Couturiers With A Conscience At London Fashion Week

Picture: clothes for the fashion conscious with a conscience are being created by many designers. These outfits are by UK-based From Somewhere that for 10 years has produced covetable collections made from top-quality material off-cuts that were to be thrown away. From Somewhere and other ethical fashion firms are showing under the banner Estethica at London Fashion Week (11-16 Feb 2007).

JUST as fashion changes, so does the character of the twice-yearly international designer showcase, London Fashion Week.

Fresh ideas and new names, venues and events appear every season. For example, at the latest London Fashion Week - 11-16 February - “green” fashion reflecting public concern for the future of the planet and for people working in less-developed countries of the world is being given more prominence.

Until recently “ethical” fashion tended to be dismissed as “hippie” clothes and was largely ignored by the fashion world. But serious designers are now looking harder at using organic materials produced with less harm to the environment and to workers, as well as recycled clothes and fabrics, and to fair-trade producers who receive more of the profits from their products.

As a result, a number of designers whose eco-sustainable policies are cornerstones of their businesses are showing together in a space called Estethica at the static exhibition at the Natural History Museum in Exhibition Road, west London.

The exhibition (12-15 February) plays a very important role at London Fashion Week (LFW). It is where both established and up-and-coming designers of clothes, shoes, bags, belts, jewellery, scarves and other accessories display their latest ideas. International buyers and the media are able to spend time browsing the 130 exhibition stands, talking to the designers or their representatives and placing orders.

The idea of allocating space to ethical fashion companies was introduced at September 2006 London Fashion Week when designers and companies from various parts of the globe displayed collections made from organically grown cotton or recycled clothes. A spokesman for the British Fashion Council, which runs LFW, said it had caused a considerable and positive reaction and had been so successful that it was decided to assign a larger area to it this time.

Co-curating Estethica are Filippo Ricci and Orsola de Castro, Italian owners of one of the exhibiting companies called From Somewhere. Based in the United Kingdom, From Somewhere has been taking the fashion industry’s own waste and turning it into desirable clothes, for nearly 10 years.

Designers take fabric off-cuts, ends of roll and other textiles discarded at the close of each season and, instead of allowing them to end up in landfill sites, create individual, beautiful and stylish garments. Many are made from the most luxurious and desirable fabrics such as silk, cashmere, jersey and tweed.

From Somewhere’s distinctive and original collections are sold mainly to private clients through its London showroom and they are also to be found in exclusive boutiques in Italy and Japan, and other parts of the UK.

Also showing at Estethica is one of the UK’s most successful and respected designers of top quality clothes for men and women, Katharine Hamnett, who has been actively engaged in making the fashion industry more environmentally responsible, and more politically aware, since the 1980s.

Based on research into the impact of the clothing and textile industry on the environment, the designer resolved in 1989 to try to change the way that cotton was produced, and she is now a strong advocate of using only organic cotton.

Hamnett is also a campaigner on many other issues, including global warming. Her Estethica collection will include her sought-after slogan T-shirts in a variety of subtle colours and made entirely from organic cotton.

One hundred per cent organic cotton is also used in Del Forte denim, another Estethica exhibitor. Based in Los Angeles, a city that, Del Forte says is “a leader in anti-sweatshop legislation and enforcement”, the firm has partnered with The Sustainable Cotton Project to “build bridges between farmers, manufacturers and consumers to pioneer markets for certified organically grown and sustainable cotton”.

Behind the label is designer Tierra Del Forte who said: “Organic is win-win for everyone. Customers love it, ecologically responsible mills get rewarded, organic farms profit, and I get to feel good about the fabric I use.”

The principles behind the production of boots and shoes by UK company Terra Plana are many and varied. The firm works with a leather tannery that employs a new method that eliminates chrome, about which health questions have been raised.

Vegetable dyes are used for the leathers and textiles, and latex, a natural product, for the soles. The minimum amount of glue is used and attractive trimmings that give the boots and shoes great eye-appeal, particularly to young buyers, come from recycled quilts, jackets, shirts and jeans.

Terra Plana also tries to ensure that materials come from suppliers that are near to factories, to reduce transport costs. The system seems to work well - Terra Plana’s products are popular across the world, and the company, whose headquarters is in London, has offices in Italy, Japan and the United States.

For several years, London has taken a specific role in the round of fashion weeks that occur each spring and autumn in fashion capitals such as New York, Paris and Milan. It is where all the newest, edgiest ideas and the most inventive and creative young designers have launched their careers.

Now, some big-name designers are using the occasion to draw attention to developments in their businesses. The Armani empire, for example, had a catwalk show at September 2006 LFW to mark the opening of a refurbished London store.

In February, US superstar Marc Jacobs is, for the first time at LFW, showing his diffusion line, Marc for Marc Jacobs, in conjunction with the opening of his new store in Mount Street in the capital.

Young Nigerian designer Duro Olowu, whose billowing kaftan-style dresses were a surprise must-have item two years ago (he won a 2005 British Fashion Award for “New Designer”), has created a collection that will be shown for the first time at LFW. Olowu has been awarded New Generation status that, thanks to sponsorship by high-street fashion store Topshop, is allowing him to stage his first catwalk show at this major event.

The New Generation scheme has been going since 1993 and has helped to initiate the careers of some of the UK’s top international names such as Alexander McQueen, Antonio Berardi, Clements Ribeiro, Julien Macdonald, Matthew Williamson and Sophia Kokosalaki.

Fourteen other exciting young designers have also been given New Gen status for 2007. They include Christopher Kane (whose work has caught the eye of Donatella Versace) who will be showing his second collection at London Fashion Week with New Gen support; Gareth Pugh, known for his innovative use of fabric; Richard Nicoll, born in Australia, whose designs are now stocked in more than 20 stores worldwide; Jojo & Malou, a London-based Swedish design team run by Jojo Ericson and Malou Palmquist, and accessories designer Ginta Siceva, who grew up in Latvia where handcraft skills are part of the national heritage. She moved to London to enrol at the London College of Fashion when she was 19.

Hilary Riva, chief executive of the British Fashion Council, commented: “This season’s New Generation designers are highly talented and incredibly diverse. London is unrivalled in its ability to attract and launch top design talent from all over the world, and February will be another fantastic showcase of this.”

女装设计师在伦敦时装周上推出服装设计新理念

 图片：现在，很多的服装设计师都在着手设计既富有人性化又具备时尚元素的新潮服装。

总部位于英国的From Somewhere 公司历经十年，设计生产的服装很受大众的青睐。这种 服装是用被人丢弃的高级质地的边角料加工而成的。在今年2月11日至16日举办的伦敦时装周上，From Somewhere 公司和其他民族服饰企业将以公平交易为诉求的Estethica展区 推展各自的作品。

时尚的定义在不断更新，每年两次的国际设计展——伦敦时装周——亦是如此。

每个季度都要涌现出很多新鲜创意，新的品牌，会出现一些大大小小的事件和活动。比如，在最近即将举办的伦敦时装周（2月11~16日）提出的“绿色”时尚理念就反映出公众对我们未来星球的关心以及对那些工作在世界不发达地区的人们的更多关注。

近来，具有民族特色的服装因其颇具“嬉皮士”的造型而渐入流行的边缘并趋于淘汰。现在，挑剔的设计师们又在设法加工制造对环境及工人无危害的有机服装、可再循环服装以及纺织制品。这对于以公平交易为诉求的生产商来说是再合适不过的了，他们可以从中获取更为丰厚的回报。

最后，很多以生态友好和可持续发展为企业立足之本的设计师们将共同在位于伦敦西部展览路的国家历史博物馆静态贸易展部分的Estethica展区展出各自的作品。

该次展览于2月12~15日进行，是伦敦时装周一个重要的组成部分。届时，这里将汇集很多名家或新锐设计师品牌，包括服装、鞋、包、腰带、珠宝、丝巾以及其他的配饰品，这些作品都将体现他们最新的设计理念。国际买家和媒体可以花费时间浏览130个展位的展品，并向设计师或设计师代表咨询及商讨订购事宜。 

这样分区为各服装公司分配展位的想法是在2006年伦敦时装周上提出来的。当时，来自世界各个角落的设计师及服装公司都展出了各自具有独特理念的作品，包括有机棉或可循环质地的服装。伦敦时装周的赞助机构——英国时装协会——的一位发言人评价那次的展会产生了相当大的积极影响，取得了很大的成功，并决定在今年的伦敦时装周上为展品提供一个更大的宣传平台。

此外，参展企业From Somewhere旗下的子公司——意大利分部的股东Filippo Ricci和 Orsola de Castro也将出现在Estethica展区。总部位于英国的From Somewhere，投入了 将近十年的时间，把服装界丢弃的边角料有效利用起来，最终把它们变成备受推崇的服装。

From Somewhere的设计师们在每个季末都要将所有服装材料的边角料和碎布条以及其他的 纺织品废料收集起来，而不是把它们运往垃圾场，然后用这些废弃的材料生产出个性、漂亮而又时尚的服饰。这些服饰中有很多的质地都是用及其奢侈的料子如丝绸、山羊绒、针织物及斜纹软呢加工而成的，受到很多消费者的喜爱。

在伦敦的各大商场都可以看到From Somewhere公司独特而新颖的服饰，他们大部分被私人 客户买走。此外，在意大利、日本以及英国其他地区的专卖店也都可以找到该公司参与设计的服装。

另一位品牌设计师Katharine Hamnett的作品也将出现在Estethica展区，他是英国最优 秀、最受人推崇的设计师之一，专门为男士和女士设计高品质的服装。自上世纪八十年代以来，他在服装界积极推崇并参与生产加工更具环保和法律意识的服装制品。

Katharine Hamnett曾就服装与纺织工业对环境的影响做了调查，1989年，她决心尝试改 变棉花的生长方式。现在，她正在极力倡导使用有机棉加工衣物。

Hamnett也在积极关注着包括全球变暖在内的其他社会问题。此次的展览将推出她广受欢迎的标志性作品——完全用有机棉加工而成的花色多样的T恤衫。

同样在Estethica展区展示、总部位于拉斯维加斯的公司Del Forte的服饰也采用了百分之 百的有机面料。Del Forte的高层评价拉斯维加斯是“反血汗工厂立法与实施”的先锋城 市。该公司已经加入了“持续棉花种植计划”以建立农民、制造业者以及消费者之间的联系，为打开经过鉴定后的有机棉的生长和可持续发展的市场销路做准备。

品牌设计师Tierra Del Forte说：“有机产品惠及众人。这种产品不仅能够博得消费者的 喜欢，而且无公害的有机加工厂也能从中受益。同时，我也对这种用有机材料加工的衣物很满意。”

英国Terra Plana公司所生产的长靴和鞋子样式繁多，种类齐全。公司与一家采用新工艺 去除含鉻染料的制革厂建立了合作伙伴关系，而鉻可能会给人类健康带来危害。

此外，植物染料和天然橡胶也被广泛用于皮革和纺织制品以及制鞋业。运用极少的粘贴剂并采用精细的焊缝加工，使Terra Plana的鞋子广受消费者、尤其是年轻消费者的追捧， 而这些衣物的材料来源是可循环的棉被、夹克、衬衫及牛仔裤。

为了节约运输费用，Terra Plana 也力求保证供应商所提供的材料来源地与工厂临近。这 一体系的运用达到了良好的效果：Terra Plana的产品风靡全世界，其总部位于伦敦，并 在意大利、日本和美国都设立了分部。

几年来，于每年春秋两季在世界时尚之都的纽约、巴黎和米兰举行的时装周上，伦敦起着不可替代的作用。这里聚集了世界上最时尚，最前沿的创意，很多极具创造和发明力的年轻设计师在这里开始了他们的职业生涯。

现在，很多出色的设计师利用时装周的平台，吸引大众，以开拓他们的事业。为了进一步开拓伦敦服装市场，阿玛尼（Armani）公司在2006年伦敦时装周上举办了一次服装秀。
 
2月，来自于美国的超级服装设计师Marc Jacobs将首次在伦敦时装周上推出他的“副牌”概 念Marc for Marc Jacobs，此举也为位于伦敦山街新商场的开业拉开帷幕。

年轻的尼日利亚设计师Duro Olowu 两年前推出的土耳其式长衫给人们带来了不小的惊喜 （2005年荣获英国“新锐设计师”时尚大奖）。在此次举办的伦敦时装周上，他将首次推出他的新作品。在被誉为大众流行服装老大的Topshop赞助下，Olowu被授予“新一代”设计师的地位，使他有机会在这样重大的场合首次公开推展自己的作品。

“新一代”计划创立于1993年，帮助很多在国际上享有盛名的英国顶级服装设计师如Alexander McQueen、Antonio Berardi、Clements Ribeiro、Julien Macdonald、Matthew Williamson和Sophia Kokosalaki开辟了事业之路。

此外，其他的十四名杰出的设计师也被授予服装界“2007年新锐”的荣誉。他们包括Christopher Kane（他的作品深受Donatella Versace服装公司的赏识），在“新锐”计划的帮助 下，他将在今年的伦敦时装展上推出自己的第二部作品，此外，还有纺织品新工艺而闻名的Gareth Pugh、出生于澳大利亚、其设计的服装占据世界二十多个国家的Richard Nicoll、而Jojo & Malou是一个总部位于伦敦的瑞典设计师团队，由Jojo Ericson和 Malou Palmquist共同创立、还有配饰设计师Ginta Siceva，出生于以手工业制作为文化 遗产的拉脱维亚，在19岁的时候前往伦敦的伦敦时尚学院就读。

英国时尚协会的负责人Hilary Riva评论说：“本季新一代的设计师具备卓越的设计天才， 他们设计的作品款式多样，令人出其不意。伦敦以其无可匹敌的魅力吸引着世界各地的设计天才。本年度二月份的服装展又将会是一场服装盛会。”

滴答网在此感谢英国驻广州总领事馆提供稿件