Eco Fashion World

More than a century after Emily Davison threw herself at the mercy of the king’s horse in the name of women's suffrage, you’d be forgiven for hoping that it’s only Michelle Obama who still forces herself to play the vicar’s wife role of tracing her husband’s mighty steps with a plate of cucumber sandwiches. The wealthiest novelist in Britain is a woman (JK Rowling), the poet laureate is a woman (Carol Ann Duffy), and the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition was recently curated by a woman (Tracy Emin). Why then is Lauren Podoll letting her husband front their highly successful, jointly run, ethical fashion brand, Josh Podoll, and thus confining herself to the image of secretary or worse - muse?

 It’s impossible to speculate on the breakfast conversations that have furnished their San Francisco home over the past two years, however, what has leaked out is a long overdue re-branding on the horizon. Mrs. Podoll is set to take her rightful place alongside her husband, under the approachable title of The Podolls later this year.

Her esteemed husband, Josh Podoll, first made his name as an abstract painter and has exhibited widely for the six years since he graduated Fine Art (MA) in IOWA. He met Lauren, as their website explains, at her boutique where he sought advice on having T-shirts printed with his uber-fresh graphics. The website is very discreet about it, but one assumes from the ‘contented smile’ double portrait (and the fact that they are now married), that some sort of wooing must have been involved alongside the business negotiations. They now live the feted romance of a creative coupling of the souls as well as the bank accounts, united in dressing the hip and the hopeful of the west coast creative scene.

The Podolls’ (as I will preemptively refer to the brand) S/S 2010 collection is the perfect antidote to the ethical fashionista’s pastime of rummaging elbow deep through insatiable rails of ‘70’s Nylon. Crafted from all natural fibres (cool organic cotton chambray and luxurious printed silk Ikat), just looking at it gives you the sensation of slipping down a well iced G and T with waves gently breaking on the soundscape.

The cuts are charmingly clumsy, low slung and loosely detailed, dancing that delicate line between relaxed-surf cool and graphic-designer chic. The Podolls have a dedication to experimenting and toying with the tailoring, as Lauren explains- ‘Fit has always been important to us. Even when the collection was entirely t-shirts we worked hard to create our own blanks and ensure a flattering fit for both men and women—i.e. our men’s tees have always had a back yoke that creates a broad shoulder and the women’s fit features a tapered waist and more feminine neckline.’ A palette of harbour blues and greys keeps everything understated, drawing the eye back to the subtle sophistication of the open knits and textured weaves.

You can find all the summer necessaries with The Podolls’ twist, a grey tailored jumpsuit, a knitted maxi dress. ‘As we expanded the collection beyond our organic cotton tees, we had the opportunity to experiment with developing modern interpretations of classic shapes, such as our classic Henley Tunic, which combines the classic Henley shirt styling with the versatility of a knit dress.’

The collection is airy enough to brave the heat of the west coast summer, but would look equally at home against the rain spattered cobbles of the Tynemouth as British autumn approaches, although you may need a merino base layer in the absence of the orange county sun.

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