Set Project: Sustainable Artists research

This post is about the artists which i will be researching for my set project which will be an inspiration towards the manufacturing of my collection. 

Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney is a British fashion designer that promotes fur-free and leather-free apparel as well as 
re-engineered cashmere, ethically sourced wool, organic cotton and recycled textiles(1).

She designs luxury clothing using sustainable materials and cruelty free mediums(2).She even collaborates with Bolt Threads which is a biotechnology company that creates eco friendly advanced materials. Together they manage to create animal free leather using mushroom technology and protein silk inspired by spider silk. Together they create the iconic 'Falabella' bag and silk dresses(3). Stella McCartney studied fashion design at Saint Martins College of Art and Design. After her collection was sold to several brands she became the creative director of 'Chloe' in which she shined for being sustainable and having amazing designs. After four years for working with 'Chloe' she launched her own fashion house promoting sexy femininity(4).

Stella McCartney ad

Stella McCartney

Eileen Fisher

Eileen Fisher is an American apparel designer that manufactures most of her clothes in China. Growing up, she found out that she enjoyed the flow of her uniform at school and then when her grades where not as good in mathematics she understood that she needed to study another area. The income of her household was low hence her mother sew some of their clothes. Due to the mindset of the past, her father refused to pay for her college bills and preferred to pay for her brothers as he would later on supposedly support the family. She was not offended and instead began making her own money by waitering. She was living in a hostel at the time in Illinois and her roommate was studying interior design. She later on became an interior and graphic designer and had to travel to Japan for her clients. The 'kimono' was a major inspiration for her along with the aesthetic of Japanese fashion. She later on set up her own business with just $350 to begin with. The motto of her company is that because she is an uncomfortable individual she likes to design comfortable clothing(5). The brand has always been fond of being sustainable but its most recent project in collaboration with other designers and creators "Waste no more" takes millions of tossed unsold clothes and recycles them to create up cycled clothes, textiles and acoustic panels(6). 

Eileen Fisher 

Eileen Fisher ad

Mara Hoffman

Mara Hoffman, knew that she wanted to be a maker from a very young age and managed to become a fashion designer due to the support of her mother. Her mother used to wear the skirts Mara used to make as a child and encourage her even if they were uncomfortable and unfashionable. Hoffman studied at Persons and then at Central Saint Martins in London even if she was born in NY. She is a creative and conscious person as she would deconstruct her clothes and remake them instead of buying new ones. Even if she graduated after her friends, this was a benefit to her as she gave her pieces for celeb stylings and later on to the stylist for 'Sex and the City'. After this her company began to grow but she realised that she did not want to contribute towards the negative effects of the fashion industry hence she had to reevaluate and find alternatives to the materials she used(7).

Mara Hoffman

Mara Hoffman NYFW

After researching these in my opinion ' revolutionary' fashion designers, i have become more motivated for the sustainability of my collection. The fact that these designers have managed to overcome so  many boundaries and come to the point that they are today is something everyone should be proud of as they have set themselves as strong examples towards change. Whether the inspiration came from their mother or their circumstances growing up these artists are really something to look up to in this growing industry.

 

(1)Cosgrave, B.(2021) Encyclopedia Britannica: Stella McCartney[online] Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Stella-McCartney> [Accessed at 7 February 2021]

(2) The Good Trade (2019)5 Sustainable Luxury Designers For Eco-Friendly Fashion [online] Available at:<https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/luxury-eco-friendly-designers>[Accessed at 7 February 2021]

(3) Bolt Threads (2017)Stella McCartney and Bolt Threads Announce a New Partnership Focused on Sustainable Fashion and Luxury Materials Development[online] Available at: <https://boltthreads.com/2017/07/20/stella-mccartney-and-bolt-threads-announce-a-new-partnership-focused-on-sustainable-fashion-and-luxury-materials-development/>[Accessed at 7 February 2021]

(4) Dudbridge, S., Stella McCartney [online] Available at:<http://www.catwalkyourself.com/fashion-biographies/stella-mccartney/> [Accessed at 7 February 2021]

(5)https://www.famousfashiondesigners.org/eileen-fisher

(6)Ackeret, A. (2019) How Fashion Brand Eileen Fisher Is Bringing Awareness to Sustainability [online] Available at:<https://robbreport.com/muse/fashion-jewelry/fashion-brand-eileen-fisher-waste-no-more-2842117/>[Accessed at 7 February 2021]

(7) Terzi, N.(2018) MARA HOFFMAN:HER JOURNEY TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE BRAND [online] Available at:<http://info.limcollege.edu/undergraduate/mara-hoffman-her-journey-toward-a-sustainable-brand>[Accessed at 7 February 2021]