Fashion’s New Wave of Sustainable Designers

When someone says “sustainable fashion” I immediately think of prickly hemp fabrics, low slung crotch trousers and hand crochet flowers. Not my idea of style or fashion. Yet this year Brighton Fashion Week sought to shake up convention by showcasing emerging talent from designers committed to sustainability. Designers for whom aesthetics are paramount, but as is the process of production. So who are the game-changers? The new generation? Watch out Christopher Raeburn, these designers are on your tail.

1. Gabriella Sardena

BFC Award-winning graduate Gabriella Sardena clearly knows her way round a sweet shop. Sugar coated colours, cupcake case like pleats, ruffles, layered laces, candy stripes and playful pom poms all bounced down the catwalk. Gabriella admits that her sugar-crazed collection had its origins in the sweet shops of San Francesco. But rather than creating gimmicky kitsch, her designs have wonderful texture and movement with just the right dose of quirk. Unsurprisingly this collection has earned her a coveted place on Central Saint Martin’s MA in fashion textiles. I’m intrigued to know what will come next.

2. Carlotaoms

Designers Elisabet Carlota and Elisenda Oms the are duo behind this urban style brand, Carlotaoms. Adhering to the ethos to design for longevity, they have delivered considered wardrobe staples with a novel twist. The parka gets a revamp, try it in yellow or black gloss, the classic sweat features bold monochrome stripes and tassel texture. Lines are clean and shapes are simple, but each item is striking in its own right. Stay safe in monochrome or stand out in head to toe yellow.

3. Kitty Ferreira

Whilst Valerie Goode was working as a senior designer in China, she saw the horrific environmental damage the manufacturing industry creates. Her walk to work took her over a bridge, and she could visibly see the pollution in the water below from the local dye houses. It was here that the seeds of an idea began and the brand, Kitty Ferreira, was born. Kitty Ferreira was named after and inspired by her Grandmother. Everything including the packaging and labelling is sourced locally in the UK. Fabrics destined for landfill are upcycled, and she only uses natural and herbal dyes. In her latest collection Valerie has used pomegranates and onion skins to dye the fabric. Due to the nature of the dying process each piece differs slightly from the next, giving the wearer their own unique style. Her collection is elegant and design timeless, using luxurious silk and velvet fabrics and playing with texture and sheer layers. These are garments to own, love and wear time and time again.

4. L.O.M

In a culture obsessed with neutrals, Louise O’Mahony’s avant-garde collection, Folkloric, captivated us with a cacophony of colour, and visually stunning print. Inspired by Mexican, Asian and European Folklore, it features items normally reserved for the dressing up box. Collectively though it worked, with dramatic effect. Printed lycra, coloured pom poms, fringing, sequins, sheer lace and coloured fur all had their part to play in this uplifting collection.

5. Rhiannon Hunt

Winner of the Extending the Life of Clothes Design Award from SCAP. Rhiannon’s work is inspired by the art of origami and architecture, but it also has a fluidity and femininity about it. Soft printed chiffon fabrics draped over structured silhouettes, ribbon weaved to form a skirt. Her ribbon shoes, though impractical, highlighted the delicate and considered nature of her design. She acknowledges that “Changing people’s perception of ‘sustainable fashion’ is one of the key challenges to seeing it become the norm.”* Rhiannon is currently researching sustainable design for her PhD.

FYI

All the above designers had to sign up to one of the following values:

• The inclusion of organic, up-cycled, recycled fabrics or other sustainable materials.
• Designing out of waste and reducing material consumption during the making of the garment.
• Designing for longevity creating value for the garment to ensure the consumer will treasure it forever.
• Designing garments with a lower carbon and water footprint and ensuring no harmful dyes are used in the process.

All Photos by Rod Leon