Eco Fashion World

Thieves by Sonja den Elzen caters to an individual with strength accented by sensuality. Edgy and sultry while conscientiously designed, den Elzen’s collections are for the woman with a femme fatale exterior or the male counterpart, both sheltering an earth-loving heart of gold.

Toronto born designer Sonja den Elzen grew up spending most of her extracurricular time outdoors surrounded by nature. den Elzen’s observations and experiences in nature developed into a deep-rooted appreciation for the environment. Her interest in fashion came from looking at editorials in magazines as a child and wishing she could have the beautiful clothing featured in the images.

den Elzen became a self taught designer and launched JY STIJLS, a street-wear line, in 1996. From 1996 to 2001 that was her focus, followed by work for a few other companies and a hiatus to travel through India and Europe. Reflection during her travels lead to the realization of a need to match business values with her evolving personal values. den Elzen states, “I believe that we live in a symbiotic relationship with the planet and that we have to respect what we take and what we give back. I believe that the most important aspects of design are the effects before, during and after, as well as the visual appearance.”

After immersing herself in contemplation, den Elzen collected her thoughts and launched Thieves in 2006. When I asked her to share the story behind the name, her response was “Thieves is about stealing back your sense of self from society’s deep sleep. Thieves is about exploring your own individuality and allowing the clothes you wear to enhance your personality and what you want to express rather than letting your clothing define it for you.” Her mantra speaks to those who want something different, to express themselves with beautiful clothing while progressing toward further environmental conservation.

Thieves is wholly designed and constructed in Toronto. den Elzen selects luxurious fabrications to manipulate into wearable works of art. Fabrics used are certified organic wools, certified organic wool/organic cotton blends, tencel, bees waxed organic cotton, organic cotton twill, hemp/tencel blends, and hemp herringbone. Dyes are low impact. There is an obvious attention to every last detail. Women’s styles feature tailoring for exceptional fit and draping for soft texture. Men’s styles feature smart tailoring creating sleek sculpted lines. Thieves’ current and upcoming collections represent a play on soft muted colors such as heather grey, glacier grey, and smoke mixed with classic black for a modern appeal.

den Elzen is inspired by artists, concepts, nature, people, illusions, perceptions, movements, social and ecological activism. The inspiration for the upcoming Thieves A/W 2010 collection, fittingly named Conscience, came from a Greenpeace film by Peter Mettler titled "Petropolis: Aerial Perspectives on the Alberta Tar Sands."

“Petropolis” is a film that is shot from an aerial view, first traveling over the untouched Boreal forests of Alberta and its breathtaking beauty, and then slowly arriving into the vicinity of the Tar Sands, where tar is extracted from the earth in a violent, massive, and destructive manner. While some shots are so abstract they almost seem beautiful, when the viewer grasps what they are looking at, it becomes a heart-wrenching thing to have to witness passively. After viewing the film, it was permanently etched in den Elzen’s mind and in turn came through in her perspective of the designs. She says, “The pieces in the collection are a reflection of the warriors who know that things just are not right, and also know they must fight for what they believe in.”

Thieves’ designs are beautiful and timeless, allowing the wearer to express their individual creativity while spreading a message of environmental awareness and need for action. Sonja den Elzen hopes to convey her passions while she looks to the future with plans of collaborating with like minded artists and expanding the brand to Europe and Japan.

For a chance to win an item of your choice from the Thieves Fall 2010 Conscience collection, visit Thieves Boutique online, facebook.com/thievesboutique, and twitter.com/thievesboutique. You can make an entry at each of the three sites for a total of 3 chances to win the drawing!

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Show/Hide comments

Show/Hide comment form