VISHAL TOLAMBIA is the winner of the IMAGINING SUSTAINABLE FASHION AWARD 2022

Congratulations to Vishal Tolambia, winner of the 2022 Imagining Sustainable Fashion Award established by Connecting Cultures and C.L.A.S.S. with the aim of  creating new visual imagery and innovative models of communication in sustainable fashion.

A still from the winning project

The winner of the competition, now in its second year, was announced during a webinar broadcast on March 30 attended by Giusy Bettoni CEO of C.L.A.S.S. Eco Hub, Anna Detheridge President of Connecting Cultures, Dio Kurazawa, Founding Partner of The Bear Scouts, Stefania Ricci, Director of the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum in Florence, Italy.

Vishal Tolambia, 24, a graduate with an MA in Fashion Futures from the London College of Fashion and in Fashion Design from the National Institute of Fashion Technology India, is a Fashion Sustainability researcher and a multidisciplinary designer.

 In 2021, Vishal founded the organization Humanity-centred designs (HCD) with the aim of transforming "human-centred design into humanity-centred designs through sustainable practices to foster the Fashion Industry." 

In his communication project, the "Fashion Affair" video proposes a speculative view of fashion dating - derived from dating apps - a tool to effectively evaluate brands and their products, in the form of augmented reality. The consumer is not only informed in real time about the brand and supply chain, but the app also becomes a platform for matching products based on individual sustainability goals and commitments. 

"Fashion Affair" also won the special social media contest open to the public among the finalists selected by the jury for being the most voted project by Instagram followers on C.L.A.S.S.'s profile.

Vishal ranked first among the finalists selected by the international jury which composed of:

- Anna Detheridge, Founder and President, Connecting Cultures

- Giusy Bettoni, CEO and Founder, C.L.A.S.S.

- Rita Airaghi, Director, Gianfranco Ferré Research Center

- Paola Arosio, Head of New Brands & Sustainability Projects, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (The National Chamber for Italian Fashion)

- Jeanine Ballone, Managing Director, Fashion 4 Development

- Evie Evangelou, Founder and President, Fashion 4 Development

- Chiara Luisi, Sustainability Projects Coordinator, Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (The National Chamber for Italian Fashion)

- Sara Kozlowski, Director of Education and Sustainable Strategies, Council of Fashion Designers of America

- Dio Kurazawa, Founding Partner, The Bear Scouts

- Renata Molho, journalist and fashion writer, former editor-in-chief of L'Uomo Vogue and editor-at-large of L'Uomo Vogue, Vogue Italia, Casa Vogue

- Stefania Ricci, Director, Salvatore Ferragamo Museum.

"Vishal's project resonated with us for its impactful vision where we will be able to immerse ourselves with real time information and insight,” said Giusy Bettoni and Anna Detheridge. “Vishal highlights how the industry lacks transparency and how technology can be a driving force in transforming how we interact with brands. Vishal's video and project used augmented reality in an innovative and ethical way."

Vishal Tolambia won the €3,000 prize made possible thanks to the support of Main Sponsors ROICA™ by Asahi Kasei and Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei and the other project sponsors: SUPREME GREEN COTTON® by Varvaressos and ECOSENSOR™ by Asahi Kasei.

The ambassadors of the award are Iris Skrami, CEO and co-founder of Renoon and Valentina Suarez co-founder and general manager of the Latin American sustainable fashion movement Universo MOLA.

Applications open for Copenhagen Fashion Week

Applications for brands to become part of the official show schedule of Copenhagen Fashion Week have now opened for the forthcoming SS23 season taking place 9-12 August.

Organisers of Copenhagen Fashion Week promise a show schedule featuring the best of Nordic fashion brands and rising talent. Among the official events will be a comprehensive talk programme, and the menswear dinner, alongside a strong curation of brand, publication, and wider industry activations. 

All brands will need to apply for the SS23 season in order to register time slot preferences and to be considered for the Zalando Sustainability Award and the Official Talent Slot which is dedicated to supporting emerging talent.  The deadline for application is 25 April 2022.

Should you have any queries regarding the application, please do not hesitate to contact Marie Brøbech, Director of Brand Relations and Production. 

Sustainability Requirements for the SS23 season

As of February 2023, all show schedule brands must comply with minimum the event's Sustainability Requirements. Up until 2023 all brands that are accepted on to the schedule for the SS22 season will have to fill out the Sustainability Requirements form as part of the preparation process for February 2023. Brands are not required to live up to the specific requirements yet, but it is mandatory that the form is filled out as part of the application for this season and next season. Further information can be found through the survey guide.

Meanwhile, you can still catch up on AW22 trends featured in the February 2022 Copenhagen Fashion Week.  Click HERE. 

Seventies galore - Retro design collection launched by Storigraphic

Let's hark back to the uber hip Seventies years, a decade when terms like "far out" and "outta sight" were used to refer to designs of adventurous prints full of rich colours and bold arresting patterns.  

Seventies Series recyclable Wrapping Paper and Gift Tag Set
All Storigraphic products are made in the UK, using FSC certified paper, recyclable (no glitter, foil, metallic ink, lamination), plastic-free and sustainably made using the smallest environmental footprint.

Storigraphic, a UK paperware design studio and store where one can find plastic-free, recyclable and sustainably made statement eco stationery, greeting cards, wrapping paper, gifts and accessories, has just launched a new Seventies Series collection of designs featuring bold graphic patterns.  

New Limited Edition Art Print from Storigraphic's Seventies Series — 'Spaghetti Western' 

Wrapping Paper and Gift Tag Set — Seventies 4
- Storigraphic

Note the harmoniously intense use of deep colours on the wrapping paper + tags, greeting cards, stationery and limited edition art prints on the examples shown here.

Wrapping Paper and Gift Tag Set — Seventies 6 - from Storigraphic.

All Storigraphic products are made in the K, using FSC certified paper, recyclable (no glitter, foil, metallic ink, lamination), plastic-free and sustainably made using the smallest environmental footprint.

The company donates five percent of their sales profit to the homelessness charity, Crisis UK.

All images courtesy of Storigraphic.

NEHERA Fall Winter 2022 collection spells architectural tailoring

NEHERA, the luxury brand from Slovakia founded by designer Jan Nehera, speaks the language of tailoring virtuously. 

NEHERA’s Fall Winter 22 is a meditation on seemingly opposite worlds: past  and future, vintage and modern, analogue and digital, masculine and feminine, according to the designer, who has described the main collection as “elaborately structured, intellectually rigorous, elegantly paced, and often surprising." 

In addition to meticulous precision tailoring, note also the architectural shapes, innovative cuts and silhouette, and using a selection of unique, exclusive materials. 

Playing with the caprices of perception and gender mutability, the silhouettes have a masculine undertone that paradoxically makes the shapes even more feminine and authentic. 

Every expression of the collection gracefully balances function and emotion: from outdoor-inspired shapes, dynamic silhouettes to the feeling of protection and relaxed sensibility. 

Rethinking practicality and comfort, the collection pays homage to Nehera's heritage as well as presents liberating styles and innovative meticulous cuts on jackets, trench coats, parkas and sport-inspired outerwear.

The colours continue the ballet of harmonizing nature-neutral tones with a fresh injection of vibrant shades, creative patterns and checks. 

All pictures courtesy of NEHERA.

Designer Rory Hutton adds new designs to his popular Garden Collection of scarves

Just in time for nature’s launch of Spring and the approaching Mother’s Day celebrations in the UK, textile designer Rory Hutton has looked ahead to the warmer months with a new range of scarves to add to his Garden Collection.  As always, his designs are enriched with inspiration from iconic garden designers and their amazing themes, as well as mythical stories.

Silk scarf: Gertrude's Garden
by Rory Hutton.

Rory said over the long dark months of January and February, he has been busily distracting himself with the joys of summer, looking ahead to bountiful gardens ablaze with flowers and colour.  

The result is three new scarves (as shown below) which draw inspiration from Vita Sackville-West’s White Garden, Gertrude Jeykll’s colourful borders and the mythical Flora, Roman goddess of flowering plants. All three new scarves in 100% silk, measure 90 x 90cm, have rolled edges and are made in Italy.

Rory said, “I hope these scarves will inspire sartorial gardeners everywhere and become the accessory of choice for tea on the lawn or an afternoon spent weeding and pruning!”, quoting English author and garden designer Vita Sackville-West who once said “Flowers really do intoxicate me” this is a sentiment that Rory Hutton can certainly agree with. For Spring/Summer 2022 the designer is adding three new designs to his popular Garden Collection.

The first scarf in this trio is called Vita’s White Garden and features the above quote together with another from Vita Sackville-West, "Still, no gardener would be a gardener if he did not live in hope". 

Vita Sackville-West designed a white garden at her home, Sissinghurst Castle in the county of Kent. The garden is now iconic and widely regarded as one of the first modern gardens in Britain. 

 

Rory says, ‘I’ve always been drawn to this idea, a white garden is as much a study of green as it is of white and I can’t imagine anything more calming than being surrounded by the subtle beauty of white and green on a summers day.’

 

Formal parterres and knot gardens dominate the center of this design and are surrounded by an array of white flowers in bloom. ‘I have poured my longing for such a space into this design’.

The next scarf is Gertrude's Garden, inspired garden designer Gertrude Jekyll. Influenced by the Arts & Crafts movement, Jekyll created some of the most celebrated Edwardian and early twentieth century gardens. Particularly noted for her explosions of colour, Jekyll had a painterly approach to her gardens and her work can be found throughout the British Isles and further afield. A keen plants woman, Jekyll began collecting and cultivating plants at a young age, sourcing interesting specimens from the wild as well as ancient cottage gardens.

 

Of this design Rory says, "This is the most colourful design I have ever attempted, Jekyll has inspired me to be brave!"

The flowers featured in the design were all used by Jekyll in her schemes. The garden bench at the center is in a style favored by renowned architect Edwin Lutyens. Lutyens was a great admirer of Jekyll’s work and they regularly collaborated, her designing the gardens to compliment his buildings.

The cat seated on Lutyen’s bench is a nod to Jekyll's love of feline company, she even included a chapter titled ‘Pussies in the Garden’ in her 1908 book, Children and Gardens.

The third design is entitled Temple of Flora, an ode to Flora, the Roman Goddess of flowering plants. In this design Flora takes centre stage. Holding a garland of flowers she stands in a classical temple. 

Featuring a vibrant red and pink scarf, the colours of roses, Flora’s temple is surrounded by formal parterre and knot gardens with ornately scrolling ironwork marking the perimeter.  The outer borders are filled with a joyful abundance of flowering specimens.

Other features within the garden include a dovecote, birdbath, potted orange tree, a sundial and elegant tulipieres or tulip holders. In front of the temple we can see the gardener’s dog together with her abandoned sun hat and watering can.

All images courtesy of Rory Hutton.

British Textile Designer Set to Launch Luxury Silk Cushion Collection this April

British textile designer Millie Bridget Henry is expanding her business into homewares and will launch her first luxury silk cushion collection this spring. 

Pink Bengal Tiger Silk Cushion
by Millie Bridget Henry 

The new SS22 Collection of cushions, launching on April 11th, is titled The Wilderness, inspired by wild and natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly altered by human activity and the wild animals that roam within these surroundings, said Millie, whose designs are rich and intricate. 

Enchanted Forest Stag Silk Cushion
by Millie Bridget Henry 

The UK-made cushions measuring 45cm x 45cm are in 100% Silk, and feature navy cotton velvet backing & piping, while they also come with sustainably-sourced feather-filled inner cushion pads. 

Leopard Silk Cushion by Millie Bridget Henry

According to Millie, the design process begins in her studio in Buckinghamshire, whereshe  takes inspiration from her photographic archive, mood-boards and research that have inspired the collections. She will then bring all of her drawings together creating a linear design, which is then coloured digitally. The designs are then printed onto the finest luxury fabric and finished to the highest standard.

Millie graduated from the Winchester School of Art in 2010, specialising in Textile Print Design. After graduating, Millie interned at various fashion houses before deciding to travel in 2012. Upon her return she moved to London and started work at Huntsman-bespoke tailors - on Savile Row and found her love for Men’s accessories. In 2016 she started work at Buckingham Palace with a team of conservators providing a conservation service to the Royal Collection. 

An internship at Zandra Rhodes in 2017 put Millie firmly on the path to setting up her own design studio. The brand was launched in 2018 with a collection of men’s luxury pocket squares. Since then, Millie has launched a range of men’s accessories which are stocked in many west end ateliers such as Budd, Benson & Clegg, Mason & Sons, Caroline Andrews and Montague Ede.   

Blackbuck Navy Silk Cushion
by Millie Bridget Henry

Speaking about her journey to launching her new collections in homeware, the young designer says, “The last two years have been incredibly difficult for everyone but as a small business in the early years since inception it was extremely disheartening. There have been days I wanted to give up, but I kept pushing and wanted to spend the extra time during lockdown to find ways to expand the business and take it to the next level. I’m really excited to be expanding into homeware and working on a variety of products for the future.”

All imagess courtesy of Millie Bridget Henry.