Sustainability is super on trend right now. It seems that every influencer is now on board with sustainability, even if they weren’t before. I hope they stick to it. For some of us we’ve been campaigning for the fashion industry and consumers to start taking responsibility for what is happening to our environment and to stop and think about our purchasing choices we make.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m no saint, I still buy from the high street, I just don’t make a habit of it and when I do buy something from the high street you better believe I’ll be wearing it. For me, sustainability means a lot of different things, it means buy less, buy better, it means focusing on the people making the clothing and it also means decreasing our carbon footprint. It’s almost impossible to be completely sustainable, but I think brands that are trying to focus on making the fashion industry more responsible is super!
While I was in Berlin I visited NEONYT, the sustainable fashion fair and to my surprise I found some really cool brands designing some really cool things. I want to them with you.
Enjoy!
PAT GUZIK is a mixture of streetwear and high fashion focusing on sustainable methods . Her signature fuses Slavic and Asian cultures together with original art prints made by Polish Ilustrator, Mateusz Kolek . I’m in love with her loud prints and cool accessories.
ROWK combines minimal shapes, a monochrome colour palette and uses vintage pieces to created a cool and edgy collection. She designs clothing for people who value comfort, simplicity and character. I first discovered them at the Polish Pop-up Shop in Mitte and I fell in love with an Adidas Dress which I did purchase.
Working Title was founded in 2018 by fashion designer Antonia Goy and architect Bjoern Kubeja. Based on their many years of experience, their new label combines upmarket aesthetics and quality with sustainability. The goal is to develop contemporary yet long-lasting products that reflect the highest level of design and craftsmanship.
SANDERMANN is a womenswear label based on a sustainable concept, using only pre-consumer waste materials and zero waste design approaches to textile and fashion design. Danish designer Stine Sandermann, a graduate of the MA Sustainable Textile Design course at UAL in London, gained greater insight into the fashion industry – the world’s second most polluting industry next to the oil industry. It was then she chose to change her approach to designing and never to go back to doing conventional fashion.
FADE OUT Label is a unisex line of exclusive clothing and accessories made from deconstructed vintage using handicraft methods. Designers Andrea Bonfini and Nicola Gomiero embody a dump-to-hanger ethos and celebrate responsible recycling of materials and innovative designs.
BUKI AKOMOLAFE is a Berlin based clothing label founded by Buki Akomolafe in 2016. Her German and Nigerian heritage bring a diverse background of tradition, handcraft, design experience and aesthetic vision. The collections are strongly influenced by her life between different worlds. The label stands for contemporary high-end women's clothing with a slight hint to androgyny, precise tailoring and high quality eco materials. All items are manufactured and handmade in Berlin.
In 2017, designers Irina Könitz & Semiramis Wall decided it was time to start a fashion revolution and started Yuna Miray which means the future we want. They combine sustainability, fair production and certified quality fabrics to create unique and timeless collection.
I fell in love with their maxi bug printed skirt. It is amazing and is made with so much fabric. I can’t wait to get my hands on it.
PHILOMENA , designed by Julia Philomena Leifert stands for carefully designed and handcrafted garments that are locally manufactured in compliance with highest ecological and social standards. In order to meet their ever-increasing need for trust and commitment, they design contemporary ready-to-wear fashion with awareness and a clear message. Their collections follow no short term trends, but are designed for longevity and good combinability due to the clean design and high-quality workmanship.
Since the middle of the 90s Elisabeth Spatz-Distler designs and produces hats for men and women in her gallery in the old part of Passau. The unique pieces are made from the design to the completion in 100% handmade from the highest quality materials. Their hats do not follow fashion, but speak their own formal language: characterized by originality and an intensive examination of material, human and expression. Hat wear is only a matter of character for the designer.
