Also at this show, my eye was drawn to a unique stand from a new brand Dearest Fannie which had a huge sign reading ‘Why can’t sustainability be fashion?” I needed to find out more, so got chatting to the delightful young sisters Ellie and Jess, who have developed the brand. The girls passionately explained how they want their brand Dearest Fannie to create change for our many environmental problems. I was intrigued by their Dipsy Cloth product, which has great branding as well as being brilliantly effective in responding to the issue of wet wipes and makeup removers wreaking absolute havoc on the environment. This is because wet wipes and makeup removers aren’t biodegradable or recyclable. As part of the UKs 25 year environmental plan, the government has pledged to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste, including single use products. Dearest Fannie want to provide us with a solution - a sustainable alternative that can be reused over and over again. The Ditsy Cloth is hypoallergenic, reusable and recyclable and you just need to add water to simply wipe your makeup away. This was the perfect product for me to travel with and I have been so impressed with it that I will be putting it on the gift list for all my friends. @dearestfannie
Keeping on the ethical theme, I have just returned from attending the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid with my fashion family, where we discovered the inspirational fashion brand EcoAlf. The sustainable fashion brand was founded in Spain in 2012, creating all their wearable products from recycled materials including plastic bottles, cotton, wool, coffee grounds and fishing nets. The brand seeks to create products that have the same or better quality, design and technical properties as other products without the environmental impact.
This brand takes sustainability to a new level and we were all impressed with the brand’s passion and commitment to the people and the planet. Founder Javier Goyeneche explained “The concept of the brand came after the birth of my son, Alfredo (the company is named after him) when I was reflecting upon the world we would leave to the next generation and my frustration with the excessive use of the world’s natural resources. ECOALF was born in 2009. The idea was to create a fashion brand that is truly sustainable. By integrating breakthrough technology we create clothing and accessories made entirely from recycled materials…without actually looking like it.”
The brand’s products and the ECOALF foundation that it has established highlight the circular economy, developing a business model to eliminate waste, keep materials and products in longer use and build regenerative natural systems.
The ethos of ECOALF is to develop the honesty of timeless design along with the transformation of ethical ideas into actions and their most ambitious project to date is Upcycling the Oceans. The brand explains this as a worldwide adventure that will help remove marine debris from the bottom of the oceans thanks to the support of local fishermen. The revolutionary project aims to be replicated all over the world and its main objective is to recover trash that is destroying the sea, and transform it into top quality yarn to produce garments. This complex and pioneering initiative has three objectives: to remove litter that damages marine ecosystems from our seas; giving a second life to recovered waste with a circular economy view, and raising awareness about the global issue that marine litter presents.
Along with the high aims the brand has a full range of great products, from super soft t-shirts made from recycled cotton; colourful puffer jackets and quilted coats made out of recycled plastic bottles and fishing nets; bags and the lightest ergonomic sneakers I have ever seen, made from recycled polyester. The label has a growing number of experiential and interactive stores that also use recycled materials to make them ecological. There is so much information about the brand that I could never cover it all in this feature, therefore it is worth a visit to their website to learn more about their products and projects www.ecoalf.com and if you are ever in Madrid I really recommend a visit to their flagship store.
I was sad to leave Madrid after five wonderful days with my fashion family, viewing the stunning designs from a host of emerging and established talents at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Madrid. I will be collecting the images and details of all the collections for my next feature and cant wait to show you some of my favorite Teresa Helbig, Pertegaz and Brain and Beast to name a few. So until then adios mis amigos.
ECOALF
Javier Goyeneche