Good stuff

People, happenings and things, locally and abroad, that we applaud.

Saving silk

Meet Monique Jansen, the designer behind fashion brand MONNI, which you can find at her store Tea & Tonic in Matakana Village. It’s a beautiful collection of classic keepsakes cut from silk, and French seamed.

For the moment Jansen is using the last 10 to 50 metres of silk left over from other designers (to cut down on waste), and recycled kimonos.

MONNI garments are made in New Zealand and locally dyed using eco-dyes so that Jansen knows exactly what has gone into her garments and that she is not harming any waterways. She is also working with a local jeweller who melts down sterling silver to make the rings and slides for her pieces.

Silk worms won’t be harmed in the future production of MONNI garments. Jansen’s vision for the future is to use vegan silk, also known as peace silk, for her designs.

Also an artist, Jansen plans to paint her garments after they’ve been dyed and constructed. “So you end up with a vegan museum-quality silk garment that is naturally dyed, and that then becomes an art piece,” Jansen says. “And the thing about it being naturally dyed... because you absorb things through your skin, it’s like taking a homeopathic remedy because of its natural medicinal properties. So as well as it being your clothing it also becomes your medicine. I don’t know if you can get a more pure garment than that.”

Tea & Tonic, which she co-owns with Aysha Robertson, also sells candles, health supplements, skincare and tea.