FROM SOMEWHERE POP UP SHOW

WHERE DO YOU GO FOR FASHION-FORWARD, ETHICAL CLOTHING? SUSTAINABLE WOMENSWEAR LABEL FROM SOMEWHERE, ON PORTOBELLO ROAD, OFFERS THE BEST GREEN FASHION GARMENTS IN LONDON. LAST MONTH, FOUNDER ORSOLA DE CASTRO, WHO IS ALSO THE BRAIN BEHIND ESTETHICA, OPENED UP HER SHOP TO SOME OF THE MOST CREATIVE AND ECO-FRIENDLY DESIGNERS OF THE MOMENT.

The show celebrated designers who minimise their impact on the environment by using organic, fair trade and recycled materials.

Sonya Kashmiri’s beautifully designed and thoughtfully handcrafted vegetable leather bags sat in the window along with pairs of Nina Dolcetti’s daring, architectural and design led shoes made from up-cycled leather.

You could also find MTLabel’s hand-cut and hand-stitched leather clutches and KAYU’s range of bamboo sunglasses. As part of the label’s ongoing campaign against preventable blindness, every pair sold funds one sight-restoring surgery in a developing country.

Finnish designer Minna Hepburn, recently chosen by the British Fashion Council for the Estethica mentoring programme, explained that the Minna collection includes accessories complementing each outfits, such as a bespoke bird necklace and a removable collar.

“As with all the designers on show, it is about traceability and using every shred of the vintage fabrics. I think it is important to have a UK and handmade element to my clothing line. My dresses are made of vintage lace and this gives it a personal feel. You can really tell the difference between the high street lace and what I use. It has intrigue, subtlety and roots. Some of my materials even come from curtains,” said Hepburn.

The show raised the profile of these green designers in London and Great Britain. The different buying habits in continental Europe means that green labels often do better in France and Germany, where clients buy investment items they can wear to death. Thanks to the pop up show, many designers who don’t have bricks-and-mortar shops in the UK were able to push their garments to the British audience.

Words Jennifer Butler