NATURAL VISION

- Cushions, Von ERIKA 

- Graphics, Loved & Found

The recent editorial of Loved & Found magazine which was inside my delicious goodie bag from last Friday's Press Speed Dating event at LNFA, quoted the theory of positive uncertainty by American philosopher H.B. Gelatt and explored its incredible relevance in rapidly moving times like ours where changing our minds will be the most important change in the future, and the hardest.

I'm the worst when it comes to making decisions so the approach to think uncertainty is necessary to come to a balanced conclusion about your future is very comforting! It takes off all the pressure and provides the flexibility to adapt to changes about your decisions as the results develop.  So instead of worrying about the outcome it gives you room to focus on your future plans and to follow your vision!

Doing exactly that is newcomer homewear label von ERIKA, the joint venture of artist Tanja Deschner & photographer Christina Eckert who share a fondness for nature and the affinity to capture the beauty and calmness of local forests & wildlife in either pencil or through the lens.
The fusion of their styles is like a breath of green air for your home with cushions and other home fashion items featuring stunning oversized live drawings of wild animals & digital prints of their natural habitats.  When I met Tanja at the LNFA event she was excited to tell me that she studied animals since she was a teenager and can draw them from memory! The label's attention to detail carries through everything they do including the use of GOTS certified materials and organic print colours.
Von ERIKA's pieces are created to comfort and to last and are pieces of art in themselves. I am most certain that is a future plan worth embracing!

NEUES IM OKTOBER

- Fisherman Knit Jumper, Antiform 

- Mini Wool Skirt, ROHstoff
- Gold Bangles, Vintage

- background 'Neues im Oktober, Paul Klee
photo Renata, edit Annett

October represents the month when leaves are falling and temperatures are dropping.  It used to be that my mood dropped right with it and I felt drained of energy and enthusiasm... My outlook on the chillier months completely changed when I came across a painting with a beautiful meaning by modernist painter & Bauhaus teacher Paul Klee called ‘Neues im Oktober’(Fresh Beginnings in October)

Its message is very motivating: Old things starting to fall off to make way for a new beginning. Turning falling leaves into a symbol of hope and new perspective puts a super positive spin on the coming months!!  So let’s embrace the colder season and pack away floaty dresses & flip flops to shine some warm light on crisp tailoring and chunky knits!

For Autumn I like to pick transitional pieces that work well across the season like tailored skirts and shirts. They can be worn as layers even when it gets really cold.  I mix them with wooly knits like this gorgeous hand-knitted jumper from the new Antiform collection made with reclaimed yarns.

Antiform is a unique fashion label with a completely new business model that pushes the boundaries of how to design and produce fashion, working exclusively with waste fabrics sourced from heritage fabric mills & factories in the UK!  

For their new fisherman knit jumpers & dresses, Antiform collaborated with Krenow Knitwear who knit sweaters for the fishing community in Devon and Cornwall. When the owner David decided to retire he approached the Upcycle Label to develop knitwear with all his remaining yarns.
The Antiform knitwear pieces come in different shades but I love this tan colour with a hint of soft tangerine as it adds a new shade to the usual black and grey.  Made me want to get out my vintage bangles and feel all golden & glorious!

A SEASON FOR CHANGE

- boxy jumper, Antiform

- necklace,  vintage

image, Renata, edit Annett

This week has been very exciting.  Not only did I move house but we also moved into a new studio!!
Atelier Kreuzberg is an eclectic mix of artists, designers & software innovators for the creative industries.  With so many productive juices flowing this makes for a great start of my new venture which will soon be revealed right here!
To top it all off I've received a parcel from upcycle label Antiform with two gorgeous jumpers - just in time for the cold season and for my first autumn style post!!  Watch this space :-)

PUZZLE PIECES

I have been tied up with some extremely exciting projects in the last couple of weeks as you might have guessed from my lack of blogging ;)

At the beginning of the month I went to the MUNICH FABRIC START fair.  It was great to see a massive development in the field of sustainable textiles. My favourite discovery were some super soft denim qualities made from Tencel. I would definitely love a pair of jeans made from that!! You can read all about it and more in my report on the brand new sourcebook blog. 

For the rest of the fashion week month of September I have been preparing an upcycling caps collection which will be showcased on HUMANA day this Thursday here in Berlin.  Using pre-used bed linen, table cloths & upcycled clothes from the Humana vintage store I put together some simple blouses & geometric tops featuring scattered silk left overs and bits of lace.

Also included in the new collection is a deconstructed sweat shirt. In the process of making the pattern I found a great way to revive pre-used jogging pants as their trouser legs make excellent sleeves. For the front panel I jigsawed different pieces of lurex silk mixing silver and copper, hmm!!

So here comes a sneak peak of the new ROHstoff cropped sweat top. The sweater will also be showcased in Thursday's installation and can be pre-ordered from now. Just drop me a line via email or in the comment box together with your email address.

HUMANA People Day: 24th September 2015, from 2pm, Frankfurter Tor 3 | Berlin 10243. 

TRANSPARENT CLUTCH TUTORIAL

Summer holidays are a perfect time for creating some easy DIY accessories. The transparent clutch completes an easy summer outfit and is perfect to protect your essentials from splashes & sandy beaches.
In past season designers like Maison Martin Margiela have taken on the minimal cool of bubble wrap to define a futuristic look. To mix things up, you can experiment with various packaging materials or giant bubble wrap!
This simple tutorial only requires a sewing machine or heat sealer as well as:

// one large sheet of bubble wrap
// two press buttons (metal colour of your choice)

I up-cycled a bubble wrap bag from old delivery packaging with the sides already heat-sealed. But you can just fold up a single sheet of bubble wrap and sew up the sides with dtm or contrast cotton (left sides together).
Decide on size and style. My bag is a clean rectangle (40cm x 30cm) double folded (in this case 80cm x 30cm). Sew up sides and apply press buttons according to instructions (please see sketch for positioning). Fold over - close - done!

SUSTAINABLE SUMMER OUTFIT

- easy fit kimono top from re-used pillow cases, ROHstoff

- up-cycled denim pencil skirt

- up-cycled transparent clutch

- silver espadrilles, TOMS

.

Just in time for my holidays I fixed myself my first entirely sustainable outfit which ticks a whole spectrum of ethical fashion boxes ;)
The easy fit kimono top is one of my favourite shapes and an essential piece in my wardrobe because it looks great paired with all sorts of bottoms such as pencils, maxi skirts or jeans. Its light weight cotton quality from reclaimed pillow cases makes it perfect for summer.
I've always wanted a denim pencil skirt because they are so easy to wear - I up-cycled an old pair of stretch denim jeans and added some wear & tear for a distressed finish.  This is moderately easy to make yourself and I will explain more in one of the upcoming tutorials!!
The transparent clutch is nothing more than two sheets of bubble wrap with two brass press buttons attached to it. I love the sheer look and it's pretty convenient for protecting your mobile, sunnies & lippy at the beach!
I absolutely adore my new silver mesh espadrilles - they put a completely new spin on many of my existing outfits. Now I can easily re-mix a new holiday look without having to buy heaps of new clothes! On top of that they feel extremely comfortable and make for a conscious buy with their One for One^® business model that will match every pair of shoes purchased with a new pair of shoes for a child in need :))

COUNT DOWN TO ZERO

Supposedly around 15% of textiles end up on the cutting room floors whilst making a garment. So that means that a considerable amount of the gorgeous fabrics that I pick as a designer will go to waste.  Seems such a shame especially when you consider all the natural resources, creative design-work and human labour that have been invested in making these cloths.
The ROHstoff-concept tries to address this issue by upcycling new fabric left overs into new garments like our gorgeous upcycled bomber jacket.

But there are more and very creative approaches to deal with the so called pre-consumer textile waste: emerging designers like Natascha von Hirschhausen & Elke Fiebig have started to adopt a zero-waste design technique which ultimately reduces textile waste at the design-stage!
Their work is the result of an exchange program between fashion design alumnis from Bangladesh and Berlin which they participated in.
Aiming for sustainability-focused production methods like zero-waste draping and left-overs sourcing from the industry the designers collections combine eastern aesthetics and loose-fitting silhouettes with classic western tailoring.

Some of the Bangladeshi contributors of the program like Iftekhar Rahman decided to work on post-consumer waste concerns and wove memories and dreams of second-hand saris into a new Kantha-material by applying an old traditional quilting method.
From these upcycled fabrics he made a collection of oversized coats & jackets that can be worn on both sides and aim to reduce the need to consume (genius ;)

The work of all twelve participating designers is presented at the exhibition LOCAL - INTERNATIONAL  (sadly ending today!!) - it's an absolute must-see that features great innovation & consideration for the future of fashion!

You can find out more from the designtransfer platform of the Berlin University of Arts and the designtransfer Facebook page.

I WOOD LIKE THESE!

The Fashion Week hype is heightening with all eyes on Berlin for this week and I decided to follow an invitation by startup concept-store LNFA to start off in style with a blogwalk party.  Following recent events and especially a great conference in Hamburg at designxport I've been finding out a great deal about new sustainable materials in the product design scene from one of my fellow speakers - Dr. Sascha Peters.
So I was extremely excited to see that there are similar efforts being made by emerging fashion brands when I ran into a maze of wooden sunglasses hanging from the massive concrete ceiling at the Bikini Berlin based space.
Made by Kerbholz, a young accessory brand from Germany the glasses (and watches) are mainly constructed from wood, come in all the right shapes & look incredibly sharp.  I was absolutely taken by Leopold, made from ebony & cellulose acetate!!
But what I loved most about them was that the designers put in considerable amounts of effort into developing a product which ends up in the earth rather than on top of it.
For me, as a designer that has become imperative - and I am absolutely certain that biodegradable & sustainable innovation packaged with compelling aesthetics will be the longest lasting trend, not just for this season ;)

FIXING FASHION

War on Want is a UK based charity that fights poverty in developing countries together with grassroots organisations and people affected by globalisation.  Especially since the Rana Plaza factory collapse the fashion world woke up to the ugly truth of globalisation, I remember I did! Instead of fostering growth through innovation and passing on knowledge to the people & communities in the countries that are manufacturing our cheap clothing, globalisation shifted the power to huge transnational companies who started operating free of any social, economic or environmental concern.

Fast fashion is one big problem of our commercial clothing industry. It exists because of the huge consumer demand for incredibly low priced fashion, which creates a vicious cycle where one feeds the other...  I decided I no longer want to be part of it because at the end of the day we as consumers have the power to choose (wisely;)

To reduce my fashion consumption I set myself a wardrobe challenge to not buy any new clothes and instead either swap, buy vintage or refurbish!  I have to be honest, I do fancy something new to wear every so often and it is only natural that you go off certain shapes after a while!
This summer I started to scan my wardrobe for things that I still like but which I am not wearing for one reason or another.  First thing I chose was this leopard-print top.  I absolutely love animal prints but found the shape slightly unflattering.  To introduce a little fabric interest and translate it into a more drapey silhouette I inserted some metallic black jesrey left overs and fixed my need for new ;)

STEP BY STEP

If you have similar tops or tees you want to fix-up for a new summer look you can follow the step by step upcycle-tutorial.

KNOT-ED

Friday afternoon upcycling sessions have become a little treat since I rarely find the time - they are incredibly fun and a fab way to get fresh inspiration! 

This time I was in the great company of stylist & sustainable fashion expert Renata Hori.  Renata has recently launched her social accessory label KNOT featuring bags & jewellery made from golden grass that will showcase in next months upcycling show celebrating the 50th anniversary of Waste Management Association AWISTA.

ROHstoff & KNOT collaborated on a small series of dresses upcycled from pre-used mens shirts to underpin the bags on the catwalk.  

The brief was to create garments which would mirror the conceptual and geometric aesthetic of the bags using consciously considered materials.  It was an intense process to deconstruct, re-shape and re-assemble the shirts but absolutely exciting to polish a new look by giving these old garms a new lift!  The impromptu photo shoot afterwards left us with plenty of material to feed our instagram from which we already received amazing feedback and one order!!  

The fashion show wertSTOFF zündSTOFF – eco fashion, recycling & upcycling in cooporation with Zimt Casting will take place on 19th June 2015 at 7pm at Wertstoffhof, Petersbrunnerstr. 3b, 82319 Starnberg.

FEATHERED CHIC

Feathers seem to be an obvious choice given the season - so I thought it the perfect time to introduce the new feather-printed PreSpoked Bomber Jacket which we made entirely from silk left overs and preloved cycling jerseys.  This is the first prototype and we're so proud of how it turned out!!  Soon the jacket will be available to order, so stay tuned and Happy Easter everyone:))

FISHERMAN'S FRIEND

1 Knitted Swatch Studio Jux
2 AutumnWinter15.16 Esther Perbandt, photo Posh

3 Homeland Collection Inspiration & Knitted Outfit Doppelganger

3 Fisherman Hat MeinFrollein

4 AutumnWinter 15.16 Rebekka Ruétz, photo Posh
edited by me

Causing a storm this Berlin Fashion Week was a strong sentiment for fine quality knitwear influenced by traditional garment detailing of hard working fishermen translated into big flowing silhouettes on skirts & coats and paired with modern, constructed patterns.

The designer of Icelandic newcomer label Doppelganger took inspiration from 17th century heritage fishermen textiles and re-worked traditional patterns into symmetrical composed knits. Delicate leggings and second-skin-like tops made from sustainable wool and mulberry silk blended yarns delivered a compelling aesthetic of balance and wellbeing, leaving you with nothing but a clear conscience.

Transparency on and off the catwalk was a popular source of inspiration at Esther Perbandt.  The designer made waves earlier last year when she went on a trip to research local textile production conditions in Bangladesh.  Her new Autumn Winter collection featured lovely light woven knits with a sheer quality to it reminding me of the structure of fishing nets.  They made for a bold statement when placed against the clean cut woollen coats featured on the catwalk, promoting a confident and modern look with a soft feminine angle.

Comfort and purity were buzzwords at knitted accessories brand MeinFrollein.  Absolute highlight were the soft merino fishermen beanies which can be worn #InsideOut without revealing any conflicting labels.  The production is fair and Germany based - there's nothing fishy about that ;)

TREND | Jean-ious

1 recycle rug indigo

2 denim jacket

3 camper seat

4 tie dye jeans

Berlin Fashion Week was hosting some great trade fairs last week where I discovered two labels producing stunning and at the same time absolutely consciously made Jeans.  

Wunderwerk from Germany impressed with a authentic denim range tapping into one of the big trends this season with their bold tie-dye finishes.  Their jeans are designed and produced with a minimal environmental impact in mind.

Nudie Jeans from Sweden showcased an eclectic and well developed range of crafted high quality denim pieces.  The brand provides an in-depth production guide for each garment they sell on their web site.  That way the customer can trace back their jeans and find exact information of where, how and by whom it's been made.  The concept of breaking-in, repairing, re-using and recycling jeans is explained in great detail on their homepage and very popular with their regulars who can redeem old jeans for a discount on a new pair.  The gorgeous denim rug and camper chairs are just a few upcycled products that have made a come-back out of the factory lab onto the shop floor.

Highlight of the presented collection were the customized and printed denim jackets with a reminiscent feel of retro to it - totally in tune with my current denim obsession :))

HAPPY | New Jeans

My new year started on a fast beat collaborating on creating a catwalk look for ecological denim label sey - fashion.  The assignment was to create tops to complement the new Autumn Winter collection of organic jeans.  Tuning in with the seasons denim revival I wanted to go for a head-to-toe denim look upcycling the label's jeans styles that had been classed as damaged or factory seconds.

This was an extremely exciting project to get involved with, even more so since I've recently been thinking of solutions to re-use all the preluvd denim trousers that I have packed away in storage!  Denim is an excellent material to work with and creates beautiful and bold silhouettes - but can still be draped and generate a lot of movement.

I decided on a tunic shape drawing inspiration from the clean lines of Bauhaus architecture.  I also attempted a denim cap for the first time ever and loved re-assembling the trouser leg seams for a deconstructed but neat look.  The most exciting thing about working with organic denim is knowing that it all has been manufactured with minimal water waste and low energy consumption.  It was definitely worth it and felt really rewarding giving those jeans a new live...

The finished outfit will be shown at next week's Salonshow featured by Greenshowroom Berlin. Whoop:))  Good times!

NEWCOMER | Black Rat

I love watching graduate fashion shows, for one it triggers beautiful nostalgia for an awesome time of my life but also captures the free spirit of generation NOW!  This year's ESMOD's international catwalk was no different. Held in Berlin, it brought together international talent from ESMOD design schools around the world.  

Things got really exciting when Oslo label Black Rat rocked the catwalk sharing its avant garde vision of street style with the crowd.  The collection explored the universe of booming Nordic concept band Deathcrush, ticking all the right boxes on skilled design craft and ethical choice of fabrics.  Designer Siri Sveen Haarland made it her signature to support & promote newcomer musicians from the Norwegian underground - in this case through prominent placement prints on oversized Tees and patched on leggings.  The clever cut & immediate fabric appeal of the closing bomber jacket was a great round up of the apparent: rat is the new black ;)

photography: Posh Photography

BLOUSE | Nostalgia

I sometimes can't help feeling a hint of emotional attachment when I upcycle clothes - especially if they used to belong to a loved one...When my nan passed away last spring I've inherited half her wardrobe.  Since then I've been thinking of ideas to give her clothes a second life and keep her memory close to me.   When I was in desperate need for a blouse in preparation for my latest summer holiday I had an idea:

I chose my nan's soft mint pastel granny top, the kind that come in never-creasing polyester with quite horrid iron-on plastic jewel designs (sorry:).  I picked it because I loved its level of colour for the summer & the fact that it was quite shapeless as I wanted the blouse to be a little oversized/ square around the shoulders.

I planned on taking mostly plain bottoms on my trip so I decided to add a little print interest to the blouse by replacing the centre panel with a gorgeous patterned strip of silk which came from fabric off cuts.  Here's how to:

one mark CF & central panel on front, width to be ca. 10 cm minus 1cm seam allowance either side
two unpick neckline of marked area, cut away central panel along line marked by inside pin
three measure length needed for contrast panel, add hem allowance, pin hem contrast panel
four pin & sew contrast centre panel to body
five close neck line
six shorten sleeves or tuck shoulders if needed

HI ON LIFE

I find it incredibly exciting to discover modern & unconventional clothes that have been produced consciously at the same time.
So naturally I was thrilled when I met with Arvid in his creative concept store HI ON LIFE bucking the fast fashion trend.  Key to Malmö's eco-scene the shop is perched above the crowd of local supermarkets, framing the entrance of alternative mini-mall Mitt Möllan.

Inside I was keen to see the shop's first own line, a joint effort with local fashion designer Olivia Thomasdotter.  With organic mesh crop tops, super-snug ankle pencil skirts & exaggerated coats made from upcycled door matts the exclusive mini- collection explores a modern world for style minded individuals with the courage to create change.

It was fantastic chatting to Arvid whilst trying on the entire shop - personal fav: the stunning oversized, black factory coat made from sustainable cotton.  Together with his partner Malin the duo's aim is to promote the things they love most - mixing fashion, art and style with a sustainable approach.

With a great focus on creativity HI ON LIFE stocks a new generation of eco-conscious labels: playful print designs by A QUESTION OF hang casually next to bright & bold Tees by London's LAZY OAF setting a nice contrast to obsessive minimalist Kiwi brand kowtow.  And as for the lush trainers, they give key to it all. Made in Brazil, from organic fair trade cotton and veggie tanned leather Veja footwear proposes cultural change by employing socially excluded people.
Trust me, when in Malmö you deffo want to step inside this store.

ELSIEN GRINGHUIS | ELEMENTARY ELEGANCE

Back to basics has always been key at the house of Elsien Gringhuis - the young designer from Arnhem / Holland is known for her simple elegance and blending clean cuts with strong appeal by playing with unusual print techniques, silhouette and fabric interest.

Her new collection for Spring / Summer 2015 influenced by reigning principles of function and form which showcased at GreenShowroom's lush venue Hotel Adlon was no different.  Under the visionary title Elementary Elegance she takes fundamental pattern cutting to another level where garments adapt geometric shapes of circles and squares, erasing side seams on the way. The results are stunning, sculpture-like, coat dresses and angular tops made in fluidly silks with a strong & continuous focus on innovative print.  Long time collaborator and resourceful print designer Aliki van der Kruijs presented her method using ink sourced from printer waste, applying strong detail to sleeve and hem details.

Focusing on the timeless good looks of modern separates which can be layered up suiting changing climate conditions and combined with existing wardrobe pieces, the label clearly distances itself from the antiquated four-seasons-in-fashion model and puts emphasis on aesthetics, quality & practicality rather than trend.  Promoting a transparent production line, minimum waste & the use of organic fibers at the same time, Elsien Gringhuis gives us a strong outlook of hope how fashion can be consumed in future.

photos top & bottom:
photography: Sabrina Bongiovanni,  hair & make up: Charlotte Niketic @ House of Orange,  model: Anastassia @ Paparazzi Model Management,  prints: Aliki van der Kruijs

ETHICAL FASHION SHOW BERLIN 2014

It's the time of the year again!! This being my 4th season of Ethical Fashion Show at E-Werk Berlin I was absolutely thrilled to be back - seeing many familiar faces as well as meeting new ones.  First thing though I rushed to see the Safia Minney talk at the venue's spacy control room! After that I just had enough time to browse through the two massive exhibition halls of the fair until the upcycling fashion roadmap guided tour started at UFS.
The two labels that stood out for me this season were Lisa D's eco line and Päälä.  The latter proving to be a great alternative to your ordinary high street brand using only water based inks and 100% sustainable materials like organic cottons & Tencel for their graphic printed Tees & sweaters which were looking amazing and extremely soft. For Summer 2015 Annelot & Harm, the duo behind Päälä, extended their Tshirt-Only collection by introducing a few accessories like beach towels and printed totes.  Just like their Tshirts each product is screen printed by hand in their Amsterdam based studio.
The fab denim shift dresses at Lisa D mark the launch of her eco line for S/S2015 and are upcycled from old jeans and trousers decorated with vintage trims. You can even bring your own worn out pair to the Berlin based studio to give it a new second life!

Päälä is available at Flagshipstore, Oderbergerstrasse, 10435. Berlin from coming February

SAFIA MINNEY'S AGENDA

Safia Minney is an inspiration for anyone who loves clothes but is not prepared to support the fast fashion industry with their hard earned cash for the sake of low quality garments produced in sweat shops and under exhausting working conditions.

Last week the founder & CEO of Fair Trade and award winning fashion label People Tree followed an invitation by Ethical Fashion Week to Berlin's E-Werk. After taking a lift up two floors visitors arrived at the former control room of the venue that looked like one huge dash board with levers and buttons in various shapes & sizes setting the mood for sharing her remarkable story.  We were ready to be switched on to a new chapter in fashion industry.

She told us that when starting her career in advertising she soon realized that her work was to motivate people to buy stuff they really didn't need or want. With a clear understanding of future challenges like constrained resources, climate change, etc and a strong sense for social issues she took matters into her own hands and started her brand People Tree. 

By employing local farmers & artisans in developing countries the company helps to give back to some of the poorest people in the world whilst at the same time protect the environment by using organic as well as natural materials and craft skills.  

So not only does People Tree invite you to consume fashion consciously it also offers you a great choice to buy gorgeous clothes with a strong high street appeal and a sustainable production line. Double Yay! I'd say ❤