Chichia London receives EFF Innovation Award

Chichia London.  'Made in Dar' collection
3-print tiered khanga dress

Chichia London was set up in 2007 by London based designer, Christine Mhando.  Influenced by her Tanzanian culture,  the designer re-creates the traditional East African cotton "Khanga" into quirky yet wearable styles.  Christine Mhando's aim is to create pieces that are timeless rather than driven by seasonal trends.

Stunning colour combinations, eye-catching prints and intricate embellishments play a significant part in the collections.  The result is an eclectic collection of modern dresses and separates.

My favourite is  the "Made in Dar" collection.

Chichia London.  'Made in Dar' collection
Palm print khanga tunic dress

Chichia London.  'Made in Dar' collection
Khanga print shirt dress with studded shoulder.

Chichia London.  'Made in Dar' collection.
Butterfly and maxi leaf print kitenge tunic dress

Chichia London.  'Made in Dar' collection.
Print kitenge one sleeve embellised shift dress.

Chichia London.  'Made in Dar' collection.
Yellow palm print khanga and turquoise fringe top
worn with flame animal print wrap skirt.

Chichia London recently received an EFF Innovation Award.

Waiting for Henrietta Ludgate

Henrietta Ludgate - SS2010 Collection

I've been a little quiet for the last couple of days so sorry for that. No reason in particular. But hey! London Fashion Week starts on Friday so I'll have plenty of posts to come. I'll be checking out the Estethica exhibition, New Generation Designers and Vauxhall Fashion Scout including the Prophetik show and - fingers crossed - the Ada Zanditon show.

I'm also really looking forward to seeing the AW10 collection from Henrietta Ludgate, who won the Ethical Fashion Forum's Innovation Award for her SS10 collection. Henrietta - a champion of slow fashion - designs from her studio in the remote Scottish Highlands with an ethos of preserving traditional British craftsmanship being central to her work. All fabrics are sourced from within the British Isles and all pieces produced locally to create luxurious, cutting-edge and ethically sourced pieces.

Fashion for squares - Study NY

The Square Project by Study NY.

SS10 Collection

All images by permission of Tara St James

I know of Tara St James, the New York-based fashion designer and head of creative collective Study NY, through the Ethical Fashion Network. As part of the Study NY collective, Tara has designed a collection of sustainable clothing - The Square Project - which was launched at The Green Shows during New York Fashion Week last September.

It was this SS10 collection, with it's modern aesthetic, clean lines and cool colours that first grabbed my attention. The collection consists of 14 pieces across 9 different styles and 2 separate colours. Each of the styles is made of a different number of squares of fabric. Tara's aim was to create a sustainably developed collection that can be worn in several different ways, using the most basic shape - the square.

The Study NY collective also produce jewellery, graphic design, photography, music and fine art with an aim to use recycled and organic materials as much as possible in their work. It's a positive study for fashion and design.

The Square Project SS10 collection can be viewed on www.4equalsides.com

High fashion with sustainable fabrics

I would like to thank the Ethical Fashion Forum for organising the Global Soucing Marketplace at the end of last week. It was an opportunity for buyers and designers to meet with fabric suppliers and garment producers working to supply sustainable, organic and fair trade fashion products.

The exhibition also featured One-off designs by Vivienne Westwood, Zandra Rhodes, Bora Aksu and Preen. Each designer worked with fabrics and components sourced from African manufacturers and community groups to show how sustainable fabrics can become high fashion.

Bora Aksu

Organic cotton and silk

Vivienne Westwood

Bark cloth and organic cotton

Preen

Kenyan Kilkoy fabrics

Zandra Rhodes

Bark cloth

All images by Re-Design for Life

Innovation: Lalesso

Captivated by the beautiful patterns and vibrant colours of the 'khanga' or 'lesso' the traditional attire of Kenyan women, Olivia Kennaway and Alice Heusser launched their label Lalesso in Cape Town in 2005.

Lalesso's designs are fresh, modern and commercial. Inspired by Kenyan tradition.

Image from Lalesso website

Image from Lalesso website

It was important from the beginning for Lalesso to involve a socially responsible method of manufacturing. They opened their own workshop in Diani Beach, Kenya with two seamstresses. They now have a team of thirty tailors working with them. The local community are involved as much as possible with various projects such as unemployed 'beach boys' hand-carving buttons from deccaying coconuts and local nuns making crochet by hand. Lalesso work with an aim to boost the income and livelihoods of these individuals.

With a design talent and philosophy such as this, it comes as no surprise that Lalesso recently received the Innovation award from the Ethical Fashion Forum.

I wish Lalesso and everyone in their workshop a happy and successful future.

Innovation: MIA

With it's contemporary styling and innovative mix of fabrics you would be forgiven for thinking this was the latest range from a successful fashion retailer. This collection is by MIA, a fledgling ethical fashion label, that has won the Innovation award from the Ethical Fashion Forum.

Image from MIA website

The collections are designed using a combination of second hand clothes bought from local markets in Malawi, together with traditional Malawian textiles. Mia's inspiration came from seeing people on the streets of Malawi wearing western clothes mixed with traditional textiles. The result is a range that brings together an unexpected yet modern fusion of different cultures.

The collection is produced in Malawi with the aim to bring financial independence to local tailors, second hand clothes sellers and textile partners in Malawi.

As part of the award MIA will be showing at the PURE exhibition next month.

Images from MIA website