Merging European and African influences, Adèle Dejak’s designs use reclaimed and recycled materials to create pieces that benefit local artisans.

After working as a freelance typographer and art director for an Italian music magazine, Adèle Dejak moved to Kenya and turned her attention to designing accessories from her home in Nairobi. Harboring a long-standing fascination for jewelry and the use of ‘waste’ materials to make new things, her designs incorporate reclaimed and recycled materials from the local environment, including rice sacks, cement bags, glass, wood, ostrich egg shell, aluminum, bone, brass and cow horn.

Dejak merges European and African influences, and uses locally made fabrics, such as Kuba cloth and kitenge (wax print), to create products that honor and express an appreciation for local culture.

The materials are sourced from across the African continent but mainly from the East African region. Materials often arrive at the workshop in their raw form and are transformed by Dejak’s team of eight in-house artisans and five beaders into the final products. The process can be labor intensive and requires specialist knowledge. Each piece is made by hand, with utmost care and attention can be seen in the final beauty of the products.

The highly skilled artisans come from all walks of life and from different places in Kenya. Adèle Dejak also collaborates with a network of artisans outside of the studio, working to invest in communities in East Africa and training people to learn new skills that will enhance their livelihoods and contribute positively to the local and global community. Current partners include the Dadaab Refugee Camp, home to more than 500,000 refugees from Somalia, Ethiopia, Burundi, the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Uganda and Rwanda who are not permitted to grow crops or keep livestock and have started earning wages by making bags from recycled food donation sacks, and the Wawoto Kacel Cooperative in Uganda, a social arts and crafts cooperative founded by a group of HIV positive women.

The brand recently collaborated with Salvatore Ferragamo on Bags for Africa, has been featured in Vogue Italia, and exhibited at Milan fashion week in 2012 as part of Vogue Talents. In 2011 Adèle Dejak was one of sixteen designers working in Africa chosen to join the Design Network Africa (DNA), an organization dedicated to inspiration and educating African designers and creating “good business out of good design by building a strong professional network to encourage collaboration and sharing to create new visions for business and inspiration.”

Images courtesy of Adèle Dejak

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Clean, ethical and progressive fashion from the north that has its sights set on creating a sustainable industry.  

Scandinavia – that obscure northern region home to beautiful blondes, mysterious folklore and long, cold nights – is also the origin of some of the most innovative fashion designers of our time. Based in cultures that have always had a deep connection to the nature that surrounds and sustains them, respect for the environment shines through as a key factor, whether with the use of natural materials, recycling or intelligent design. Due to harsh living conditions and short growing seasons, traditions and practices of re-use, maximum throughput, and efficient implementation, have carried through to the modern day, as is evident from these designers’ work.

With a mindful and artistic approach that transcends the supposed disconnection from other fashionable nations, Scandinavia has created a sought after and highly revered design aesthetic all of its own. The eight fashion designers and labels we’ve chosen to feature are style savvy and original, forging their own sustainable and successful fashion paths in a world where marketability and points of sale have become the main focus for the supposedly “artistic” fashion industry.

1. Anja Hynynen

Anja Hynynen is a Swedish-Finnish designer and artisan committed to the use of organic textiles and handcrafting. “Being fascinated by the story that leads to our clothes and the story we create them with, I wish the clothes [I make] to have a good story to tell – from seed to finished garment.” Anja often works directly with the farmers, spinners and weavers that make her textiles. She uses an old-fashioned wood-fired barrel for natural dyeing, and experiments with low-impact processes and textile printing methods. The result is a unique collection of handmade, timeless designs that embody the purity and natural beauty of Nordic aesthetics.

2. Minna Hepburn

Finnish designer Minna Hepburn is based in the UK, where she creates ethereal collections of sheer dresses, flouncy tops and dreamy bridal wear. Her designs are made out of organic, recycled and locally produced textiles, employing sustainable production techniques such as hand embellishment, local manufacturing and zero waste pattern cutting for each garment. Minna is dedicated to maintaining an ethical and environmentally friendly brand, constantly searching for new ways to minimize her impact while still offering gorgeous clothing. Her latest bridal collection is entirely handmade in her London studio, and is the pure definition of delicate, vintage elegance.

3. NUDIE 

Nudie is a jeans and casual wear label founded in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2001. With a strong commitment to ethical labor standards and minimal environmental impact, Nudie is one of the most responsible jeans manufacturers on the market today. The label prides itself on its passion for denim as a versatile material that improves with age. Nudie offers a wide selection of organic cotton denim for both men and women, alongside sweaters, shirts, tees and even underwear made from organic textiles that are made in Italy. They even offer low-impact dyed colored denims.

4. NURMI

Anniina Nurmi is a Finnish designer dedicated to quality clothing and durable design. Her collections echo the fusion of minimalism and functionality found in the work of several compatriot furniture designers with garments that are practical and designed to fit many body shapes. A focus on sustainability is inherent through Anniina’s use of organic cotton, hemp and recycled textiles alongside a commitment to transparency through local, ethical and monitored production. Nurmi collections comprise everyday basics that are versatile and timeless, and the label has recently offered up a range of jeans made from 55 percent hemp, 45 percent organic cotton blend.

5. Swedish Hasbeens

Inspired by a collection of ’70s clogs found in a old basement in Sweden, Swedish Hasbeens loves to re-create retro shoes, bags and belt styles for the modern market. Committed to quality and environmental manufacturing, the label uses ecological natural grain leather and the finest alder and lime wood to achieve the best finish on all their products. Assuring that production methods are kind to nature and to people, all Swedish Hasbeens shoes are made by hand in small factories by skilled Swedish artisans. Ethical, environmental, durable and outrageously cool, what’s not to love? As the label says: “even Sarah Jessica Parker has now switched from her Manolos.”

6. Trash Couture

As a pioneer of ethical, high-end and couture fashion, Trash Couture is redefining upcycling by creating gorgeously breathtaking gowns, cocktail dresses, and bridal wear. Ann Wiberg and Nanna Lowe are the fueling force behind the label, utilizing leftover fabrics like off-cut natural silks and vintage laces from famed couture houses to design unique and limited edition garments. The entire collection is hand-sewn and embellished at the label’s Copenhagen atelier, ensuring fair and monitored working conditions, minimal material waste and elimination of excess production. The label’s stunning and practically otherworldly gowns, dresses and corsets have gained a strong following that has attracted the likes of celebrities and even royalty.

7. V Ave Shoe Repair

Probably the most avant-garde label on this list, V Ave Shoe Repair blends ubiquitous Swedish style with artistic handcrafting and cutting-edge technology like 3D printing. The minimalistic aesthetic and skilled use of various textiles result in tailored, expertly draped garments that have made their way to the runways and high fashion boutiques around the world. All V Ave Shoe Repair items are handmade in their Stockholm atelier under the supervision of co-founder Astrid Olsson, ensuring fair labor processes and high quality, monitored end products.

8. Zion Clothing

Zion Clothing is one of Sweden’s emerging street style brands, but one that definitely stands out for its sustainable practices and processes. The label uses organic cotton, fair labor and water-based dyes that are free of heavy metals for the production of all garments. Investment in sustainable and environmental schemes is also part of the label’s philosophy, which is evident through their support of a Tanzanian tree-planting initiative for reducing carbon in the atmosphere.

Images: Anja Hynynen, Minna Hepburn, Nudie, NURMI, Swedish Hasbeens, Trash Couture, V Ave Shoe Repair, Zion Clothing

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With 20,000 square feet of space and all the equipment emerging fashion designers need to produce their lines, Manufacture New York will help bring fashion production back to the U.S.

It is probably safe to say that most designers would prefer to produce their pieces close to where they live and work. While the need to keep costs and prices down are often given as a reason why some choose to manufacture overseas, access may be the real issue. The small, dedicated team behind Manufacture New York are trying to change that.

Envisioned as a fashion incubator and factory hybrid, Manufacture New York aims to provide independent designers with the resources and skills they need in order to streamline their production process and transform local manufacturing into the most affordable, innovative option available.

The new facilities, located in Brooklyn’s Industry City offers more than 20,000 square feet of space and will include a fully-equipped sampling room, manufacturing facilities, classroom space, private studios for rent and a state-of-the art computer lab complete with the industry’s latest software for design and production. Some of these spaces will be open to the public, and there will also be a dedicated area for experimentation with environmentally-friendly fabric washes, dyeing, finishes and special textile applications.

To fund this new venture, Manufacture New York is currently running a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. The funds raised will go towards three necessary components of the organization: location, equipment and, most importantly, new jobs.

“In the last two decades, the United States has lost 80 percent of its apparel manufacturing jobs, and the decline of the Garment District in NYC is a visible sign of these crippling losses,” says Manufacture New York Founder and CEO Bob Bland. “There isn’t enough support available for emerging designers in the fashion industry currently. We need to join together as a community, engage the public and use our collective voice to resurrect apparel manufacturing for a new generation. Demand for affordable, consistent local production is high, and yet we continue to lose jobs to overseas factories that are facing worker unrest and a desire for higher wages themselves.”

Bland is leveraging a decade of practical experience as a designer, for her own label BrooklynRoyalty, as well as brands like Marc by Marc Jacobs, Triple Five Soul, Rugby by Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Banana Republic. She is joined by a dynamic team of organizers, including Tara St. James, designer of Study NY and 2011 Ecco Domani winner, as well as a growing community of more than 60 apparel and accessory designers.

Help make this a reality by lending your support to the campaign, which runs through March 31st. Awesome perks include eco-conscious, locally-made goods, tickets to the VIP wrap party, goodie bags, a custom-tailored dress or suit, a two-month membership to Manufacture New York, and tickets to a NYFW runway show.

All images courtesy of Manufacture New York

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Designing fashion for the future with century-old techniques, Isabell de Hillerin embraces heritage for Spring/Summer 13.

One would think that in fashion, the “new” is welcomed almost as much as a friendlier price point. But not to forget, also in fashion, are passageways that inspire designers and pull them back to heritage, history and hopefully, an embracing of something deeper.

Berlin-based Isabell de Hillerin is one of those designers. In her Spring/Summer 13 collection “Eclectic Line,” she combines traditional Moldavian craftsmanship -think flamboyant handmade embroidery and handwoven fabrics with modern designs- to  embrace techniques from over 100 years ago.

Isabell de Hillerin’s Spring/Summer 13 in the November 2012 issue of German VOGUE

De Hillerin says “In a time where the pulse of the vanguardia captures the world and simultaneously moments increase when individuals cut themselves off, we realize that we are increasingly fading out the marvelous settings that surround us every day. The importance lies in the past and the nostalgia which provokes one to remember.”

For her Spring/Summer 13 collection, de Hillerin traveled to secluded villages in Moldavia, meeting women manufacturing fabrics in the same way they were done a hundred years ago: quietly on looms, in sewing circles and by hand, one stitch at a time. One might wonder what these same women, tucked into remote villages thought when they saw their work in the November issue of German VOGUE featuring the designer’s Spring/Summer 13 collection.

Berlin Fashion Week and the “Eclectic Line” from Isabel de Hillerin, photo by H. Berthold

The designer says: “The information revolution deletes distances. Keywords like accessibility and transparency gained importance. At the same time our fast moving and modern society ruined traditional roots. The designs reflect a rebellious response to our modern system called life.”

De Hillerin’s collaboration is a project supported by the European Union that offers future prospects to the people by providing the women with above-average wages, while promoting a disappearing Moldavian art.

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In August 2010, we published a story about Parsons The New School For Design’s first course in zero waste – a first in the world. Watched closely at key junctures throughout the design process by Loomstate co-founder/designer, Scott Mackinkay Hahn, and taught by Timo Rissanen, a Finnish designer, the duo hoped to instill in students the principle that zero waste is possible and can be achieved – and that the end product can be a thing of beauty. They launched the class with that iconic American wardrobe staple, a pair of jeans.

Students had a big carrot in front of them, knowing that at the end of the course, the winning design would be chosen and the student behind it would have the opportunity to intern with the Loomstate production team in their California or New York factory. The design would then be sold at Barneys in New York.

The time is here! An exhibition of all the students’ denim fashions will be on view at the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center at Parsons, February 8-23, 2011. The winning look will be revealed at the opening reception.

Designer news portal Dexigner reports: “Through muslin prototypes, garment patterns, video and photography, the exhibition will provide visitors with a behind-the-scenes look at this cutting-edge approach to sustainable design, which is the focus of a new course of study at Parsons.”

Zero-Waste Fashion is one of a number of sustainable design initiatives in the School of Fashion at Parsons. While this intro to zero waste was a great start, Dexigner says Parsons is looking forward to spring with fashion design students examining ways of extending the life-cycle of a garment. Additionally, fashion marketing and communications design and technology students will collaborate with the advertising agency, Droga 5 (the agency behind the “Great Schlep” campaign of the last presidential election), to research sustainable care practices and develop a global branding campaign called “Wash Cold.”

Meanwhile, those in the BFA Fashion Design program are teaming up with students across Parsons in the Solar Decathlon, a biannual global competition to design and build a solar-powered home, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. Parsons students will be designing a sustainable wardrobe for inhabitants of the home, which takes into account energy use and consumption.

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