Eco-edgy Collections We Love From AW22 Runways
With the fashion week winding to a close, we’re in the mood to reflect. For autumn/winter 2022, the generation of sustainable professionals and talents stepped up to the plate!
In this issue of Greenspiration, we highlight a few key brands and shows with an eco-edge to know from. So now, enjoy our round-up of the sustainable collections we love from AW22.
#01
Ronald van der Kemp
CAN YOU FEEL IT?
©Ronald van der Kemp
Wardrobe 15: CAN YOU FEEL IT? is all about feelings! If we would just all really, really feel it… the world would be a much better place!
Ronald van der Kamp’s latest collection Can You Feel It? explores a meta averse universe full of IRL avatars. The collection was made from waste materials, vintage scraps, and materials from previous RVDK collections. Designer Ronald incorporated the real roses into the embellishments, by dipping real petals in resin, and also melted down pewter plates, found in a thrift shop, to create a bodice and jewelry pieces.
A lot of the looks were hand-painted by the designer himself. Others made through his Trashur initiative, which upcycles old textiles into felt, involved creating a wall with the fabric that was then sprayed with graffiti by a street artist before being cut up and made into a dress. Denim pieces were worked with elaborate couture techniques, imitating alligator skin on one look or in a cinched jacket with giant shoulders and a wave motif.
About RVDK
Ronald van der Kemp is among those designers who has shown the industry his imaginative possibilities, not just the ethical imperative. Since launching his namesake label in 2015, the Amsterdam-based designer has espoused an ethos of demi-couture – making fabulous, one-of-a-kind creations from leftover materials. Whether sharp ’80s tailoring, dresses worthy of divas or sexy patchwork denim and bustiers, his looks come across as high expressive and individualistic, which is why they invariably make such a strong impression on the red carpet.
#02
Bethany Williams
THE HANDS THAT HEAL US
©Bethany Williams
This is a thank you to all the hands that touch these garments.
Bethany Williams’ AW 22 collection is all about a tribute to the people who made our clothes. "Through every collection, we work with a growing network of makers, creatives, and local manufacturers," said designer Bethany Williams of the inspiration for fall.
©Bethany Williams
Williams again collaborated with the artist Melissa Kitty Jarram on the striking prints that featured throughout. Each illustration tells a story of the brand's partnership with a specific supplier.
With the introduction of sustainable dark indigo raw denim, Bethany Williams has taken a much earthier approach to the colors than usual—whilst still including bursts of bright contrasts. She also worked closely with denim specialists at ROAD Consultancy to build out the foundations using recycled and organic-based raw denim.
About Bethany
Bethany Williams is a sustainable fashion designer, humanitarian and artist. After graduating with a BA in Critical Fine Art Practice at Brighton University and receiving an MA at The London College of Fashion in Menswear, Williams launched the label in 2017 with a mission to create positive social and environmental change in the world. The designer puts social impact and manufacturing first—sharing her ways of working freely with her peers.
#03
Marine Serre
HARD DRIVE
©Marine Serre
Marine Serre gave us a glimpse behind the scenes of her design process via a show-exhibition hybrid presentation, while the collection itself looked to “re-invent the art of living on a damaged planet”, which with the pandemic, climate crisis and possible pending war, seems perfectly appropriate.
©Marine Serre
Titled Hard Drive the FW22 offering plugged into the 90s, racing through rave, grunge and club kid worlds in a collection of garments created using mostly deadstock and upcycled fabrics. Serre is clearly focused on proving there’s nothing rough-and-ready about the second life she’s giving to pieces of defunct garments or deadstock.
About Marine
Marine Serre's a French fashion designer who won the 2017 LVMH Prize. In just 5 years, Marine has established herself as one of the leading Paris designers, alongside contemporaries like Jacquemus. Significantly, she has also managed to make upcycling a profitable business. An independent brand, she employs 70 people, many of whom sort and find her deadstock items, helping to build €13.6 million in annual sales and proving that building a new supply chain based on regeneration is possible.
#04
Kevin Germanier
AW22 RUNWAY
©Kevin Germanier
For the Fall/Winter 2022 Collection, Kevin Germanier channels the bright lights, majestic aura, and hopeful nature of Paris into his collection. Neon colors blend with black and white to highlight the youthful and mature side of the city. Exaggerated textiles, such as big feathers, sequins, and multitudes of Swarovski crystals combine to create whimsical and avant garde patterns and details.
©Kevin Germanier
I want to show people that sustainable fashion isn’t just about organic linen, but it can also be a beautifully beaded dress.
A strong identity of the collection is Germanier’s passion for incorporating recycled materials into his designs. He looks to make something new out of the old, and wants to demonstrate that recycling is not a “passion killer”. By taking the discarded scraps that no one wanted, Germanier breathes new life into these materials, and creates one of a kind looks.
About Kevin
Heralded for his sustainable approach to fashion, 2018 marks the debut of Central Saint Martins graduate Kevin Germanier’s eponymous label: Germanier. The focus is on luxury upcycled fabrics with arresting details, such as discarded beads that the designer found during a work placement in Hong Kong, a prize for winning the Redress Award in 2015. Germanier garments have been worn by many international celebrities including Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Kristen Stewart, or Sunmi.
#5
Jade Cropper
AW22 RUNWAY
©Jade Cropper
My design process often starts with waste fabrics and recycled materials.
For AW22, the Swedish designer Jade Cropper sent a particularly of-the-moment collection down the runway which blended a variety of inspirations and styles, including Y2K, motorcycle chick and her signature asymmetry. The result was cool but feminine, and super-sensual – the kinds of clothes you'd happily wear off the runway and into the night. And even better, the whole lot was made solely from leftover materials.
The collection was inspired by Jade’s grandmother - who is with her in everything she does. “I’m quite an introverted person, but the clothes that I make express another version of myself, inspired by the way that my grandmother chose to live her life. She was an extraordinary individual that lived her life exactly how she wanted.” Jade wants to enhance and explore what fashion can make people feel in terms of identity and confidence.
About Jade
Stockholm-based designer Jade Cropper launched her eponymous fashion label in 2020, right after graduating from Beckman’s College of Design. Solving different sustainability problems gives her ideas for techniques and constructions, that makes the pieces versatile, multifunctional and timeless. Jade Cropper is on a mission to steer away from fast fashion and traditional ways of production and is centered around using waste fabrics, deadstock and recycled material.