Eco Fashion World

IRINA LAZAREANU IN LUELLA FOR EJF

On Wednesday evening, it was time to make our way to the Old Truman Brewery for the Junky Styling show. For those who don’t know this incredible venue, don’t miss it on your next trip to London: the 11 acre site has become the creative hub of London's East End with more than 200 small, creative businesses including Fashion designers, artists and D.J's working alongside graphic designers, architects and recording and photographic studios. Back

JUNKY STYLING

JUNKY STYLING

Of course, no eco perspective of London Fashion Week would be complete without an overview of Estethica, now in its fifth season, the exhibition has become the epicenter of London's ethical fashion industry, providing community and education about fair trade, eco and ethical fashion design. This year brought back many exhibitors but also showcased some exciting new designers:

The Environmental Justice Foundation continued its international campaign to clean up cotton production with a collection of exclusively designed t-shirts by Luella Bartley, Christian Lacroix, Betty Jackson and Katharine Hamnett, produced on organic and fairly traded cotton. EJF showcased the original creations in a series of new photographs of over 20 international

MARK LIU

supermodels including Lily Cole, Irina Lazareanu and Caroline Trentini modeling the collection in support of the charity.

Mark Liu. A pioneer of ‘Zero Waste Fashion’ the designer points out that approximately 15 % of fabric is wasted in the pattern cutting process. “Wasted materials are bad for the environment and a loss in potential profits”, says Liu, who envisions a future where sustainability will promote innovation in the fashion sphere, and new aesthetics in the style dimension.

A returning designer that continues impressing us with his sharp design and philosophy is

A first time exhibitor, Anatomy

ANATOMY

was founded by designer Claire Macauley in 2005, when she moved to Devon from London. The change to the country brought into sharp focus the need to preserve our environment and to move away from the culture of fast, cheap, trend fashion. The collection is aimed at professional women - classic, tailored pieces for the office and chic separates and dresses for social events and parties. Fabrics include peace silk (a raw silk, hand spun and woven in India by tribal groups using traditional methods) and natural hemp

Also showing for the first time at Estethica, Lunar

LUNAR

is a South African brand founded by designer Karen Ter Morshuizen and her husband Paul Harris, who have been working at educating the South African consumer to sustainability issues for over a decade. Their luxurious dresses and beautiful tailored pieces in rich neutral colors would form the ideal wardrobe for the uptown eco-ista.

A beautiful mix of fair trade, organic or recycled fabrics are the elements used by Minna Hepburn to create her lacy frocks. The designer was inspired to start her label in 2007 after years of collecting antique lace and vintage treasures. All pieces are embellished with local flea market finds such as

MINNA

buttons and antique lace, ensuring that each piece in the collection is truly unique. The Minna label is also influenced by French designer Maguy de Chadirac who joined earlier this year, bringing her wealth of experience working in haute couture and with brands such as Sonia Rykiel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Hermes and Louis Vuitton.

Your feet will be happy to discover Nina Dolcetti, the young Londoner made her debut designs in Notting Hill's trendy From Somewhere flagship store and uses reclaimed

NINA DOLCETTI

leather and fabric for her sexy but comfy creations.

Back to the catwalks to close the week, the Topman show, organized in collaboration with Parisian uber-cool store Colette introduced French art/fashion label Andrea Crews to London. The avant-guard street wear is made from second hand clothes transformed into radical new pieces such as a reversed bomber jacket adorned with patchwork patterns or sweat tops embellished with intricate appliqués.

After such a great week, it was hard to say goodbye to London, but with the help of our local ethical fashion friends, we’ll be sure to continue keeping a close eye on all the exciting sustainable style developments that happen in this bubbling city.

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