Good stuff
People, happenings and things, locally and abroad, that we applaud.
Treading lightly Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, Wellington-based start-up YY Nation is setting out to redefine sustainable footwear. Its range uses waste and plant material in every component including bamboo, sugar cane, algae bloom and recycled ocean plastic. “The YY Nation Legacy Collection marks the beginning of our quest to design out waste,” says YY Nation founder Jeremy Bank. You can also customise your YY Nation sneakers by choosing a style, colour, upper and outsole. YY Nation also uses an eco-friendly waterbased adhesive and the shoeboxes are made with FSC-certified recycled material. Circular circulose
Levi’s has launched its most sustainable jean ever, made with organic cotton and Circulose®, a breakthrough material made from worn-out jeans. It represents more than five years of research in circular denim design and a collaboration between Levi’s® Wellthread™ (the laboratory to test and validate sustainability ideas through research and development), and re:newcell, the innovators behind Circulose®. It also marks a significant milestone in the fashion industry’s transition to circularity. Its like-for-like fibre input means the garment can itself be recycled through existing chemical recycling processes. To make Circulose®, re:newcell repurposes discarded cotton textiles, such as worn-out denim jeans, through a process akin to recycling paper.
The jeans are designed in a way that maximises recyclability so they can be regenerated into new jeans again. This means each part of the jean – such as the trims and threads – is carefully calibrated to ensure it meets recycling specifications, allowing it to have a second life when it’s worn out.
Handbag coasters
Yep, you read that correctly, though these are meant for putting glasses on rather than carrying. Deadly Ponies Recycle Coaster Set, $149, is made using 100 per cent recycled leather offcuts, and pre-loved Deadly Ponies’ bags.
Dreamy dreamwear Papinelle were part of the Good Sustainable Style Show at NZ Fashion Week 2018 so we like keeping tabs on one of our favourite sleepwear brands. In the latest news, Papinelle and Karen Walker have teamed up for a second time to create a limited-edition luxury sleepwear range to dream for, made from silk and silk-cotton blends featuring Karen Walker prints. Liam goes home sewn
Following the success of Liam’s first pattern launch over lockdown, the Auckland fashion label has introduced a full pattern collection. Liam designer Emily Miller-Sharma says she discovered a community of sewers through hosting online pattern-making and sewing classes during lockdown. “The people who joined me seemed just as interested in the minutiae of pattern-making as me and it made me fall in love with my job again.” Making things also gives so much to people, she explains. “There is a slowness in the very internal process that goes on when you make things with your hands that can be a powerful tool for wellness,” says Millar-Sharma. “It also shows us just how talented the people who make our clothes are.” Circular considerations underpin all decisions made throughout this collection’s production process. Fibre used to make the pattern paper and the card for the envelopes is waste from (or the by-product of) sawn timber production. The finished product is FSC-certified and 100 per cent recyclable, and the intention is that these patterns get used over and over again.
Liam is also providing a variety of free downloadable PDF patterns to use up extra fabric or offcuts from the making process.
A beautiful collab
AWWA have teamed up with Nisa this Christmas offering beautiful organic cotton sleepwear and undergarment sets for $75 each. Every Nisa singlet is handmade in Wellington and every set purchased means another AWWA period underwear pair is donated to Women’s Refuge.
Enlightened lingerie
New Zealand lingerie designer Chloe Julian has an impressive résumé.
Her previous roles include head designer for Agent
Provocateur, Stella
McCartney, and Rihanna herself. Now she has launched her own ground-breaking lingerie line Videris.
Julian calls it “enlightened lingerie” and has spent two years researching and designing her debut collection, which brings together comfort with thoughtful design, ethical and sustainable materials and mindfulness. Bras and knickers are made from soft TENCEL fabric free from harmful chemicals and in colours designed to enhance a feeling or mood.
The styles are also lace-free because most lace fabrics are made from plastic and there’s also a hefty amount of toxic chemicals used in the production process.
And the clincher – Videris Lingerie uses soft-cups to support a woman’s natural fluctuation during her cycle, while providing comfort and support. “I understand the challenge women face finding the right bra. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t want to use underwire,” says Julian. “Unlike traditional styles, our bras move with you and accommodate the natural changes in breast size throughout the month.”
And in celebration of body positivity, Videris has a strict no touch-up rule on all photography, and works with non-professional models to encourage a diverse and real vision of beauty.
Allbirds clothing
Allbirds has just launched its very first line of apparel, beginning with the TrinoXO Tee, $85. TrinoXO is a brand-new material formulation that combines Allbirds existing Trino blend (a mixture of tree and merino fibres), spun with chitosan – a naturally occurring fibre derived from crab shells. Chitosan fibres are derived from a waste stream, however they result in material that keeps the wearer fresher for longer – reducing the need for energy-intensive washes.