Eco Fashion World

Last month Vancouver Fashion Week took place with designer Angela Saxena showing her Lav and Kush A/W 2010collection on the catwalk. We caught up with her about the inspiration for her designs and the dynamics of running her eco fashion brand.

‘My biggest inspiration is nature, but I also get a lot of ideas during my travels. I always have a notebook and pencil with me to be able to do sketching while I am on the road. In my home office, these sketches become drawings and ultimately the designs. By now we have become known as the flirt of eco fashion which you see reflected in our A/W 2010 pieces. It is a very Lav and Kush’ signature collection with a lot of draping and ruffles. They are all very versatile and wearable and you can dress them up and down. My favourite item is the silk ruffled top in the purple or grey flower print which is good for the office, but also for a party. I think it is my Indian background because I love color and I love prints which is difficult to find in eco fabrics. So for this top, I have chosen a silk print’.

Educated as a fashion designer, Angela had always dreamt about her own line, but never got into it until she came across eco fabrics. ‘For me, fashion needs to be about more than just design. So it is only when I discovered all those beautiful eco fabrics and I saw people only making yoga clothing out of them, that I thought: I want to do dresses! And this is how we started. By now it has become my overall goal: to make sexy and pretty clothing that women feel comfortable and glamorous in but that is still sustainable’.

Being a sales rep for thirteen years, Angela knows the in and outside of the industry which she explains for being the reason of her success. ‘The creative part of this business is so small compared to everything else. 'It really comes down to having a viable business and an effective sales and marketing plan, otherwise it's just a hobby'. Admitting than many consumers are indifferent to eco friendly fabrics, she feels the awareness of eco friendly products is growing. ‘Around 75% of the 50 boutiques where we are selling, are not eco boutiques’, she explains. ‘This is the business opportunity that we saw: instead of catering to the small eco-conscious individual, we wanted to reach out to the mainstream consumer. Because honestly, most people still don’t care. The majority of people still shops in non eco stores and I would like to reach out to them. To reach the wider demographic, we strive to keep our price points moderate with dresses retailing at around $150’.

‘All of the clothing is made here in Vancouver and is of very good quality. During production season we visit the factory every week and we have good relationships with them. We use all organic, natural and sustainable fibres and source mainly from Europe and Asia. One of my favourite fabrics is modal for its softness, draping, and it works well with our designs. The Modal is knitted in California by a trusted company that buys the yarn from a European company called Lenzing'.

In five years from now Lav and Kush wants to be a global brand with retail stores and reps in Europe and North-America. ‘I would love to have our own factories in developing countries where people who live in the community, can make our clothes, benefit from a profit sharing program and really overall improve their quality of life. Then we can have hospitals and schools and really make a difference in this world. This would be my ultimate goal’.

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