Eco Fashion World

EVGENI PETKOV

With fashion weeks in major cities now having come to a close, the future of eco and ethical fashion is shining ever brighter as momentum continues to build for authentic sustainable fashion offerings. From NY’s The GreenShows to London’s Estethica to Vancouver’s Eco Fashion Week to Hong Kong’s EcoChic Asia, the word is definitely out that a global shift is taking place as designers adopt strategies to responsibly source and produce their latest collections. In certain regions, eco fashion initiatives still do not have the same organized support, but talented individuals are finding resourceful ways of contributing within their communities to the green fashion phenomenon. Given that I will be reporting from Eastern Europe for the next few months, I thought that a round up of talent from this corner of the globe might demonstrate just how varied the offerings are here. Evgeni Petkov, Ceca Georgieva, Reet Aus, and Isabell de Hillerin are all standout designers and artists who use local materials as original expressions of Eastern European cultural and ecological awareness.

You might recall our first report on Evgeni Petkov in April of 2009 after I had attended my first Sofia Fashion Week here in Bulgaria. Since then, the 22-year-old designer has appeared in numerous local fashion weeks, exhibitions in Paris, as well as having created a unique knit eco-couture gown for EcoChic Geneva last January. In addition to reviving Bulgarian handicraft techniques with the use of natural fibers and eco textiles (when available) in recent collections, Evgeni Petkov is also dedicated to addressing the traditions of his native culture with designs that reference folk costuming as well as theatrical presentations of eco narrative ideas. This Wednesday, October 13, Petkov will present his S/S 2011 ‘Elves Collection’ here in Sofia. The 45-piece runway show promises to be transporting with a mystical, sylvan-themed backdrop and musical accompaniment. The latest pieces incorporate recycled fabrics, patterned silks specifically, with embellishments and trims that the designer recycles in his country atelier. The exciting thing about Evgeni’s role as a young fashion figure in Eastern Europe is the promise that he demonstrates as someone creating highly artistic, though wearable pieces, while also collaborating with and encouraging others in the industry to experiment with ideas related to green design. This has been demonstrated in numerous editorial photo shoots that Petkov has helped style for fashion glossies in Bulgaria as well as in fashion shows for corporate clients.

CECA GEORGIEVA

The marriage of environmental consciousness and textiles is not a new phenomenon in Bulgaria, as internationally recognized textile artist, Ceca Georgieva has been working with vegetation, natural fibers, and materials found during her daily walks for decades. With exhibitions and awards from institutions across Europe and Asia, it is quite inspiring that Georgieva continues to work under the shadow of Sofia’s Mount Vitosha, crafting her sculpture and site-specific installations in dialogue with the local environment. I consider her to be a vital part of the eco fashion movement in Bulgaria and beyond, as her recent green ‘leaf’ jewelry designs have been featured on numerous fashion blogs and design sites. Thoughtfully created out of leaves, twigs, pods, and tendrils, each Georgieva design is the purest expression of nature’s inherent beauty and the passage of time that is illustrated with fading foliage hues and textures.

CECA GEORGIEVA 

REET AUS

Estonian fashion designer Reet Aus cultivates the slow fashion spirit from her studio in Tallinn, and her fashion-with-a conscience mission is apparent in every last design detail. Her commitment to living a “chemical-free lifestyle” and “recycling every material possible” translates beautifully to her no-waste designs and ethos. A recent participant in the Ethical Fashion Forum’s Designer Pavilion as well as last July’s GREEN Showroom during Berlin Fashion Week, Aus has a dedicated following for those who recognize genuine slow fashion goodness and commitment to organic fashion principles.

REET AUS

As Aus describes on her website, “All of my pieces are deliberately classic and, for the most part, non seasonal. The idea is to act against the rapid cycle of production and waste in the fashion industry by making high quality pieces that one will wear for years and years. I draw on traditional Estonian styles and handicrafts, to keep these cultural qualities alive for future generations to appreciate…The Reet Aus ReUse collection is made entirely of recycled materials. ReUse takes already used mass produced items and gives them a new, unique look with a high fashion dimension. The Reet Aus Organic collection is made of organic materials that are grown without pesticides from non-genetically modified plants”.

ISABELL DE HILLERIN

Given the strong presence of traditional costume and embroidered textiles in Eastern Europe, it is no surprise that contemporary designers from all over are drawn to the exquisite patterns and natural fabrics that are customary in these garments. Though not based in Eastern Europe, German designer Isabell de Hillerin uses recycled Romanian fabrics and embroidery swatches to create modern separates that illustrate chic, timeless dressing. The Berlin-based designer has exhibited at Cremoda Bilboa, THE KEY.TO Berlin, the Ethical Fashion Show Paris, and Arts of Fashion Philadelphia. Her mission to work with Romanian textiles is further described on her website:

“In recent years the traditional fabrics industry in Romania has been driven to near extinction. To strengthen this traditional artisanry, Isabell de Hillerin is working with local Romanian manufacturers to support the production of handmade materials. Her aim is to support these highly skilled craftsmen by publicizing and utilizing their cultural skills in a way that has not been done before. The Miscelánea collection combines recycled Romanian materials like old folkloric tablecloths and headscarves with modern tailoring and cut. All integrated materials are out of natural fibers.”

ISABELL DE HILLERIN 

For now, most of these designers have to travel to Western Europe or other global fashion outposts to share their latest eco fashion designs and artistry, but there may come a time when cities here are able to host their own eco fashion weeks with the fore-mentioned designers and a whole new roster of fashion talent. What an exciting next chapter this will be.

Photo credits for the above images: Evgeni Petkov’s Elves Collection S/S 2011 images (photography by Ivailo Stanev for Creative Hall; models: Gery and Boriana for Expose Models; Hair: Polina Boevska for Schwarzopf; and make-up by Rumen Chakarov). Isabell de Hillerin’s images (MISCELÁNEA _autumn/winter 2009: Photographer: Hannah Lipowsky; Stylist:Anja Niedermeier and FADED spring/summer 2011: photographer: Julia Braun and Stylist: Anja Niedermeier), all other images courtesy of the designer/artist.

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