Eco Fashion World

Once in a while you come across an eco fashion designer that really touches you deeply in terms of aesthetics and inspiration. Last Tuesday I had the privilege of meeting Sonja den Elzen in her flagship store in downtown Toronto. Sonja is the founder of Thieves, the brand that got headlines last February during the Green Showrooms in New York. She told me what inspired her for her A/W 2010 collection ‘Conscience’.

Sonja: The inspiration for this collection was the film ‘Petropolis’ created by Peter Mettler for Greenpeace. The film visually explores the exploitation of Canada’s Boreal forest through the mining of the Tar Sands. While the imaging used in the movie is beautiful, it leaves you with an extraordinarily disturbing feeling. This lead me  to want to represent, through the collection, the inner turmoil of knowing the short and long term destruction that is taking place must be changed in order for our survival and relationship with the earth to remain symbiotic.  

Kim: How did you translate this inspiration to your silhouette?

Sonja: I see us humans as nomads in an evolving state working within the erratic and harsh climates of constant transformation. We need to re-learn to work with the environment rather than against it and I have translated that in the silhouette showing both soft drapes and stronger forms aimed at protecting us. The collection resonates with the image of the warrior, but it is a humble warrior that cocoons to connect to its inner strength. As if it re-establishes its place among the noble elements of the earth through respectful action. This image is translated in the styles that are all tailored yet practical and expose a rugged look. 

Kim: What about your materials?

Sonja: All the items in this collection have a feeling of age, finding their character through the passing of time. I have used dark materials, ranging from bee waxed organic cotton that resembles the black oil of the Tar Sands, to soft organic wool that provides warmth. They all have an armor look but are yet super comfortable on the body. 

Kim: What is your favourite piece in this collection?

Sonja: I love the dress because of its strong top which looks like a jacket and its softly sculpted skirt follows the shape of your body. I feel when a woman wears it it is stressing her feminine strength. I think we are in need of a little more feminine strength and power to balance the masculine destructive power that does things to the Earth such as what happens with the Tar Sands. A fall/winter must have is the unisex blanket cape which is a very simple form with two armholes in it that you can literally use as a blanket, but also as an extra layer in any kind of situation. When travelling, I often long for a layer like this and even now, living as an urban nomad going from one place to the other in this city, I like the feeling of carrying my own blanket with me that serves very well as a dress-up cape. 

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