Style & Beauty Getting
Style & Beauty Getting It Right M A T E R I A L M A T T E R S Repurposed discards are revolutionising the fashion industry by avoiding waste and giving young designers access to top-quality fabrics. By Avril Groom Alexander McQueen designer Sarah Burton uses the company’s deadstock and upcycled yarns, here upcycled polyester faille for the handdyed Anemone dress, alexandermcqueen.com W aste has long been one of fashion’s biggest problems, and fabric is a major contributor. Discards and excess bolts of cloth thrown out by manufacturers end up, as often as not, in landfill. But these lovingly created garments and fabrics are not entirely without suitors: young designers working on low budgets are intervening in the discard process to reappropriate the waste and create entire collections from bargainpriced “deadstock” – an admittedly unattractive term for something increasingly alluring. The impetus has come from young, independent designers who have sustainability as a priority, earning some of them repute as eco-fashion heroes. Four years ago, for instance, Kevin Germanier, a Paris-based Swiss, started buying crystals in discontinued colours, applying them PHOTO © ALEXANDER McQUEEN 32 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: © STELLA McCARTNEY, JASON LLOYD-EVANS, LOUIS BAQUIAST, © FANFARE LABEL in geometric patterns to sharp silhouettes that add modern glamour to accessories now available in top stores and websites, while New York-based Briton Ellen Saville founded her knitwear brand The Endery using leftover Peruvian alpaca and Pima cotton for small runs of interesting designs – her vests and tank tops are a huge hit. Their individuality attracts customers drawn to the circular aspirations of ethical fashion, says Alicia Taylor, co-founder of sustainable fashion website Gather&See and herself a fast-fashion refusenik since her teenage years. “Some of our designers build brands by turning waste and leftovers into desirable new pieces,” she says. “The Endery’s beautiful knits, Been London’s upcycled leather bags or Fanfare Label’s reclaimed denim are popular for their circular design ethos and the thoughtfulness of their production.” The big-ship luxury brands have been slower to turn around and join in, but are now taking it to heart, following sustainability pioneer Stella McCartney, who has been using her own leftover fabrics for years for limited-edition dresses. Last season, Alexander McQueen, whose Clockwise from top left: Stella McCartney Frayme bag in vegan leather with recyclable aluminium chain and medallion, stellamccartney.com; Harris Reed’s evening dresses are made from recycled wedding gowns and suits, harrisreed. com; Marine Serre uses upcycled or vintage fabrics and leather, marineserre. com; Fanfare Label’s upcycled denim jeans, fanfarelabel.com designer Sarah Burton espouses traditional crafts and clothes built to last, cut bold shapes in excess fabric for beautiful new effects. Both have now almost run out of deadstock: “A nice problem to have”, as McCartney’s communications head Sarah Barnes puts it, “and we are looking for new sources. Meanwhile, this season, we have used Econyl [reclaimed nylon fishing nets], preventing ten tons of nylon from going to landfill, upcycled polyester and recycled aluminium for handbag chains.” McQueen is using a smooth, full-bodied faille made from recycled polyester that is dyed with rich red and black for its striking Anemone dresses. At Chloé, Uruguayan designer Gabriela Hearst upcycles waste cashmere into slightly homespun-looking striped dresses, bags and even shearling-trimmed slides. Major websites now feature upcycling independents alongside the big names. Net-a-Porter recently added a ninth “pillar” – design for circularity – to its Net Sustain section with, says senior market editor Libby Page, “brands that reject throwaway culture by using upcycling techniques and focus on longevity”. She cites new sensation, American Central Saint Martins graduate Conner Ives, “who uses deadstock › CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM 33
