The Trend Edit.
Illustration by Nicole Gresen
The Sustainable Designers of Spring/Summer 2021.
By Emma Golley 12.10.20
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I’m relieved to say the Spring Summer 2021 collections gave us a little hope and inspiration for the future of fashion. Lockdown had given many designers the chance to take a step back and re-evaluate how they produce and show their collections each season. And while some made responsible decisions simply because they had no choice (many of the mills were shut due to the pandemic), it was clear that an increased number of designers are really trying to make a difference now and for the foreseeable future.
And while the RTW collections aren’t necessarily the main cause of climate change and ‘throw away’ unsustainable fashion, one always hopes that the luxury sector’s influence will trickle down to the fast fashion culprits of the high- street. From reducing the size of their collections, to using dead stock fabrics, here are some of the designers getting it right:
Balenciaga.
Balenciaga claimed to use nearly 100 per cent sustainable materials this season. 93.5 % of the plain materials in the collection were either sustainable or upcycled, while 100 % of the print bases have sustainable certifications.
Preen by Thornton Bregazzi.
After spending much time at home with their kids during lockdown, Thea Bregazzi and Justin Thornton decided to include their kids in the design process. Experimenting with textile scraps and patchwork, the SS21 collection was inspired by their children’s creations. Since it was hard to obtain new fabrics anyway, the designers decided to work with what they had and used fabrics left over from previous seasons. They were also inspired by the Japanese art of Kintsugi- the idea being that if something is broken, it becomes more precious, and stronger when you mend it. A great metaphor for this difficult year.
Phoebe English.
Sustainable design is nothing new for Phoebe English. Showing just an 8 piece collection aptly named ‘Nothing New, Part Two.’ She experimented with natural dyes using natural items that were picked up across London, including acorns from Greenwich Park to create black/blue dye. Zero waste pattern cutting was also an important aspect, as well as no new materials.
Stella McCartney.
Stella has been a pioneer of sustainable fashion for quite some time now, however she took her commitment one step further in SS21 with completely recycled dresses from overstock. She also released her transparent and detailed Eco Impact report before the show.
Gabriela Hearst.
In her 2021 Spring/Summer collection, Gabriela Hurst used 60% dead-stock fabrics. She also launched the Garment Journey which gives customers information about the materials used and the production process via QR codes on garment labels. Her Spring/Summer 2021 menswear collection was also created using 100% dead-stock materials. News just in - Hearst has just been unveiled as the latest Artistic Director at Chloe.
Collina Strada.
Hillary Taymour’s brand Collina Strada is mostly made up of upcycled materials, and while she isn’t 100% sustainable, she’s not far off. Always facing the climate crisis with hope and optimism, Hillary channeled positivity into her SS21 collection with humorous art and 3d animation. Her website is also a platform for social issues and awareness, and she has goals of becoming 100% fully sustainable- not an easy feat.
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