SLOW CUSHION

It's time to slow doooown, so this post is out of my new office for the day - our bed. Since moving flats, preparing our new collection and rushing the little men to school and back our lives have adopted a spiralling pace.  After a month of running on adrenaline and coffee I felt the craving to experience the suspension of time and decided to take a step back to the middle.

It is easy to enjoy precious moments once you consciously allow time for them - like catching the first light of the autumn sun on a morning run in the park or watching my little (nine year old!) man helping me prepare dinner, eagerly picking up all the steps and then stirring away with a smile on his face. These are the moments when life reveals a little of its secrets... 

Feeling content by enjoying simple things is something my grandma was an expert in. Thank God she was here long enough to pass on some of her wisdom and skill to me! Fixing things was the thing back in her time and since I can never bring myself to toss precious things I've decided to follow her example by repairing some of my favourite cushions. 

Their covers started to wear thin from washing and loads of little holes and frays appeared which I really liked the look of. To make a feature out of them I lined the area with an old white tea towel from underneath (with sewing machine) and sandwiched a matt gold all over sequin patch in between the cover and the lining.  I used a simple running stitch to apply other left over fabric swatches I had, to cover some of the holes from the top. Finally I framed them by using the same embroidery technique which is very similar to the Japanese art of Sashiko stitching. 

Making these covers took some time but I so enjoyed doing the embroidery, letting go of my routine and worries to soothe my busy mind and regain a sense of sanity among my daily chaos as well as some beautiful new pieces to decorate our bed with - once I'm out :))

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 LUREX MESH MAXI SKIRT

- Jungle Fever print swimsuit, We Are Handsome

- up-cycled mesh maxi skirt

- Jungle Fever print artwork, We Are Handsome

- silver espadrilles, TOMS

Following the tropical temperatures we had in Berlin the past few weeks all I wanted to do was to cool off. We decided to try some of the nearby lakes (Groß Glienicker See & Schlachtensee) and were pleasantly surprised.  The water was amazingly clear and the kiddos absolutely loved exploring the 'wild jungle' forests ;) 

Since I like to carry as little as possible I decided to quickly upcycle myself a new maxi skirt to go with my jungle-fever swimsuit. The lush silver lurex mesh was an obvious choice of fabric since I love all things sparkly. I decided to contrast it with a waistband made from sporty cycling jersey which I had left over from the bomber jacket. The skirt has become a new favourite and creates an array of possible outfit mix-ups such as printed beach top combos for various occasions - everything from a lakeside or forest-midnight outing to just hanging with friends on a warm Summer evening.

Making the mesh maxi skirt requires a little time, some transparent sparkly mesh (or any jersey you have hanging around the house, maybe an old tube dress, etc.), some more jersey for the waistband, some elastic and a sewing machine.

I don’t even remember where I got this fabric from since people donate their preluved things to me all the time ;) 

It’s been in my to-upcycle pile for quite some time and already came as a long tube. Since the fabric is very transparent I folded excess fabric to the inside of the tube to create an under-layer and then added an elasticated waistband to the fold-over edge at the top.

1|| To prepare the skirt body you can also use a large jersey rectangle, fold in half & join at side seam.

2|| Prepare your elasticated waistband as per instructions, seal elastic at ends with overlocker and close waistband by stitching opposite ends together.

3|| Attach waistband to skirt by threading top of skirt through closed waistband - so the skirt lays inside the waistband - and stitch into place.

UPCYCLED DENIM SKIRT TUTORIAL

As promised I will show you how to make your own denim pencil from an old pair of jeans to complete your summer wardrobe. You will need a pair of old jeans, a sewing machine, tape measure, chalk, thread & pins and a craft knife for distressing - I chose a pair of stretchy denims since it gives a little more around the hip area but non-stretch jeans will be fine too.

1|| find a suitable pair of jeans (my sample is a size 8)
2|| on my sample I measured ca.27cm from top of waistband at side seam to determine cut off line
3|| mark with chalk and repeat on opposite side seam (includes 1cm seam allowance)
4|| cut off denim legs in straight (this is important) line and prepare bottom half
5|| prepare top half of skirt
6|| join top & bottom halves of skirt by pinning in place first before you sew them together
7|| add distress by scratching & slicing denim in desired places, finish off with a wash and fray extra if you wish!

Please let me know how you get on & show me a snapshot of your version on instagram :))

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 ;)