Category: Opinion

Australian brands that do #cottagecore in a uniquely sustainable way

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There’s a new fashion trend that’s been popping up, first on TikTok, and now it has moved onto Instagram and Pinterest. Cottagecore is a mix of 21st century hippies, Japanese Mori Girl and Lolitta, a touch of the 18th century, a love of enormous sleeves and a girlishness that harks back to simpler times.

The origin of the Cottagecore aesthetic is one that emphasises Western idyls of the countryside, farming, nature, simplicity and peacefulness, however it has also been adopted by a wide range of young people – particularly lesbians – searching for a decorative ‘soft’ place to identify with, somewhere to celebrate all things handmade, sustainable and ethical. 

This Soft Aesthetic, or Cottagecore fashion, is inspired by the Edwardian era – both the men’s and women’s clothing styles to be worn by either men or women now – and a touch of grandma style.

What is fascinating about this new style is that it comes at a time when a range of new fashion production concepts are also playing out in the retail world due to the impact of the coronavirus – the slow fashion movement, being locked down and dreaming of the great outdoors, the increased interest in using sustainable fabrics and the ideas behind #buylessbuybetter. 

In Australia there are a number of interesting emerging and independent brands that fit neatly into this new Cottagecore trend, making soft, voluminous, natural fabric garments that seem equally suited to roaming the meadows of the British Isles, as they do to traipsing the paddocks, forests and beaches of Australia.

MUSE THE LABEL

Established in 2016, Muse the Label is based in Melbourne and handmade makes everything in linen. The founder of the brand does everything from creating the patterns, choosing the fabrics, sewing the garments and even acts as the delivery driver. 

The linen is sourced from mills that guarantee a fair living wage, and are fully compliant with current REACH regulations. The brand also re-uses as much designer leftovers, mill overrun fabrics and deadstock fabric as it can. Muse only produces small runs of items that are trans-seasonal, so that they reduce wastage and can also create limited editions based on available fabrics. 

The brand’s aesthetic is based on a love of natural fabrics and being out in Australian landscapes, hence the mix of rich earthy and natural colours. This is Cottagecore done in a simple, feminine and slow fashion style.

To shop, go to https://musethelabel.com/ 

REVEL KNITWEAR

Another Melbourne brand also set up in 2016, Revel Knitwear is all about handmade knitwear that is ‘made by women, for women’. 

“I wanted to create knitwear that was classic and timeless. Being hand-made, it provides more of a bespoke and exclusive experience for the consumer. A knit that has been truly made for you, with a lot of passion and love,” explains brand founder and knitwear designer Shannyn Lorkin.

Revel Knitwear has five core values that they stick to. The first is Handmade; all the pieces are hand-knitted by a team of Australian crafters who take up to 20 hours to create one sweater. “I gained all my knowledge and skill of hand-knitting from my grandmother Beverley who this label is a legacy for. She taught me the value of wearing something that has soul and that has love in every stitch,” says Lorkin. 

Using only natural fibres like wool and cotton are the second core value; and repurposing waste is the third. Revel Knitwear makers save all the fibre off-cuts to be spun into new yarn, and use recycled cotton yarn fabric labels and biodegradable packaging. 

Value four is linked to reducing waste, the made-to-order production of garments. The items are all made on demand – which is why it can take 14-21 days for delivery after an order is made. They do have a small number of made to order items during different seasons – like winter – but everything is generally only made after it has been bought. The final value is tied to using natural materials – wool doesn’t need to be washed very often as it is odour resistant, and even if you do wash it, it only needs a light handwash saving on water usage. 

Revel Knitwear is oversized, with lots of textural details, fun coloured stripes and with fabulous voluminous sleeves – the perfect sweater to go on top of a Cottagecore linen dress.

To shop the brand, go to https://www.revelknitwear.com/

EVA’S SUNDAY

Eva’s Sunday is a brand that’s based in country Australia, and again works almost entirely in linen. The design philosophy is based around agelessness and comfort, and of course, slow fashion and natural materials. 

The brand doesn’t release seasonal collections as the majority of their items have been designed to be layered depending on the season, neutral shades like white, cream and grey are balanced with darker blues and touches of black, plus additional pastel shades of green. 

“We design and release new ranges consistently throughout the year and prefer to avoid the strict seasonal approach to garment design, opting instead for pieces that work well layered up or down depending on your climate,” writes Nic MacIsaac, the founder and CEO.

The voluminous shapes, natural fabrics, asymmetrical cuts and additions like rosettes and flowers makes Eva’s Sunday the perfect example of Mori Girl Cottagecore style

To shop the brand, go to https://www.evassunday.com.au/

GARÇONNE

Designer Kate Thornell created Garçonne in 2018 after searching for clothes that not only suited her personal style – a mix of “French workwear from the 30s to the high-waisted pants and gorgeous dresses of the 40s; Harris Tweed waistcoats from the 70s to the denim overalls I wore as a child in the 80s” – but also fit into the Slow Fashion Movement.

Thornell chose the brand’s name for its historical links to the 1920s French flappers, as well as its tie to the Tomboy fashion aesthetic. “Garçonne is [also] used today to describe the modern gentlewoman: think Tilda Swinton and Dianne Keaton,” writes Thornell.

Although the brand originally started as an idea for a small knitwear range, after working with a knitwear consultant and enjoying the creativity, Thornell decided to take the leap and launch as a full womenswear brand also incorporating linen garments.

The brand only produces limited numbers of items using natural yarns like alpaca and wool, and linen in small runs per each trans-seasonal collections. 

Shop the brand at https://garconne.com.au/ 

MERRI

Merri is more of a boho Mori Girl style with influence from the 50s, 60s and 70s. The designer describes the brand concept as being “born out of a love affair with my mothers’ wardrobe”. 

The collections are again relatively limited and once sold out, they are not restocked. The garments are non-mass produced and ethically handmade, with the idea that the pieces will last long enough to become heirlooms.

“… at Merri I wanted to create beautiful clothing and accessories with meaning and soul,” writes the designer and founder Rhea. 

To shop the brand, go to https://merrithelabel.com/

VERONICA TUCKER

Veronica Tucker is a Melbourne designer who founded her label in 2019. Her brand is more like a traditional atelier where she designs, cuts and hand sews all her garments in very limited runs. 

What makes her work different and exciting is that she also produces bespoke designs on request that feature her signature use of volume, ruffles and natural fabrics. Tucker’s style is feminine but comes with a polish that adds an understated elegance to her work. 

Currently working on her new collection, you can’t actually shop her brand at the moment. As a slow fashion brand, Tucker only produces limited runs and once they’re gone, they’re gone. This also reduces waste as she only makes as many items as are being bought. 

To discover more about the brand, go to https://veronicatuckerthelabel.com/, and you can order a bespoke design by emailing hello@veronicatuckerthelabel.com. 

LIYA MIRA

Based in Sydney, designer and crafter Liya Mira creates handmade and hand-dyed clothing from organic fabrics. Her style is definitely at the hippy end of the Cottagecore spectrum with the simple silhouettes acting as a platform for her natural dying techniques.

The garments take about four weeks to make, and all of the colours are created from natural plants and other organic materials. Each garment is unique due to the natural and handmade nature of Mira’s process.

Mira designs, cuts and sews all of the garments, making the brand part of the slow fashion movement. As the unique aspect comes from the hand-dyeing process, the pieces are designed to be worn layered for a trans-seasonal wardrobe. 

Shop the brand at https://www.liya.com.au/

ESS LABORATORY

ESS Laboratory by designer Hoshika Oshimi sits at the gothic end of the Cottagecore trend with its focus on historical cuts and inspiration mixed with a focused attention to detail and high quality Japanese fabrics. 

Oshimi’s work is hand-crafted in Melbourne in limited production runs using natural fabrics and trans-seasonal concepts. There are no synthetic fabrics or non-biodegradable materials used, everything is made from hemp, wool, linen, cotton and silk. Even the buttons are made of natural materials like shell and horn, or self-covered using the same fabrics. 

The manufacturing is local and waste is avoidable by only creating as many garments as are needed for each trans-seasonal collection. The brand also makes special orders on some pieces so that they can tailor the designs personally. 

On top of all these sustainable practices, ESS Laboratory also offers a repair service for all their garments. Minimal repairs like buttons, and hem adjustments are free, however they will also do more substantial work like tailoring, large patching and resizing for a fee.

The brand’s aesthetic fits neatly into those of the original Japanese designers like Yohji Yamamoto and Comme Des Garçons, with the same attention to textures and timeless shapes with a unique artistic twist. 

To shop the brand, go to https://ess-laboratory.com/.

For more on Australian fashion, read Thoughtful, wearable clothes for every body by Jude Ng.

Erik Yvon: Colourful, ethical, sustainable

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BLOG Australia fashion label Erik Yvon MAIN

Ethical and sustainable fashion, like all trends and styles, has begun to settle into a series of expected norms; organic cotton, neutral and natural shades, prairie dresses, cable knits and a somewhat ‘earth mother’ vibe. 

BLOG Australia fashion label Erik Yvon 2
BLOG Australia fashion label Erik Yvon 3

But it doesn’t have to be that way. The work of Melbourne-based designer Erik Yvon is a fabulous example of design overcoming the expected norms. Yvon uses bright colours, strong prints and unique textures inspired by his Mauritian origins, to create clothes that are joyful, inspired by art and culture, and dedicated to sustainable and ethical production.

BLOG Australia fashion label Erik Yvon 7
BLOG Australia fashion label Erik Yvon 6
BLOG Australia fashion label Erik Yvon 11

“As an independent label we firmly believe in making a change and strengthening our local industry by keeping our production, onshore, transparent and ethical,” writes Yvon. “We are mindful of the footprint we have on our surroundings and try to have a positive impact on the community within our supply chain.”

The brand stocks limited runs of different pieces, and produced made-to-order so as to reduce waste. Yvon also produces all of his products in Melbourne, supporting local industry businesses and working with various communities.

BLOG Australia fashion label Erik Yvon 12
BLOG Australia fashion label Erik Yvon 1

“We pride ourselves on being made in Melbourne and work closely with local suppliers,” writes Yvon on the brand’s website, listing the local businesses they work with.

The Erik Yvon look is an interesting mix of streetwear comfort, and over the top avant garde use of colour, texture and pattern. There is a strong gender neutral thread running through the brand, particularly in its use of separates – tops and pants that can be worn by guys, girls, anyone. The style is also relatively size inclusive, with generous cuts and the use of volume creating flattering shapes for most body types.

BLOG Australia fashion label Erik Yvon 8
BLOG Australia fashion label Erik Yvon 9
BLOG Australia fashion label Erik Yvon 10

There is a touch of the 90s in the brand’s designs too – particularly the use of legging type trousers, tights and black and white geometric patterns. Strong colours like neon yellow and hot pink are softened by the use of more natural shades, but the feel is one of sunny days and parties on the beach. 

To shop Erik Yvon, go to erikyvon.com

Dangerous and sexy: Thai label Takara Wong

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Thai designer label Takara Wong was founded in 2015 by designer Thakorn Wannawong around the concept of ‘trial and error’, and influenced by subcultures and musicians across the world and history.

According to Wannawong, iconic tropes from the 70s or 60s for example, are mixed with an “aerodynamic sporty silhouette” which makes the garments timeless. The latest collection for 2020 is all about streamlined 70s leather and glam for the menswear pieces, and sexy leather and suiting for the womenswear. 

“Imperfections are what make things truly interesting, that is why the brand focuses on the underdogs of society and rebellious spirits,” states Wannawong on the website.

Wannawong is a graduate from Japanese design school Bunka’s Bangkok school, and he has always been interested in fashion, starting with designing pieces for family, and then moving onto creating costumes and outfits for his musician friends.

There is a very new YSL feel to the latest Takara Wong collection – lots of leather, lots of skinny guys and girls with shaved heads, tight and narrow cuts combined with slinky velvet. This is a very sexy collection; but there are also a number of sharp suits that can take you from day to night.

These pieces aren’t exactly cheap, but there is a level of quality and detail that is worth the cost – many of the pieces are ‘demi couture’ and need to be pre-ordered.

To shop Takara Wong, go to www.takarawong.com

Read more about interesting Asian labels: 3 eco-friendly Indonesian fashion brands to discover and Hemu, a Chinese designer brand, based in China

 

Avant garde Australiana: 3 interesting Australian fashion brands to discover

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For a long time Australian fashion has been known only for its swimwear, beach wear, resort wear, flip flops, shorts, jeans, casual tees and Ugg boots. Now, with the world made smaller via the internet, some Australian designers are beginning to branch out into areas that are more fashion, than retail. In fact, some of the more interesting Australian brands have been around for decades … You just didn’t know about them. 

Here are three of my current favourite Australian fashion brands …

Et Al

Et Al is a Melbourne brand that has been around since 1987 when it was founded by Christine and Les Doughty, who still own and run it. This is one of my personal favourite Australian independent labels; it’s very Japanese-art-gallery-worker crossed with 90s goth and bits of Vivienne Westwood.

This is a brand that is strongly influenced by the Japanese designers of the 80s – think relaxed tailoring, lots of black, few patterns, multi-use garments and gender neutral designs. The current brand designer is Anthony Capon who won Project Runway Australia season two. 

Et Al is known for its quality of fabrics and finishings; there is a type of timelessness to the designs that make the pieces trans-seasonal. Et Al also supports other young and emerging Australian designers via its accessories stocks that feature artistic jewellery, as well as shoes and hats. The brand offers womenswear and menswear, but many of the styles are unisex. The use of muted colours and some prints adds depth to its more basic black core collection.

The brand produces limited runs of only 8 to 24 pieces of each style, and 70% of their garments are made in Australia. It is also size inclusive running from Australian size 8 to 18. Et Al is even age inclusive, featuring models of all ages in its social media and campaigns.

Follow the brand at @etalaustralia and shop the brand at etal-australia.com.

Alpha60

Another one of my favourite Australian fashion brands, Alpha60 is Melbourne born and bred, founded in 2005 by brother and sister duo Alex and Georgie Cleary. The brand’s name comes from the sci-fi classic movie Alphaville by Jean-Luc Godard. 

Alpha60 is another brand where you can clearly see the influence of the Japanese designers of the 1980s.

While there is not so much black, there are lots of cocoon shapes, volume, asymmetric cuts, simple patterns, little glitter or gloss, natural fabrics and size inclusivity ie. nothing’s too tight or too structured. 

Alpha60 is a brand that sticks to small production runs, using local sewers, and although it has around 10 boutiques in Australia and New Zealand, is still affordably priced in the lower contemporary range. I’ve bought a fair few pieces.

Follow the brand at @alpha60thelabel and shop online at www.alpha60.com.au.

Chris Ran Lin

This menswear brand is an interesting mix of JW Anderson menswear with touches of Off White and Korean brand Junn J. Based in Melbourne, this brand is probably the most experimental of the local menswear brands. Lin is inspired by “architecture, structure, and texture” which can be seen in the cuts, volume and use of wool fabrics. 

interesting australian fashion brands CHRIS RAN LIN 7

Lin is also known for his quality, but still interesting, knitwear. The use of various techniques to create lacey sweaters or bodycon tops, gives the brand the JW Anderson feel. Recent collections have shown a brighter and sharper use of colour, particularly the Uniform collection; note the ‘logo’ and use of red. It rather reminds one of something, does it not?

Although primarily a menswear brand, Lin has recently branched out to create a few womenswear pieces, and items that are distinctly non-gendered as well.

These appear to be more like luxe basics with a more elevated feel, rather than Lin’s more artistic runway garments. The newer items look to be more wearable for a wider range of body types as well. A good move in these uncertain times.

Follow Chris Ran Lin at @chrisranlin. Currently the brand is only available via the atelier, but there is an online shop coming soon. 

For more on Australian fashion, read Thoughtful, wearable clothes for every body by Jude Ng, and Small but mighty: 6 emerging sustainable Australian fashion brands

Small but mighty: 6 emerging sustainable Australian fashion brands

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For a long, long time Australia was seen as a fashion desert, with its lack of ‘major’ brands, its odd seasons – compared to the rest of the fashion world – and the country’s laidback lifestyle. Even its most cultured of cities – Melbourne – tended towards the basics of shorts and tees in summer and tracky daks and uggs in winter. 

Somewhere in the 80s, however, there seemed to suddenly appear a nascent Australian fashion scene. Ksubi sent rats down the runway, magazines proliferated and the average Aussie girl started wearing cute little dresses and Sass & Bide lowrise jeans. Yes! Australia had fashion. 

By the beginning of the 21 century, unfortunately this burgeoning fashion industry started to collapse with the influx of high street brands from around the world; the introduction of online shopping seemed the final nail in the coffin of a small, off-season regional fashion industry. 

But all is not lost. In the last five or so years there has been a rise in small production, locally manufactured, sustainable fashion brands sprouting in Australia. These brands are focused on circular production systems, waste reduction, ‘slow fashion’, limited production runs, using sustainable fabrics and dyes, and generally not wanting to be ‘huge’ or international brands. 

As the coronavirus hits the global economy, many fashion brands are finding their supply and distribution chains at risk. In conjunction with these issues, more customers are thinking about the idea of #shoplocal, of supporting their local economy and small businesses. This situation therefore may become a great opportunity for small, local, sustainable fashion businesses. 

Here are six small, sustainable Australian fashion brands to check out. Remember, just because they are small, doesn’t mean they don’t sell online, and ship globally (in biodegradable packaging).

A.BCH

Founded in 2017 by Courtney Holm, A.BCH is a womenswear and menswear brand with many garments fitting into the non-gendered definition and in fact shot and sold on both men and women. The core of this brand is its circular production cycle, or circular economy standard.

sustainable small Australian fashion brands ABCH 3

The brand’s line of elevated basics are all made in Melbourne from organic, recycled and renewable materials; buttons are made from seeds of fallen corozo fruit and their factory is family owned and operated in Melbourne. 

sustainable small Australian fashion brands ABCH 4

A.BCH’s design is a mix of practical basics – sweaters, tees, shirts, pants, skirts etc – in muted neutral shades and simple patterns. There’s an earthy, relaxed and comfortable vibe about the brand, it’s almost anti-fashion.

Although the focus of the design is on reducing waste, the odd thoughtful detail on a basic garment helps elevate the brand to something a little bit more interesting.

Follow A.BCH on @abch.world and shop online at abch.world.

Nobody Denim

This Melbourne denim brand is all about sustainability and ethical production. Everyone knows that denim is one of the worst fabrics when it comes to pollution, water use and waste, which is why the team behind the brand is focused on making ‘clean’ denim garments.

All the garments are made in Melbourne with guaranteed fair working conditions employing over 80 staff; Nobody Denim is also accredited with Ethical Clothing Australia (ECA).

The brand is also very careful in where it sources its materials – which means working with suppliers who meet IS014001 standards, use natural enzymes in their laundry, have reduced their water use for certain processes by 50% and support Australian hardware suppliers like YKK zips to reduce their carbon footprint.

Nobody Denim doesn’t just do jeans, the brand also offers womenswear tops, skirts and even dresses in fabrics like organic cotton and silk. But it’s best pieces are the denim, particularly their season collection items like coloured denim, wide-leg jeans and slim cut denim jackets.

Follow Nobody Denim on @nobodydenim, and shop online at nobodydenim.com.

Kuwaii

Made in Melbourne brand Kuwaii was founded in 2008 by designer Kristy Barber and is all about the slow fashion movement and local production. The womenswear brand focuses on creating anti-fast fashion pieces that are less trend driven, more about personal style, comfort and longevity.

All garments are made within a 15klm distance from the design studio, and even its footwear is made by one of the last surviving Australian footwear factories, where each pair of shoes takes up to a day to make by hand. 

Kuwaii is also focused on transparency with its environmental goals posted on its website; it aims to be carbon neutral by June 2020. It’s packaging is either biodegradable, compostable, recyclable or reusable; even for online shopping the brand uses compostable bags and a biodegradable sticky tape. Fabrics are as environmentally sustainable as possible, the brand also uses surplus fabrics in their collections thereby repurposing waste from larger brands.

Kuwaii’s aesthetic is a combination of comfortable shapes, natural materials and colourful prints. The brand collaborates with local artists to create unique print runs on limited pieces, mixing these with muted solid colours and neutrals. It’s a casual brand creating comfortable clothes for women of all body types and ages.

Follow Kuwaii at @kuwaii, and shop online at kuwaii.com.au.

Joslin

Launched in 2018, Joslin is a womenswear brand based in Melbourne founded by designer Elinor Joslin. The brand is a slow fashion label with an emphasis on limited lines in sustainable fabrics. 

Joslin is a softly feminine brand and is best known for its signature linen dresses adorned with ruffles, pintucks, smoking and button detailing. More recently the brand is being noticed for its stylish and flattering range of knits, which also have a quietly feminine touch. The brand features a lot of traditional fabrications and techniques.

On the sustainability front Joslin uses 100% compostable bags and packaging for its online shipping, including 100% recycled tissue paper, and its international orders are carbon offset using DHL’s GoGreen Climate Neutral service.

The brand uses natural fabrics, and only uses synthetics if there is totally no other alternative; its signature linen and ramie fabrics, silks, organic cottons and merino wool fabrics are used in conjunction with recycled cotton and nylon. For 2020 the brand’s design team is working with natural dead-stock fabrics and working on discovering alternatives to synthetic fusings and plastic zips and buttons.

Follow Joslin on @joslin_studio and shop online at joslinstudio.com.

Devoi

Another Melbourne based brand, Devoi is all about slow fashion and ethical consumerism. Known for its original prints, the overall vibe is fun, colourful, wearable and comfortable. From its launch, the team behind Devoi decided to focus on ensuring ethical manufacturing practices and sustainability.

This womenswear brand’s design is less about trends and more about longevity – like most of the brands in this list. Devoi does not use synthetic fibres, instead using silk, viscose and linen – mainly because all these fabrics can be dyed and cleaned in cold water with natural detergents. The custom prints are digitally printed since it uses less water and produces less toxic waste. The dyes used for the printed fabrics are AZO free dyes and natural plant dyes.

The brand’s manufacturing is done overseas, however it works with factories that are connected to NGO organisations, supplying mattresses made from scrap fabrics for those in poverty. That same factory reuses cardboard boxes for delivery to Devoi. Devoi’s textile dyeing mill has a treatment plant that uses evaporation and separation technology to clean the water used in the dying process, and then reuses the recycled product.

In line with much of the slow fashion movement, Devoi produces limited runs so there is no wasted fabric or stock wastage, and the brand uses the print fabric offcuts to create accessories like belts, headbands, pouches etc.

Follow Devoi at @devoiclothing, and shop online at www.devoishop.com.

SHHORN

This brand is less a fashion label and more an art project led by Sean Tran. While SHHORN does produce clothes, it is also focused on creating handcrafted fabrics and other objects in search of the “inherent traits of natural materials through design and construction activity”. 

Tran is a self-taught tailor who used to be an architect and jeweller, and spends his time between an atelier in Sydney and a handcrafting fabric studio in the Blue Mountains. The resulting garments are hand stitched from fabric that has been crafted from raw fibres also by hand. 

There is something very Japanese about SHHORN in the way the process of the making is as important as the final garment; the pieces – both menswear and womenswear – have an old fashioned feel to them with a kind of artistic Amish vibe.

There is also an element of non gendered design, with pieces being shot on both male and female models. There are menswear pieces that echo womenswear cuts, and also a touch more of the Japanese artist’s aesthetic with short-cropped trousers and voluminous cocoon shapes for both genders. 

The cuts have a timeless quality about them with generic shapes being made important and interesting due to the way they are produced, rather than any strong creative urge. Accessories include kangaroo leather pouches and belts, all very authentic and hardwearing, again the design is about functionality and longevity. 

Follow SHHORN at @ateliershhorn, and shop online at www.shhorn.com.

For more on Australian fashion, read Thoughtful, wearable clothes for every body by Jude Ng.

Hemu, a Chinese designer brand, based in China

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‘Made in China’ has, rather unfortunately, been considered a symbol with negative connotations, denoting as it did historically that anything made in China was cheap rubbish. Thankfully in the last decade or so, this misconception has been mostly overcome, particularly in the areas around technology. 

However there has continued to be a perception that when it comes to original creativity, the work coming out of China is less refined, more derivative, and not as stylish as that of the rest of the world, indeed, even the rest of Asia. 

Japan has long been considered a bastion of high design, from ceramics and architecture, to fashion and technology; in the last five years South Korea has also been seen as owning a particular type of original design. China, however, has not. 

Which is a shame. After all, the core design traditions of both Japan and Korea are Chinese. The form of writing, building, traditional clothing … All can be traced to China. 

In current times China’s impact on the creative world has been seen mostly through the lens of business and money. Chinese luxury buyers are to be tempted with red and gold versions of existing products … ‘just in time for Chinese New Year’, but the majority of creative brands have not only patronised the Chinese market, they have also appropriate its culture and used blatant racism in its advertising. 

All of this leads one to wonder why more attention hasn’t been given to the current crop of quality creatives now coming out of China. There are a number of highly regarded architects and artists, for example, that do appear to receive accolades, so why not the fashion designers?

There are a number of Chinese designer names who have managed to make enough noise to be noticed, mostly because they are based in Europe. Masha Ma, Angel Chen, Yiqing Yin, Ryan Lo and Yang Li are all based in either Paris or London.

This lack of attention towards Chinese fashion designers is due to the tendency of Western fashion media to ignore anything that isn’t right in front of their noses.

In an attempt to try to remedy this attitude, here is an interesting Chinese fashion brand worth discovering.

HEMU

Founded in 2010, by Yang Fengrui, Hemu is a modern take on traditional Chinese clothing without too many of the obvious cliches. 

While there are definite straight nods to tradition – mandarin collars, frog closures, long loose layers, tassels – they are used in a relatively sparing manner to create the impression of histroriosity, rather than a direct knock-off like you find on Hanfu clothing websites. 

What strikes the eye immediately is that Yang is moved mostly by fabric; every piece of the Spring 2020 collection depended on the fluidity of the silk used to impart the meaning and even structure of the garments. 

The focus on the texture of the fabric, in plain swathes of white and black showed a very modern take on a traditional qipao. Muted shades of gold and umber, plus a single shot of red, held the collection together. 

Less clever are the menswear pieces (see the video) that take a more obvious leaf from the traditional garment book; however in the current age of non-gendered dressing the sheer fact that most of the menswear garments could be interpreted as long gowns is an interesting perspective. The traditional Chinese dress style, after all, offered long, flowing garments for both sexes. 

VIDEO: Hemu at Shanghai Fashion Week

 

To capsule or not to capsule, that is the question

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Would we, and the environment, better off if we all chose to have a ‘capsule wardrobe’ of clothes?

Should we be like Joan Didion, whose iconic Packing List from 1979 still resonates for modern working women in 2020?

fashion capsule wardrobe JOAN 2

Personally I feel like I already have a sort of capsule wardrobe; everything is black, so everything matches. I have winter and summer versions; but basically they’re the same just with coats added. 

The idea of minimising our wardrobes fits into not only the idea of being more environmentally conscious about buying clothes, but it also fits into the whole minimalist conversation that focuses on just having less stuff. 

fashion capsule wardrobe RACK

Having a uniform of sorts also makes life easier. If you only have a few items of clothing to choose from, you don’t waste time deciding on an outfit. 

But … it’s also rather boring. Sometimes you want to dress up like a fashion editor, other times you want to be more sporty, or more formal, right? 

Without choice life becomes a bit boring and who wants to be bored? The trick is to still think consciously about what is in your wardrobe. 

Shop ethically, wear vintage, repurpose your own clothes, shop your wardrobe by wearing old stuff in a new way. Don’t buy anything new without removing something from your wardrobe. 

As for that famous Packing List? Well, here’s what you need according to Joan Didion:

TO PACK AND WEAR:
2 skirts
2 jerseys or leotards
1 pullover sweater
2 pair shoes
stockings
bra
nightgown, robe, slippers
cigarettes
bourbon

bag with: shampoo
toothbrush and paste
Basis soap, razor
deodorant
aspirin
prescriptions
Tampax
face cream
powder
baby oil

TO CARRY:
mohair throw
typewriter
2 legal pads and pens
files
house key

Now, you will probably want to swap out the typewriter for your laptop and chargers, and possibly delete the cigarettes and add a pair of jeans or trousers, but other than these things, the list is pretty much on point. 

This article was first published in the iFab newsletter.

Why you need to shop consciously, and where to do it

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Gone are the days when the only things you cared about when shopping were either the price or how on-trend something was. Now, with changes not only to the environment, but also towards how we want to be perceived in the world, people are thinking more consciously about how, and on what, they spend their money.

For many of us, buying a fun new dress or tee for under $30 is a no-brainer; we see, we like, we buy. However, for a lot of other Singaporeans it has now become more important to know exactly what it is they’re adding to their wardrobes, their homes or using on their skin.

“I like to shop consciously because I feel like I have more of an emotional connection with my purchases,” says Susannah Jaffer, the owner of Zerrin, a Singapore based curated online store that features brands with “meaningful stories” and great design. “I think as women, caring more about the things we buy and valuing them in a new way is the first step towards shopping more sustainably – and ultimately buying less but better.”

For Tim O’Hanlon, a writer who previously worked for Lonely Planet, shopping consciously is about choosing the right brands. “My version of shopping consciously is picking brands I know have a reputation for quality and are long-lasting over fast fashion,” he says.

“This is because – I at least have the impression that – they treat their manufacturing staff better and are more conscious of their impact, plus as they pander less to quick trends they produce less and don’t encourage a throw-away lifestyle in their customers. Finally, as the items are of vastly better quality I can wear/use them for a long time so it lowers my own impact.”

This article was first published on Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore. Read the full story HERE.

Opinion: Is fashion dead? And should we care?

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Every year pundits around the world make pronouncements about the end of something – television, radio, newspapers etc. In the world of people who like clothes, it is now the turn of the fashion industry.

Is fashion, the influential social phenomenon of telling you what to wear, when and why, finally dead? And if it is, does it really matter?

On February 19, just days before the Chanel Autumn Winter 2019 runway show, Karl Lagerfeld, the outspoken doyenne of 20th century fashion and the mastermind behind the rise of Chanel, died after a short illness.

Fashion fans and industry stalwarts around the world bemoaned his passing, his praises rang to the skies and littered the internet for days. For non fashion fans, it was often the first time they had even heard of the man.

And that is the crux of the current situation of fashion as a global industry. It’s not so much the brands that fashionistas name drop, it’s the rest of the world who buy basic clothes to wear.

Gone are the days of people making their own clothes at home, now it’s all about getting what you want from your phone, delivered to your doorstep, and with little to no thought about how it was made or where it came from.

I recently came across a fantastic quote from William McDonough, an expert in the realm of architecture, community design and consulting based on the Cradle to Cradle philosophy – where products need to be considered from the day they are built, to the day they are recycled into something else.

The quote pointed out that ‘fashion’ is actually a verb; a doing word. We ‘fashion’ something, we make something. Fashion as a noun, as it is used today, is a mutation of the concept of creating clothes (or anything else for that matter).

If you think about modern fashion, when everything is manufactured by machines and shipped around the world in hours or days, we are not ‘fashioning’ anything. We are simply consuming clothes.

Which is where the idea of the ‘death of fashion’ arrives. The massive Fashion Industry that will be worth about US$325.8 billion in 2022, is certainly not dying. But the concept of the glamorous, unique and interesting world of Fashion as a craft-based business, as a set of ‘rules’ to dress by, does seem to be declining.

This article was first published on Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore. Read the rest of the story HERE.

Microfactories, digital printing, downloadable patterns … Our dystopian future?

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When I was recently sent links to the newly launched Pattern Room – an online, downloadable pattern provider – and the new Microfactory from Gerber – a set-up that can design, print the fabric, cut and sew a garment all at once in a small space – I have to say I wasn’t sure I should be excited or dismayed.

Having just spent the last couple of months working on a sustainability project with RMIT and Inditex (Zara) to try to find a way to make their shoe production less wasteful, and also having been struck by a recent story asking the question as to whether or not we actually NEED more sustainable fashion brands, I can’t decide if this new technological development is a boon or bane for the fashion industry. 

Yes, these new technologies make it easier for small brands to produce products locally without the issues of carbon footprint, large factory ethical or environmental issues, but do we really NEED more products? 

There are so many clothes already in the world, most of them ending up in landfill after having been produced in an environmentally damaging way. 

Even if the clothes HAVE been produced in a somewhat more sustainable fashion, we just don’t need more of them. 

This is really the core issue of what needs to be thought about regarding fashion and sustainability; we already have too many clothes, so do we need the ability to make millions more, more quickly, and less considered than is already the case?

Less volume, more quality …
From a more personal perspective, what concerns me about the production from the Microfactory and the use of Pattern Room, is the lack of quality in design. 

Yes, the digital printing they use is dry – no water – and apparently the inks are non toxic – but this is digital printing. It is single surface and will eventually fade. This produces fabrics that do not have the beauty and long-lasting nature of traditional wovens like brocade etc. 

The use of a pattern bank and a machine to laser-cut flats removes the possibility of creative new designs and the traditional talent of the pattern-cutter; it creates a see of same-same clothing. 

I see a future of people wearing ugly-ass same-same silhouette tees and leggings in increasingly nastily coloured disposable synthetic fabric. The world will look like an EDM concert. 

The rich will wear increasingly expensive couture made by hand with ‘real’ fabrics, and the poor will wear nasty digitally printed disposables. A nightmare come true. 

Convince me …
I would prefer to see fewer clothes of better quality being made. If these technological breakthroughs can be directed to allow people to produce fewer, but better made and more sustainable items at home, or in a community microfactory for example, then I can see the advantages. 

However, did Inditex’s streamlined production system produce better clothes for everyone? No. Human nature ie. greed, saw it produce too many crap clothes for everyone. 

I would prefer to just teach everyone to sew.

This article was first published for the iFab newsletter.