The future of fashion promoting sustainable practices is essential in efforts to reverse the effects of climate change, and the industry’s biggest players, from Prada to Adidas, are taking note. Change is slowly coming about, being implemented into everything from design techniques to the production chain. Below, see the best designers right now paving the way to a more responsible future.

Elliss

Central Saint Martins graduate Elliss Solomon founded her London-based underwear and ready-to-wear brand in 2016, offering everyday elegance that is both design and waste-conscious. Her unequivocally comfortable collections are made of natural and up-cycled fabrics like organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, and ECONYL (regenerated nylon). Elliss also maintains a low carbon footprint by keeping design and production based in London, while also working with a family-run establishment in Slovenia that recycles offcuts and threads into mattress fillers and insulation. The brand recently partnered with eco-centric preorder platform Sardin to create hemp underwear with prints made using GOTs certified non-toxic dyes.

Kevin Germanier

Swiss designer Kevin Germanier’s BA graduate collection featured 80’s disco-inspired partywear, bedazzled with beads he rescued from demolition during his six-month stint in Hong Kong after winning the 2015 EcoChic Design Award. Germanier then went on to debut his eponymous label in 2018, with notions of up-cycling consistent throughout his collections, to create garments of utopian glamour that denounce the minimalistic reputation of eco-friendly labels. Repurposed tie-dye shirts and up-cycled brocades were transformed into glittered and sequinned frocks for Autumn/Winter 2019.

Marine Serre

You may already recognise Marine Serre from the brand’s ubiquitous crescent moon printed tops and catsuits worn by the likes of Kendall Jenner, Chloe Sevigny and BlackPink’s Jennie. The 2017 LVMH Prize winner and Paris-based designer’s futuristic collections are environmentally aware, with up-cycling at the heart of her last few collections. Sourcing discarded scarves, used shirts and wetsuit materials, Serre has a distinct ability to hone subversions and cultural expressions into utilitarian wear, from sculpted parkas to panelled dresses, that speak to the future.

Matty Bovan

Poised to have his first standalone show next month in London, York-based Fashion East alumni Matty Bovan often works with the Liberty Fabric Archives to source fabrics and prints for his collections. Past collections have used repurposed football pads to puff shoulders and old fur stitched into new forms. The knitwear designer is known for his candy-coloured eccentricity arriving by way of avant-garde designs that abstract silhouette through reinvented draped and texture techniques. Autumn/Winter 2019 elevated his idiosyncratic ideas with an Edwardian influence, presenting billowing dresses with high necks, psychedelic prints and rumbustious ruffles.

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MATTY BOVAN AW19/20 LOOK 21 and LOOK 22 Beautiful @zoethaets in look 21 and @chiaravds_ In look 22 ❤️ The biggest thank you to @kegrand thank you @bitton thank you @mandilennard ? Fran is wearing Stephen Jones for COACH x Matty Bovan hats made with iconic @Coach @Stuartvevers #CoachNY Signature logo canvas ? Make up @mirandajoyce using @maccosmetics Hair @sydhayeshair using @babylissprouk Nails @chisatochee Jewellery @begoniapeterson Set @rorywmullen using images of @burtonagneshall Shoes @ginashoesofficial Keyrings and oversized bows @katiejanehillier massive thanks to @libertylondon eternal thanks to @greg___harper and @gilesdeacon_ Love always to @misscatherinerussell @paul_flynn @establishmentny @rorywmullen @steve__mackey @begoniapeterson @falke @rarethread @ls.studio.ldn @chris.made.this @libertylondon @britishfashioncouncil #newgen @blonsteinproductions

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Reformation

Anyone on Instagram will have seen the sexy-cute dresses of cult-favourite brand Reformation, worn by everyone from Rihanna to Sasha Obama. The LA-based label’s pieces – with their universally flattering silhouettes and pretty colours – are just as stylish as they are sustainable, created out of repurposed vintage, salvaged overstock and plant-based fabrics. It doesn’t stop there — founder Yael Aflalo’s mission to recast ethical fashion as desirable and chic extends into all areas of her green business model. From eco-friendly packaging to green building infrastructures that minimise energy footprints, Reformation has sparked a quiet revolution in the way we shop and think when it comes to the meaning of sustainability in fashion.

Richard Malone

The London-based designer and LVMH scholarship winner tackles mass production involved in the industry by limiting waste and repurposing unlikely materials to build his collections. Known for his sculptural designs, Richard Malone sources natural fabrics and works with a community of female artisans in Southern India to hand-weave and naturally dye the vivid colours and abstract prints seen sauntering down his runways. His most recent Brexit-anxious collection used recycled organic cotton jersey to create patterned dresses and signature flared-pant suits cut from precisely one metre of fabric to avoid as much waste as possible.

Veja

Sébastien Kopp and François-Ghislain Morillion launched Veja in 2005 with a strong focus on transparency, fair-trade and social and environmental responsibility. With sneakers being such an integral part of modern life, the pair wanted to design ecological, everyday footwear that had a positive impact. Responsibly sourced and produced in Brazil, Veja’s minimalistic kicks are made out of bio-degradable materials in a factory that works closely with Seringueiro communities near the Amazon rainforest. Each sole is created from 19-22% naturally harvested Amazonian rubber that helps prevent deforestation, while the rest of the shoe uses organic cotton, recycled plastic and a leather substitute made out of corn waste.

Bethany Williams

Bethany Williams may have only shown for three seasons, but the London menswear designer is the second recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design, an honour that recognises community values and sustainability practices. The 2019 LVMH Prize finalist provides an alternative system for production and design practices by partnering with environmental initiatives and charities to create 100% sustainable garments. Williams also works with social enterprises for each collection, like the Spires’ Butterfly Café – a weekly run session offering a safe space for vulnerable women to socialise and develop skills in arts and crafts – which inspired Spring/Summer 2020. Her most recent collection highlighted her signature multicolour patchwork and streetwear sensibility in recycled-tent and handwoven denim ensembles.

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? The Butterfly Café ? Holas wears wears hand woven recycled tent jacket and trousers handwoven by @sanpatrignano Creative Direction – Bethany Williams  Art Direction and Print Design –@giorgiachiarion  Stylist – @realtallulahharlech Casting – @11casting  Set Design – @LydiaChan  Hair – Hair by @federicoghezzi at @SaintLukeartists using @Schwarzkopf Professional  Make Up – Makeup By @MichelleWebbmakeup on behalf of @AOFMPro using @Dermalogica  Knitwear – Karen Kewley and Alice Morell Evans  Footwear – @adidaslondon All models wearing the Adidas Originals #Supercourt  #HomeofClassics  Communication – @TheLobbyLondon  Production – Antony Waller  Music Direction – @DeanBryce, featuring the poem ‘Growth’ by ‪Janet Devlin‬  Shownotes – @FCorner Photography – @ambergracedixon

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DesignersSustainability

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Kelly Lim

Credit

Marine Serre Autumn/Winter 2019 (Header Image Courtesy of FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images)