anatomy.

This season’s big fashion trend: paisley

Charlotte Marland — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:40:15 +0000

Spotted on the glamorous catwalks of London Fashion Week, a revived and revamped pixie-cute take on the ever fashionable paisley print. Charlotte Marland writes.

Winter will definitely be the season for this traditional kidney-shaped design, which shows that unlike bell bottoms, flowered curtain-like material and potato sack cuts, not everything associated with the bohemian ideals of the seventies should be forgotten.

Despite the twisted-teardrop’s Indian origins, the design has major connotations of British-culture which remained a theme throughout many of the collections see during fashion week.

The adorable folk-style design is already expected to be adapted into high street fashion as they continue to crop up in more and more fashion campaigns, with the chic aesthetic having already been featured on models such as Heidi Mount and Damir Vladusic. However, we think this year’s principle paisley pioneer has to be Clements Ribeiro.

The husband and wife team of Inacio Ribeiro and Suzanne Clements – famed for their cashmere and relaxed comfortable pieces – returned to London Fashion Week after a five year absence only to wow audiences with their stunning collection of silk print dresses.

Paisley will make for an easy-to-wear trend this Autumn/Winter as it is commonly found in darker feminine colours so there are few colour clashing disasters to worry about when teaming the outfit up with warm leggings or a thick cardigan.

Fashion lovers who act fast may even be able to find some genuine paisley vintage pieces in their local charity or secondhand shop.

We also have a selection of our TOP THREE eco designer paisley dresses:

1. Julia Smith’s Purple Print Paisley Dress, £150.00 from The Natural Store

2. Dialog’s Brocade dress, available in burgundy and gold or khaki and gold, £140.00 from Fashion Conscience

3. Ciel’s Brigette Blue and White Print Sun Dress, made with hemp silk, £54.00 from Fash ion Conscience

Fair trade focus: Kirsteen Stuart

Jennifer Butler — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:40:41 +0000

From an island off the shores of Scotland there is a fair trade designer who designs edgy graphic patterns for a signature collection of unique clothing and accessories. Jenny Butler writes.

Kirsteen Stuart, based in Orkney, studied Kirsteen Stewart studied Fashion design at the University of Northumbria, Newcastle where she specialised in printed textile design. After graduation she returned to her Orkney roots to build her own design business and continue working as a freelance designer.

She designs and produces creative illustrative prints, for feminine but contemporary clothing and accessories. She blends classic pattern cutting, dressmaking and craftsmanship with original graphic screen prints. Accessories and clothing are designed to be mixed together to each individuals taste.

Her inspiration comes from the people in Orkney, rich contrast colours, history and illustrators from the past and present.

She collaborates with fair trade companies and charities including the Asha Foundation in Bangladesh, and the Bombululu workshop in Kenya. Each item is designed by Kirsteen Stewart and crafted by someone skilled in traditional techniques local to their part of the world.

Stuart is inspired by the things she sees at home and on her travels around the world: “I have always been fascinated by detail and many of my designs evolve from everyday objects or things I have seen in far flung places- the pattern on a tea -cup, a piece of crochet work, tribal patterns, jewellery and textiles.”

This youthful label includes cotton bead necklaces, a pretty stag brooch, and a summer essential, flip flops. There is also a selection of cute bags embossed with tea pots, muffins and birds.

Kirsteen Stuart

London Fashion Week estethica highlights: Beautiful Soul

Mandy Barder — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 23:38:51 +0000

Now in its third season and propelling confidently through the ethical fashion area, Beautiful Soul introduced ‘No. 3, AW10 collection’ at estethica last week. With an enticingly diverse and structured take on sexy, feminine styles, founder and designer Nicola Woods tells Mandy Barder what she deems important to make her fledgling brand a success.

Beautiful Soul may only be a youngster on the ethical and mainstream fashion circuit, but judging by its latest collection it looks set to make some well deserved headlines. It has rapidly developed into a smart, off-beat and elegant brand, where unusual cuts are explored and rich, indulgent colours on similar materials are swiftly becoming a signature style. Despite its infancy, it is already evolving into an unusually forward thinking label but with a timeless quality that simply ripples through the entire AW10 collection.

One of the strongest prevailing qualities this collection has is its clever and diverse edge, which gives it that sense of practicality as well as a beautiful look. “The idea with a Beautiful Soul garment is that it remains in your wardrobe for a lifetime, so I create timeless pieces that are multifunctional depending on the mood we’re in at the time, which is important because you have to realise that a woman changes her mood and her mind” says Nicola.

The coats in the collection do exactly this. The sleeves are reversible to give the piece a little more variety with colour and are also removable allowing it to be worn as a waistcoat during the warmer months. As one of Beautiful Soul’s newest materials, Izzy Lane’s ethical wool is used to make these stunning coats, which come in a deep wine red or in a black kimono style, each perfecting an indulgent and smoldering winter look.

These very grown-up and provocative silhouettes are born from a mish-mash of influences, including veteran Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto in his use of wool, which Nicola proudly admits her No. 3 collection is in homage to him. The dark and sophisticated way colour has been treated was also inspired by him with the rich monochromes of white, black and red. An alluringly indulgent blue is integrated into the jackets, layered tops and short skirts as a result of some recycled denim Nicola found and transformed into short dresses and relaxed, feminine tops.

Layering plays a key role in the makeup of this collection, from the Japanese inspired tops with wide sleeves and folds of material clasping at the chest to the sumptuous coats. Cleverly structured cuts also feature heavily in the lengths of skirts and design of jacket collars.

Beautiful Soul’s intelligent style is all down to Nicola recognising the absolute need for inventive thinking and swatting up on new materials. She says: “It’s not just about silhouettes it’s about delving way past that and discovering new ways of incorporating new fabrics. As an ethical fashion designer you are more of a researcher than anything else and each season I hope to integrate new sustainable and inventive fabrics”.

Beautiful Soul

London Fashion Week estethica highlights: From Somewhere

Mandy Barder — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:06:51 +0000

From Somewhere’s tagline ‘Recycling since 1997’ has something of an old world slogan about it, despite the fact that it began a mere 13 years ago. It is one of eco fashion’s earliest and leading brands to drum up inspiration for other eco designers. Straight talking designer and co-founder of Estethica, Orsola de Castro tells Mandy Barder about the simple yet extraordinary theme that From Somewhere embodies.

Knitwear, tweed and inventive patch work still remain firm fixtures of From Somewhere’s design motif. It seems that the engineering of putting off-cuts and end of roll bits and pieces together is getting more and more advanced for the brand each season. For the AW10 collection Orsola and her design partner Filippo made quite a substantial find, well certainly in length and weight terms. As well as discovering their usual array of shreds and samples of wasted materials they were given 3500metres of black and white wool from one of the high end Italian manufacturers, which is where the garments are made.

The end result can be seen in the sumptuous AW10 collection. Monochrome and black sweater dresses with exaggerated swirls of clumped black knit twirling across the chest and a dress with triangular panels of black and white stripes, knitted lines and beautiful angora are a couple of my favourites. It epitomises From Somewhere’s smart and artistic use of luxurious fabric.

Orsola and Filippo continue to design using these reclaimed fabrics, which include cashmere, silks and woven materials. “We work in a very classic way with classic designs that accommodate very small pieces of fabric. We try to create collections that are wearable” Orsola says.

The brilliance of From Somewhere is in the simple blend of classic materials with an added twist of surrealism. Sassy and fitted tops feature with bouquets of tweed sachets puffing out from the shoulders and beautiful autumnal coats that could be likened to Withnail’s edgy tweed coat from 1980s British cult film Withnail and I, but with a splash of colour and an all over dose of femininity.

The brand’s ingenious balance of well tailoured classic cuts and quirky shapes is still very much a strong focus with no plans of slowing down.

All the collections are reproduced in a Cooperative in Italy that helps disadvantaged and disabled individuals. For more info visit the From Somewhere website.

Dreaming of summer: Marc O’Polo’s new organic range

George Walker — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:00:48 +0000

Marc O’Polo is always a favourite fashion choice come spring time. With its neutral tones, natural materials and sense of adventure- the new spring/summer range from this natural clothing label is ideal for wearing on that summer adventure or weekend away. George Walker gives a sneak peak at the new organic collection.

Marc O’Polo is a brand inspired by nature. It creates casual clothes that whisper a sense of confident, individual style. Some may find the brand’s adherence to neutral tones and classic cuts a little ‘samey’, but Marc O’Polo clothing attracts a wide variety of fans who are after staple wardrobe pieces that are well made and fashionable.

The new spring/summer collection sees Marc O’Polo experiment with new shapes and a more youthful look that might attract those of you who have previously overlooked the label. Marc O’Polo tell us the new collection helps you release that ‘inner tomboy’, with inspiration coming from the Little House on the Prairie and ‘the girl next door’. In reality, this means very wearable, casual pieces that play upon the current trend for nude and natural tones.

Jump suits with a safari edge, ultra-feminine tea dresses and garments that hit the current trend of all things blue are the main staples of this new collection. Some of the pieces can be worn from the beach to the boardroom, with just a quick change of jacket or shoes. For us, the truly standout piece from the collection is the khaki jumpsuit (right). This is a garment that often strikes fear in the heart of women, but Marc O’Polo have managed to design a flattering, summery and eye-catching version of the jumpsuit that is more ‘chilled coastal dweller’ than Eighties power dresser.

Marc O’Polo’s concept of the ‘Modern Organic Product’ is brought to the fore with this new range. All items use organic materials whenever possible to avoid environmentally damaging production techniques. Not only this, Marc O’Polo aims to use renewable energy sources such as solar panels to cover nearly 70% or all energy consumption. Marc O’Polo said: “From the very beginning, Marc O’Polo has had a strong connection to naturalness and natural materials. All company activities prominently feature the pronounced goal of long-term value creation.”

The ‘Modern Organic Product’ collection will also include some pieces in the men’s range, meaning you can pack up your suitcase with a range of organic fashion goodies for a romantic summer jaunt. See the more of the range in our pop-out gallery below or visit the Marc O’Polo online shop.