SUSTAINABLE CHIC Left: SUSTAINABLE CHIC Left: shopper from Vivienne Westwood’s Ethical Fashion Initiative, handmade in Western Africa; above; cobalt-blue bag from Bottletop’s Enamel Line but so chic that there is not a hint of oatmeal. Renli Su (renlisu.com) uses entirely organic fabrics – traditional summer weaves from China, Indian block-print cotton, innovative blended linen and cotton from Ireland, Chinese silk in a floral jacquard and soft, light Tibetan yak wool. So far, so ethnic, yet the designs are anything but, with a slightly Victorian mood that is totally of-the-moment used for long, graceful coats, fitted jackets and full-skirted dresses trimmed with delicate handwork. In America, Alabama Chanin (alabamachanin.com) is an established label made and embroidered in its namesake state, using fabrics like denim that give a down-home yet refined twist. Accessories are fertile ground as well: Vivienne Westwood’s (viviennewestwood.com) Made in Africa project works with Kenyan village women on canvas bags with her inimitable prints, trimmed with recycled leather and brass. Bottletop (bottletop.org) also began in Africa as a social project and its bags made from ring-pulls coated in colour have graduated to sophisticated design – a project with designer Narciso Rodriguez was chosen for the Green Carpet Challenge and bags are also now made in Brazilian favelas. ♦ A simple, elegant look by British label Chinti and Parker Termite Eyewear Wassi sunglasses, crafted from recycled wood Affordable Ethics It’s not just the well-funded top end and the conscience-salving mass market who are adopting sustainable principles. When American Eileen Fisher (eileenfisher.com) founded her brand 31 years ago, her ideas – organic materials and local production where possible, an evolving wardrobe of long-lasting pieces, in-store recycling – seemed quirky, but now many other designers are following the same business model. Her elegant, timeless patterns, mainly in flattering neutral shades, are now expanding fast in the UK and Europe, and perfectly reflect modern lifestyles and mindful attitudes. Filippa K (filippa-k.com) is the vintage-inspired, slightly more idiosyncratic Scandinavian equivalent, and British brand Chinti and Parker (chintiandparker.com) uses organic cotton and vegetabledyed cashmere for its casual range. Filippa K Eileen Fisher F or those who like to feel the softest of fabrics but not shout about it, a handful of Italian brands are making very discreet clothes to the highest ethical standards. Loro Piana (loropiana. com) “gives back” for each ultra-luxe material, creating a sustainable profit system for its Mongolian cashmere goat farmers to discourage overgrazing, setting up reserves for the rare vicuna in South America and helping the fledgling economy of the Burmese lakes where a lightweight, lotusfibre fabric is made. Ermenegildo Zegna (zegna.com) planted a forest in the 1930s for his workers’ leisure STEALTH LUXE Italian staples with scruples and his heirs have gone further, pioneering water reuse and pollution reduction in the factories. Agnona (agnona.it) has similar principles and, like Zegna, is also designed by Stefano Pilati, who believes that nonseasonal fashion should evolve. Cashmere specialist Brunello Cucinelli (brunellocucinelli.com), meanwhile, is passionate about local production and his brand’s connection to the Umbrian land, ploughing profits back into restoring a semi-abandoned village where many of his factory workers now live, and building a theatre and regional cultural centre. Beautiful, warm and sustainable, wood sunglasses are more than a fad, from the elegant curlicues, like Baroque furniture, of PRADA (prada.com) to British independent brand TERMITE EYEWEAR’s (termiteeyewear.com) supercool, geometric shapes, made from sustainable laminated wood. From left: the uniform of an eco-leader formed the inspiration for Stefano Pllati’s autumn/winter collection for the Ermenegildo Zegna Couture collection; Loro Piana vicuna scarf CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: © VIVIENNE WESTWOOD, RICHARD VALENCIA, © LORO PIANA, © ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA (2), © EILEEN FISHER, REDWOLF STUDIO, © TERMITE EYEWEAR, © CHINTI & PARKER 48 DEPARTURES-INTERNATIONAL.COM
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