These 5 fabulous Chinese eco fashion brands and designers are creative, unique and full of Eastern edge. 

When you think of eco fashion, China isn’t necessarily the first country that pops into your mind. But despite the nation’s large part in the conventional textile and apparel industries, several young and extremely talented designers in the country are delving into the realm of sustainable fashion. Upcycling is an especially popular trend among the eco-conscious designers, who no doubt have a surplus of waste material from the country’s numerous factories to work with. Here are 5 favorite Chinese eco fashion brands for you to discover some gorgeous, quirky and eco chic threads from East Asia!

1. Absurd Laboratory
Based in Hong Kong, Absurd Laboratory is the quirky yet intelligent brainchild of 3 young designers who are “crazily passionate about fashion”. With a design aesthetic that blends street style with punk rock, tribal and grunge, schoolgirl and high fashion influences, Absurd Laboratory creates experimental yet wearable garments perfect for the adventurous fashionista. The brand uses leftover factory fabrics waste for its collections, which are all based on the label’s ironic yet humorous motto ‘Life is Absurd’.

2. Madame Pure
Madame Pure takes more of a classic, feminine direction in its design aesthetic, with collections of simple basics that are perfect for layering. All Madame Pure garments are made from sustainable Chinese bamboo and manufactured in China to offer a range of reasonably priced, sustainable apparel. Founded in Shanghai by Russian-Canadian designer Elena Loesch, the label’s collections present a beautiful marriage of elegant European design and sustainable, local materials.

3. Mutt Museum
Hong Kong based designer Janko Lam is the creative brain behind Mutt Museum, a super chic fashion label dedicated to using fabric scraps and found items otherwise destined for the landfill. The result is a range of contemporary, chic and and exquisitely edgy garments and accessories that are as hot as the stuff strutting down designer catwalks. Janko loves creating gorgeous attire out of recycled materials, and saying that “using discarded materials really entails more discipline and creativity…You have to follow sustainable guidelines, as well as experiment with a lot of patterns.”

4. Wan & Wong
Founded in Spring 2013, this Hong Kong based label is the creative collaboration between designers Kelvin Wan and Joyce Wong. Functionality, clean and minimal lines, and innovative design are the cornerstones of this modern label. The garments are manufactured from a combination of recycled and sustainably sourced materials, resulting in a range of clothing accessories that is simple, wearable and timeless.

5. Xinyan Dai
A finalist for the 2103 EcoChic Design Award competition, designer Xinyan Dai is an inventive and creative fashion upcycler whose colorful and feminine designs are fun, fresh and sexy. Xinyan cleverly combines upcycling with the de-construction and re-construction of everyday garments, resulting in super cute ensembles that befit the street style and designer trend savvy fashionista. As the designer herself says “I believe a great designer can use any existing materials to create something new, and that natural resources should not be wasted. Textiles should not be cut or dyed solely to create something beautiful. For this reason, I find the concept of reconstructing used materials in sustainable fashion to be very appealing.”

Images:Absurd Laboratory, Madame Pure, Mutt Museum, Wan & Wong, Xinyan Dai

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