Eco Fashion World

Nothing compliments this summer’s obsession with the floaty maxi dress like an equal obsession with enormous collar necklaces. Perhaps Quansah had her fingers firmly on the zeitgeist when she made the transition from beautifully embellished textiles to beautifully bejeweled neckpieces, or perhaps it was just a fortunate coincidence. Either way, the resulting accessories are set to put the ding back into the wedding season.

Just seven years after graduating, Quansah’s resume reads like any fashion student’s ‘hope-to-do- before-I-die’ list, with cameo roles from formidable fashion royals such as Christian Lacroix (Quansah designed a jacket for his haute couture catwalk show in 2004) and Donna Karan nestling amongst the steady stream of successes.

This wealth of experience, along with a commitment to creative freedom, is a strong flavour in her jewellery. Her fringed face-framers are not only visually arresting but have a solidity that delicately disguises her enthusiasm for junkyard sourcing.

Stylistically, Quansah took inspiration for the collection from the Ndebele tribe of South Africa and this comes across strongly in the scale and form. The palette and materials follow a more pop baroque aesthetic (think Copella’s Marie Antoinette), which successfully places the pieces in the western urban wardrobe.

Technically however, Quansah would align with the far subtler strokes of the Parisian Impressionist painters; on closer inspection what appeared to be a riot of pavé set gemstones reveals itself as a cunningly wound chain or reclaimed plastic bead necklace. Shredded strips of grey T-shirt pass off as a chandelier cascade of shell-like beads, just as seemingly random daubs of colour, at a distance, are unmistakably waterlillies.

As a jeweller myself who graduated from one of the few institutions that still places an emphasis on silversmithing skills, it’s easy to be skeptical of what designers without that technical grounding can bring to the table. Quansah’s transferal of textile techniques such as weaving and binding along with her brave approach to size are pure genius and quickly eradicate any notion of skepticism.

Finally, as the icing on the (let them eat) cake, you can be assured that Quansah is no ‘electric band wagon’ hitching, green card point cashing, charlatan of a token recycler - her website www.anitaquansah.com is teeming with garments featuring bold yet intricate recycled textiles, stretching right back to her days at Chelsea College of Art.

If you (like me) just won’t feel the same in floor length organic silk without one of these one off show stoppers, then you’d best get your American Express out quickly - German Vogue has already put the word out so there is bound to be a scrum.

Comments (2)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Show/Hide comments

Show/Hide comment form