Fashion with Positive Impact is an Imperative | Who’ s Next
Eco-responsability is an imperative. Fashion with Positive Impact too. Our world is “out of breath” and the fashion industry is in shortage. After years of over-consumerism and the race for productivity, the world must face the facts: the linear and globalised economy being built today has irreversible social and environmental consequences that must now be curbed in order to restore a certain balance. The fashion event Who’s Next knows it well. The organizers of the show want to show their commitment with the future. Their answer is Impact, an in-house Area specialized in sustainable fashion. We visit it last January. Get to know what is it all about.
How can we build the fashion of tomorrow? All fashion professionals are currently trying to answer this question, supported in this approach by major international players and groups as well as by a new generation of activists, manufacturers and designers ready to commit themselves to contributing to the renewal of fashion.
Brands must compete with ingenuity and manufacture their collections taking into consideration new factors such as the sourcing of raw materials, working conditions, product traceability, the use of chemical ingredients and the impact of products on health. These are all concerns that consumers now have and that brands will increasingly have to address. But, which brands are telling the truth? How can consumers select the best sustainable brands?
Who’s Next wants to make it easy. The organizers advocate a return to experience and emotion by selecting fashion with meaning and history. The exhibition of this fashion was held at Impact, an in-house area where we discovered lots of beautiful brands made by companies with new social and environmental responsibilities that can have a positive impact on society whilst also promoting an economically viable model. Here, our favourites.
Meet the “Fashion Impacters”
Kumiho is created by VY, a textile/fashion designer. She wants to contribute her up-cycling methods as a medium of creative and optimistic solution for the future of fashion. As she explains to Luxiders Magazine: “Our pieces are not about performing minor modifications to outdated garments. It is about deconstructing them down into their most basic form to be woven into modern, totally unique and up-to-date garments. “ The basic techniques of textile production are employed to reconstructing the used jeans, cutting them into strips, then weaving them into a new piece of fabric. The new material is recreated into a new garment, which will be cut according to a defined pattern, before being sewn. By using this technique, Vy does not need any chemical products and water to recycle these jeans, but it’s a time consuming and patient process. At KUMIHO, mass production is an unknown concept. Every piece leaving the atelier is 100% unique and in very limited pieces bearing different colors.
Lo Neel was created first and foremost to offer society an ethical an eco-responsible alternative to the fashion industry, the second most polluting industry in the world. It was created to prove that it is possible to change the way we produce and consume, that is why they advocate slowfashion by offering unique quality pieces thanks to the use of vegetable or recycled fibres. 100% Vegan and ethical, the brand uses pineapple, soya, banana and other future qualities as well as 100% recycled and organic materials. All garments are PETA certified.
Aatise propose garments ready-to wear, made in France, environmentally responsible, which is aimed at both men and women who want to engage without compromising on style. Aatise call itself “the ecofashion activist”.
Wenhua Duvergé presented a slow fashion collection made with nice materials sach as organic cotton, ecological merino wool, recycled cotton, recycled polyester, padding jackets in recycled PET fiber made from recycled plastic bottles. Most of the garments are vegan.
Open Plan considers earth, who want to be kind to every kind, and who pursue sustainable fashion. Launched in 2017 with an aim of young chic and conscious acts for Sustainable Fashion, the brand committed to waste reduction and zero plastic, human well-being and sustainability. “We have a vegan collection made of botanical dyed natural fibers such as linen, organic cotton but also up-cycled materials over produced by other designer’s studios. With appreciating inspiration and materials from nature, we plant trees with our tree fund” – they declared to Luxiders Magazine.
ISKO recently partnered with British designer Miles Johnson to craft an extraordinary collection Light on the Land made of ISKO R-TWO™ fabrics. From jackets to jeans, each unique piece was made using low impact materials and responsible design principles. ISKO’s sustainable solutions included minimal washing, removable trims of eco-metal, natural based buttons and labels and embroidered rivets. Above all, everything is built to last; to be used and reused, again and again.
Vanessa Sposi is an ethically made and eco-conscious swimwear brand infused with natural antioxidants. All pieces are made for today’s modern women, with a sleek 90s design, seamlessly finished, for a sculptural fit that epitomize the female form. Woven in Italy and made in Portugal, each piece combines quality, textile innovation and a tailored fit. The fabrics used are OEKO-TEX certified (free of harmful substances) and the majority of models are made from ECONYL (recycled yarn from plastic waste recovered from the oceans). This results in cleaner oceans and swimwear that good for your body & soul. The linings are impregnated with natural antioxidants, Aloe Vera and Vitamin E, to soothe and nourish sun-drenched skin. “We believe in more sustainable fashion to provide the perfect timeless piece, the one that stands the test of time, the one that collects Summers” – declared the Creative Director of the brand to Luxiders Magazine.
Jolies Mômes is a sustainable and ethical lingerie brand, yet sexy, qualitative with a designer touch. The brand believes in upcycling to avoid overproduction. They buy the fabrics on existing stocks 100% made in France by luxury brands. The collections are thus limited editions.
Bag Affair launched a new business collection in timeless Black. Always with the mission to create practical and elegant business bags for women at work, Bag Affair goes the extra mile to combine function with aesthetics as well as ethics. “These are our three golden standards” says Taiseer Khalil, co-founder of Bag Affair. The new collection is designed with a modern contrast of black with navy blue and teal green cork. The iconic Bossy bag model with its French walnut wood handle is a feminine interpretation of a classic business bag. With full production in Europe, Bag Affair shares the transparency of where and how the bags are made, and by whom.
Sosol and Sea offers an ethically minded jewelry line. Searching for fairer ways to produce its poetic, colorful and feminine pieces, the brand works with a specialized workshop in Tunis where socially vulnerable women reintegrate society through artisanship, and learning the production of manufactured goods.
Craft Stories prides itself in collaborating with refugees living in Pakistan with the goal of sustaining their work and keeping the craft alive. The brand works to protect heritage and support refugee communities. By focusing on their skill development and mentoring them to develop entrepreneurial abilities, they are able to become productive members of society who can sustain themselves and become independent.
April Please breaks the rules and reinvents a new jewellery way. April Please’s mission is to awake women’s jewellery boxes and make them forget about classic pieces. As an inspiration, April Please’s jewels enable all women to express their creativity and personality through the various ways to appropriate the jewels which play on modularity and on optical illusion effect.
Jewels are drawn by a duo of french designers, Julia and Emilie. They are made totally by hand by french craftsperson in a parisien workshop. Then, jewels are gold plated with a certified fairtrade gold in Paris as well. These choices are made to highlight french savoir-faire (skills), to allow local craftsperson to work, but also to make known french expertise and pass this great legacy.
Meet the “Beauty Impacters”
Maison Louno is an invitation to take care of yourself between two busy days with a passionate beat ~ a return to self to feel the flow, to be in your best mental, physical and emotional health. “It’s the foods you eat, that nourish your body and that you enjoy! Our blends were created to both indulge, nourish and be nice to look at!” – says the director of the brand. To help with that, they offer a range of adaptogens, and soon a selfcare box filled with useful daily Tools.
Inspired by the benefits of plants and scents from the Mediterranean, Nostra is a natural beauty brand, 100% made in France. It is a mixed, intergenerational and universal brand with no-gender mision. “For all men and women, for the whole family and all ages, for all skin types” – they underline. We loved the face cream, 99% natural, and the oils, which are 100% natural.
Meeka is an Australian brand of personal hygiene care for children and adults, created by Elena and her husband, Bill. 100% natural and certified organic. The Meeka range of treatments is developed according to the principles of aromatherapy. The brand’s favorite ingredients are activated vegetable charcoal, essential oils such as ylang-ylang, bergamot, sage, cloves, peppermint, aloe vera, chorella and Spirinula extracts known for their antioxidant properties. The containers are generous and the prices quite affordable!
Dafna, the creator of the eponymous brand, lives and works in Madrid. She followed different training of aromatherapist, naturopath and cosmetologist during these last years. In 2014, Dafna, in collaboration with scientists, created its anti-aging line based on Ayurvedic philosophy, with natural, organic active ingredients, based on advanced biotechnologies. These favorite ingredients are ginseng, aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, great plantain, hydrolyzed wheat protein, essential oils such as moringa, argan, coconut….
