Fashion Revolution’s mentoring and showcasing initiative Fashion Open Studio supports designers, textile artists, and small fashion brands who are creating innovative solutions to social and environmental problems in the fashion industry. Last month we hosted a Showcase With a Difference. This was an exhibition that featured 10 designers who were focused on purpose and product. This showcase provided insight into how the clothes featured in the show were made and helped us understand why these designers are refusing to conform to the industry’s poor practices. It was intended to change how we think about clothes and the purpose and processes behind them. A series of workshops and events brought the installation to life. They demonstrated how clothes can be made locally, foster community, encourage well-being, and promote positivity, as well as how equitable business models that value people and the environment were possible.
Revival London
“My goal is to promote more sustainable, conscious, and circular ways of creating and using fashion so that people can still enjoy clothes and accessories while not causing harm to the environment.” It was intended to change how we think about clothes and the purpose and processes behind them. A series of workshops and events brought the installation to life. They demonstrated how clothes can be made locally, foster community, encourage well-being, and promote positivity, as well as how equitable business models that value people and the environment were possible.
Ancilla
“My goal is to use Ancilla as a creative platform that showcases fashion and other Latinx creatives in London. Encourage community and inclusion by encouraging collaboration across disciplines. This showcase provided insight into how the clothes featured in the show were made and helped us understand why these designers are refusing to conform to the industry’s poor practices. It was intended to change how we think about clothes and the purpose and processes behind them. A series of workshops and events brought the installation to life. They demonstrated how clothes can be made locally, foster community, encourage well-being, and promote positivity, as well as how equitable business models that value people and the environment were possible.
LUEDER
“The brand’s focus on mental health is evident in its design language. It aims to support and nurture the need to address the high rate of mental disorders in their generation, and to support the desire to belong and feel secure. Marie is a skilled tailor, and sustainability is deeply ingrained into her heritage of making. This trust is supported by transparent processes and applications. Lueder works in ritualistic ways to connect with nature and work with energy healers, other holistic professionals, and others.
Joao Maraschino
“From the beginning, my vision was to invent through artisanship and preserve skills. Fashion is about more than creating the next thing. It is about creating new systems to ensure real sustainable innovation. I believe fashion should be people-centred, sustainable, and inclusive. I want to integrate diversity through my work with older people and foster new relationships between local communities as well as the global industry.
Rahman Rahman
The latest collection by Rahemur Rahman is a love story for children in the rag trade. It is inspired by the many generations of Bangladeshis living in East London and pays tribute to those who have gone before him. The British colloquial term “rag trade” refers to the clothing manufacturing companies run by immigrant workers that once dominated Brick Lane. The area has become a cartoon since the early 2000s. Often regarded as a centre of creativity, art, and fashion, it is often forgotten by its communities.
Soup Archive
“To consider the circularity of every product. We will continue to work on a product that isn’t being sold if it remains in our archives. Making habits grow and making room for our tendencies. To give purpose to unused items, we collect them. We understand that people’s tastes change naturally. When an item is removed, we give new life to it. Designing as a trio, but still living separately, is a departure from the traditional fashion brand concept. To be inspired and to inspire like-minded thinkers. To value collaborations.
Renata Brenda
“My focus is on artisanal methods, which require an appreciation for materials and where they came from. This is the case with the vintage napkins and the crochet for this garment. This also allows me to connect with other craft experts, which helps us build a stronger community. As we are constantly surrounded by waste, upcycling is a natural part of my work. I am committed to giving them another chance at the material. This includes looking at second-hand/vintage clothing, deadstock, and innovation through new technologies in recycled materials.
The NHS of Dr Noki
“By the attendee pulling up the jumper, I want them to record themselves answering the questions. This will allow the skull jumper to talk on their behalf and they can leave with a narrative to re-experience the Noki Sustainable Experience. We understand that people’s tastes change naturally. When an item is removed, we give new life to it. Designing as a trio, but still living separately, is a departure from the traditional fashion brand concept. To be inspired and to inspire like-minded thinkers. To value collaborations.
Ifeanyi Okwuadi
“I hope this garment will show the importance of design thinking, material, and construction to help me find ways to design more critically than superficially.” I am committed to giving them another chance at the material. This includes looking at second-hand/vintage clothing, deadstock, and innovation through new technologies in recycled materials.
Martina Spetlova
“Each decision that we make is a sign of our commitment to transparency in our practices, creating open and accessible information about every product and its journey. Showcase With A Difference took place at The Lab E20, a unique creative space in East London, and was supported by Get Living, Future City, and the Mayor of London. It was art directed by award-winning designer Matthew Needham, who specializes in combining materials, experience, and community to create works that are both educational and conscious, inspiring a symbiotic approach towards living our lives in parallel with the planet.
