september-2010
september-2010
september-2010
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* AFRICA ETHICAL FASHION<br />
The<br />
of<br />
Style and substance coexist at Edun,<br />
the world’s leading ethical fashion brand.<br />
Created by Ali Hewson, AKA ‘Mrs Bono’,<br />
the label not only cultivates an enduring<br />
relationship with Africa, but also delivers<br />
desirable designs. Laura Cochrane reports<br />
Ali Hewson is fashion’s conscience: the designer<br />
wife of U2’s Bono set up Edun with the aim of<br />
making beautiful clothes with ethical clout. A tall<br />
order, you might think, but five years down the line and Edun<br />
is flourishing, with its clothes for sale alongside luxury brands<br />
at international department stores and net-a-porter.com.<br />
The label certainly upped its ante last year, when LVMH, the<br />
group behind international names like Louis Vuitton and Marc<br />
Jacobs, bought 49% of its shares. This high-profile seal of approval<br />
from one of the major gatekeepers of the fashion industry is clear<br />
evidence that ethical fashion is now finally being taken seriously<br />
– and Edun is blazing the trail. As Bernard Arnault, chairman<br />
and CEO of LVMH, succinctly puts it, “Edun is a pioneer.”<br />
Africa is crucial to Edun’s pioneering work. All the label’s<br />
clothes are produced in developing nations and the brand works<br />
with communities in Kenya, Tunisia, Lesotho, Tanzania and<br />
28 Brussels Airlines b.spirit! magazine Sep-Oct <strong>2010</strong><br />
IMAGE NEIL STEWART<br />
Les vêtements<br />
d’Edun<br />
Style et substance coexistent chez Edun, la<br />
plus grande marque au monde de vêtements<br />
bio-équitables. Le label, un concept original<br />
signé Ali Hewson, alias “Mme Bono”, cultive<br />
non seulement une relation de commerce<br />
durable avec l’Afrique, mais produit aussi une<br />
ligne contemporaine dans un esprit très “fashion”.<br />
Un compte rendu de Laura Cochrane<br />
Ali Hewson croit en une mode responsable. L’épouse du<br />
chanteur leader du groupe U2, Bono, a lancé Edun dans<br />
le but de concevoir de beaux vêtements produits de façon<br />
éthique. Un pari impossible ? Après cinq années d’activité, Edun<br />
est on ne peut plus florissant : ses vêtements sont distribués aux<br />
côtés des marques de luxe dans les plus grandes chaînes de<br />
magasins du monde et sur net-a-porter.com.<br />
Le label a certainement accéléré son développement l’année<br />
dernière, lorsque LVMH, le groupe leader des produits de luxe