Eco Fashion World

Sitting down with Adhesif founder Melissa Ferreira means getting insights in the whole eco fashion and recycling movement. She is a designer, entrepreneur and stylist, but also a strong thinker and activist. And this makes our conversation go way beyond the aesthetics of her designs.

She can’t recall being any different as a child: she was always very involved with her community. ‘Everyone was from somewhere else and spoke different languages, but we did not let that stop us as kids and all played together’. That continued as she moved from Montreal to Vancouver at the age of twelve. ‘We all have to find our own value and we can make a difference if we immerse ourselves in a group of people who feel and think in a similar way’. The move also brought her signature style into being: a European, vintage inspired feel fused with the environmentalist approach that is at the heart of the city of Vancouver. Every Adhesif piece is unique, hand-made from vintage cloth and in most cases sewn by Melissa’s mum, her strongest supporter and business partner in Adhesif.

The whole aspect of recycling came natural to Melissa. For eight years she worked as a vintage clothing buyer and that’s how the whole idea started. Seeing so many fabrics that she loved, going to landfills, she realized that many of them would make beautiful designs. At the time, eco fashion was a new concept and she had no intentions of creating an eco-friendly brand in that sense. But soon it became popular and her work became recognized as being eco fashion. The timing with the whole eco-system sustainability movement was just perfect and has helped her in many ways.

‘I have always been a strong believer of that it is essential that you do the thing you’re passionate about and then the money will follow. If you believe in yourself, you can make it happen. I started with Adhesif as an outlet for my creativity, not with a specific business plan and it worked from the start because I was able to employ myself and several other people. I am so much enjoying the whole process of how my designs and my business evolve that the end goal is less important’.

By now, Adhesif has a strong follower group that loves her tailored, but whimsical designs that inspire both elegance and quirkiness. Her pieces are being worn by women of all ages who like to express their identity with the colorful combinations of materials she brings together. ‘I often feel like a painter working with a palette of colors that I arrange and re-arrange until the fit is there’. ‘So the black clothes I see behind you really stand out from all your other collections?’ I ask her. ‘This is my spring collection which indeed has a different look and feel. The line is very feminine and is probably the most light-hearted collection I have designed so far. The pieces are playful and might appeal to a different, much younger audience. We have used a lot of old silk scarves and lace details like in this dress. My most favorite piece is the most androgynous-esque type piece, which are the suspend-shorts. Last summer I was frustrated I could not find good black shorts so I decided to design the shorts I wanted to have myself. With a high waistband, button detailing and completely made out of recycled t-shirts, they are very comfortable and easy to wear. They don’t wrinkle and you can wear them now with tights and boots, or in the summer with sandals’.

Melissa’s latest venture will be a dream come true: next week, May 29, she will open her own retail store on Main street in Vancouver. ‘I knew that someday I would have my own shop and suddenly it just fell in my lap with someone calling me that this space was available. It is the right time, also to further involve my customers with my designs. I meet them through fairs like Portobello market, but I am very excited about being able to interact even more with them’.

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