From Somewhere
by Bonnie Alter, London on 07.31.07
This hip looking shop has a long (for green fashion) history and started from nowhere. In 1997 its owner and designer started remaking vintage cashmere sweaters: with the wonders of crochet, a moth hole became a flower. She went on to make clothing out of reclaimed textiles and ends of line--the fashion industry's waste. It has ended up here, as a colourful and vibrant line of clothes. Using ends and bits from textile mills all over Europe, the designer works with people in rehab in Italy to create these wild and witty dresses. There are skirts and tops in matching and not so matching prints, but it all works. Even the labels are made of recycled paper.
The shop itself is worth a serious look. The owner works hard to keep her carbon footprint small by recycling and reinventing everything. The floors and doors are recycled, and the door handle is an old iron implement. The clothing is hung on rails made of golf clubs, or from bike wheels suspended like light fixtures from the ceiling. A Singer sewing machine becomes a table and bed springs become a backdrop to hang the clothes. Worth a stop if you are in trendy Notting Hill and looking for something special. :: From Somewhere
