Americans at London Fashion Week
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 09.19.07
As Bonnie Alter wrote yesterday TreeHugger has been having fun following Fashion in London this week. We're particularly excited to see that one year from it's launch the Estethica show is bigger, brighter and more vibrant than ever. This comprehensive showcase of ethical fashion has proved so popular that even our friends from across the pond have been prompted to come and join in. We were impressed by the American presence and struck by how many of them commented on what a wonderful atmosphere the Estethica show has. A strong feeling of camaraderie, cooperation, collaboration and inclusivity abounds, there's none of that traditional bitchy competitiveness that's so often found in this industry, the bonhommie is what makes London Fashion Week so fun for us TreeHuggers. We're already looking forward to the next event in February when Estethica will hit the catwalk!
Those that came from Stateside were familiar friends such as denim demons Del Forte, knitwear kings Stewart + Brown, the candy wrapper bags Nahui Ollin, as well as newer faces such as Again NYC bags and the high tech styles from NaturevsFuture. Photos over the fold.
It was a pleasure to meet Tierra Forte who showed me her new collection, which has expanded to include some great colourful organic cotton canvas trousers and an organic cotton dress and top. She was quick to mention how please she is with the popularity of Del Forte in the UK.
Next to Del Forte stood the shimmering Nahui Ollin candy wrappers bags. We particularly loved their monochromatic bar code bags.
It was also great to meet Nina Valenti from NaturevsFuture. We love her angular, beautifully cut clothes and the fact that she is pushing not only design boundaries but also new textile technology, embracing fabrics such as seacell® (seaweed), lyocell (wood pulp) and Ingeo™ (created from corn).
Allison Teich was on hand to show us her well loved Again NYC bags and her new collection of hemp canvas and vegetable tanned leather bags under her new label Teich. She told us that she sources all the leather from traditional tanneries in the US.
::Del Forte ::Stewart+Brown ::Nahui Ollin ::NaturevsFuture ::Teich ::AgainNYC
Great article! I just need to correct something here, Nahui Ollin is not the original designers of the candy wrapper handbags from what I remember Ecoist has been designing them since 2004 and this other company didn't show up until 2006.....so I think someone was a little misinformed or lied to. I've been a fan of Ecoist and I just thought it was my place to clarify this for people that may not know.
Have a green day everyone!
Hi:
great products. FYI, I must correct a mistake regarding nahuiollin's claim to be the original candy wrapper bags. I've owned an Ecoist since 2004. According to their own story(nahuiollin), they've showed up only in 2006. They are nice,but they're not the originals!!!!!
I would also add that Ecoist deserves props for being not only stylish and eco-friendly, but also Fair Trade!