Sustainability has been on the minds of couturiers this season
While the sustainability has been on the lips and minds of every designer in the last few years, it seems the going green has finally reached even the most rarified part of fashion. Where once couture was defined as creating the most unique, over-the-top pieces for select clientele, designers are now redefining the craft, using it as opportunity to use the most sophisticated skills and technology on offer to find solutions to fashion's pollution problem, proving that even couture can go circular.
Dutch couturier Ronald van der Kemp gave us an intimate tour of his latest collection, entitled "The Mind Vaccine," because he hoped that as people emerged from the pandemic, brimming with pent up energy, that they'd remember to "do things responsibly and with more attention."
His entire collection of unique looks, each in his signature camp aesthetic, is made from upcycled or leftover fabrics from the last two years. An intricate denim jacket and matching crinoline, for example, was made from discarded 501 jeans, and a mesmerising felt chain gown was made from textile trash; "trashure" was what van der Kemp called the result.