Catwalk report: Prophetik Autumn/ Winter 2010

Renowned US-based promoter of sustainable fashion, Jeff Garner, held his Prophetik show for Vauxhall Fashion Scout at London Fashion Week.

His show took inspiration from the American Civil War, with violins opening the show and a mixture of a live band Man Raze (formerly of Sex Pistols and Def Leppard).

The mesh of recorded music and live paralleled the artistic mix of fabrics and colours.

Jeff is a man who yearns for both sustainable and stylish fashion : “I wanted the collection to be free-flowing, free thinking silhouettes for the women and sharp tailoring for the men – all very directional and editorial, with a romantic flair.”

Garner uses innovative materials such as plastic water bottles (Greenspun), organic velour and wood pulp. His clothes are dyed with plants and herbs from his own garden including marigold, indigo as well as rust resulted in a strong sense of renaissance flair.

More oddly organic cotton dresses featured abstract prints painted by two elephants in a southern Thailand sanctuary as part of the Asia Elephant Art Conservancy Project.

The female models wore A-line dresses that could flatter any figure and created an effortless look on the catwalk.

The first piece on the catwalk was a gothic meets Little House on the Prairie 1864 recycled silk long black dress with peace silk lining.

This set the pace of the show with a number of haunting, country inspired dresses in blacks, greys and blues from Greenspun fleece, herringbone hemp and piece silk.

The use of luxury sustainable fabrics were wearable as well as gorgeous. Simple designs were added to the show that could be ready to wear from the catwalk. Hooded grey Greenspun hooded dresses and organic and hemp jodphurs, gave a more leisurely feel to an otherwise strong libertine inspired collection.

The indigo dyed jackets and waistcoats adorned with antique Civil War buttons made smart soldiers out of the male models and created a structured silhouette with a crisp and heroic look.

In this collection, you could see how his home life had influenced his decisions: “I was raised in the southern United States and having the studio in historic Franklin, Tennessee, which is an old Civil War town, has really come out in this collection. The designs echo where sustainability was born and the scarce and limited supply of fabrics, the re-fabrication of dresses and frockcoats from existing and used garments.

The organic velour and recycled velvet dresses made your mouth water. The final dress, a long velvet bustier in blood red, was the ultimate show stopper of the collection.

Prophetik