Summer’s here and another school year has passed. We’ve rounded up five of the coolest fashion graduates who’ve been working with sustainable materials and techniques for their final collections. Johanna Hehemann and Claudia Gusella from Central Saint Martins’ BA Fashion Design Womenswear course, and Ivan Svanberg (BA Fashion/Apparel Design), Zamara Oborska Calado (BA Fashion), and Maria Dikaros (BA Fashion Design) from Ravensbourne University talk us through their designs, thoughts on sustainability, and the issues facing the fashion industry.
What is the concept behind your collection?
Once you have nature as inspiration, you can’t produce anything that would be harmful to the environment
Johanna
Johanna: The idea really came to me last year. I was stuck in my hometown in Germany, and there was no public transport back to London. So I decided to cycle by myself from my hometown back to London. I passed through so much nature and I felt so relaxed and peaceful afterwards. I felt like I really needed to put that into my final year. You know, keep a clear mind. So I wanted to base all my research outside, and because I grew up near a forest in Germany, that meant looking at childhood pictures, and how as a child you engage with nature, and then bringing that approach into garments, so primarily outdoor clothes.
Ivan: Because of the pandemic, I was forced back into my childhood home in Sweden, and I reconnected with childhood hobbies and interests when I was here. Old video games and skateboarding and stuff like that. It’s a mix between influences from the early 2000s and 90s, but also looking into the colourful world of fantasy MMORPG video games. I made a lot of prints inspired by this colourful world of games, and also inspired by drawings that I made when I was like seven years old – these drawings of weapons and monsters.
Zamara: I started looking into nomads as I was intrigued by their different ways of living compared to my own experience. From there, I realised I was more drawn to how nomads pack up their belongings and the beautiful shapes they create by doing so. I tried to translate that feeling into wearable garments.
Johanna Hehemann’s collection. Pic: Nuria Revulta
Claudia: The root concept of my collection is to overcome trauma and find healing and acceptance. I always sound too cringy when I talk briefly about my collection, but it was and is a very emotional project for me. I was very inspired by medieval symbolism and I hid a lot of secret meanings in different details of research and collection itself.
Maria: My concept surged at the heart of Tuscany when I witnessed the vineyards during the summer of 2020. From a panoramic view, they are organized in straight lines parallel to each other, but when you pass by them with a vehicle, they seem to open in front of your eyes. In my imagination, that represented the way nature opens itself to us, when we work with it and not against it.
What materials did you use? How did you research them?
Johanna: I just wandered around the forest and picked up the things that looked interesting. I started researching last year in autumn, so there were a lot of leaves. Then I started researching how to preserve leaves, and make use of them. I also found a lot of pine needles, and then when it got to Christmas, I found leylandii that someone had left outside to make wreaths. Then I found some fallen birch trees in the forest and I started peeling off the bark. It’s not bad for the tree if you take off the bark that is already falling off.
Ivan: Because I live in a really small village here in Sweden, we don’t really have fabric shops. Finding materials and finding sustainable materials was difficult, I had to sort of limit myself to what I could get online here. When I did my knitting, I ordered OEKO-TEX certified materials, because I think it’s really important that the workers have been treated right. I try to use as many natural materials in my collection as possible. So there’s a lot of organic cotton, a lot of wool, as little polyester as possible, because I think microplastic pollution is something to take seriously.
Claudia Gusella’s collection. Pic: Mariachiari Rigoni and Francesca Landi / Claudia
Zamara: During quarantine, I realised how many fabrics I had at home which were kept away in boxes. I decided I was going to use the fabrics I already had and design around them. I have used mainly muslins, cotton and cheesecloth materials that I bought and never used from my first and second year and materials given to me by previous third year students after they graduated. Also, I have done knit pieces in which the yarn is made out of 50% eco-cotton and 50% polyester (made from recycled bottles).
The eggs are just elevated food waste, the actual eggs fed my flatmates and friends for months
Claudia
Claudia: I used all sorts of materials. Mostly waste or byproducts, in various forms. In the case of eggshells, they are just elevated food waste, the actual eggs fed my flatmates and friends for months! I used beer and soda cans to build armour. I used oyster shells hand-picked in Whitstable and then printed to make ornaments for a jacket. I developed my own sequins in bioplastic made with a gelatine base (a byproduct of the meat industry) to embellish a set for my third look and all the fabrics I used are donated or were already in my possession.
Maria: The materials that I used in this collection are Swiss cotton, cashmere wool, cow leather, cotton jersey and a small amount of mesh. Most of these materials are very sustainable, for example, Swiss cotton, apart from being biodegradable, was the last four meters of dead stock fabric imported in the UK from ten years ago. I have also been working with leather for all three years of my university studies, so I’m aware that the skin used to produce it comes from animals that are raised for their meat and therefore doesn’t further stress natural resources. It is also very eco-friendly as it is long-lasting and biodegradable, contrary to vegan leather which is made from synthetic fibres and not only is extremely ephemeral but also greatly strains the natural environment.
How important was it for you to approach your designs sustainably?
Johanna: The main priority I had was to have a tranquil approach through nature. Once you have nature as inspiration, you can’t produce anything that would be harmful to the environment. I tried to find a balance between upcycling and creating new but sustainable materials. Besides that, sustainability is not just about eco-friendly design.For me, it also comes with a lot of the social aspects of it so that you can create something that is also comfortable to yourself or to other people. I tried to find a balance, so that it’s environmentally friendly, and also peaceful.
Ivan: Zero waste pattern cutting is something that I’ve been researching and practising for three years now. I discovered it when I was in my second year and my sewing teacher had this book called Zero Waste Fashion Design. When I skimmed through those pages, it was like a whole different world. On average in the industry today, in just the cutting process 15% of the fabric is wasted, that’s quite a lot of fabric. My ideal solution is to not have any waste at all from the beginning.
Maria Dikaros’ collection. Pic: Finn Waring
Zamara: Extremely important! The world depends on it! I feel responsible for taking care of the planet we live in and wanting to work in the second most polluting industry in the world! I can’t stress enough how important it is for every single designer out there to start thinking about making their creations more and more sustainable until they are 100% sustainable and 100% ethically manufactured and produced.
We reached a point where it would be delusional to think sustainability doesn’t represent the future in every sector
Maria
Claudia: At this point, I really see it as the only option. I didn’t want to make a ‘sustainable collection’ per se. I want to make a collection that is extreme, escapist, theatrical and happens to be sustainable. Sustainability should be the base designers operate on. I want to show with my collection that sustainability is not a limitation but it can be a way to show resourcefulness and to experiment with different materials.
Maria: In my opinion, it is of extreme urgency to approach fashion sustainably in a variety of ways. Specifically, through lockdown, I had a lot of time to really reflect and radically question what fashion means to the world and myself. I have come to the conclusion that probably the most important role of a fashion designer is to project into the future and showcase this vision through their creations. We have actually reached a point that it would really be delusional to believe that sustainability doesn’t represent the future in every sector, but even more so in fashion. Through my collection, the primary goal was to demonstrate that bespoke haute couture garments can easily be sustainable.
What are your plans for the future?
Johanna: The situation at the moment is a bit tricky. If I could choose my ideal workplace, it would probably be something that is a bit more in a community where you engage with people, maybe not just produce fashion, or make garments, but also for workshops, like to look at it more from the craft perspective. Not just creating something but also teaching people or engaging with people. And also something that would include being outside. I would love to continue researching those materials, maybe even from a bit more of a professional approach, like with scientists or something.
Ivan: When I graduate, I’m going to try to build my own brand. I want to work as an independent designer, and I want to make zero waste pattern cutting more known in the commercial industry as well. So I’m going to be a luxury fashion menswear designer. I’m going to make zero waste knitwear, as well as silk prints. I’ve also been working on zero waste tailoring, which is very complex because there’s really tiny and complicated patterns.
Ivan Svanberg’s collection. Pic: Markus Brysk
Zamara: I want to become a unisex fashion designer that can, at the same time, be an educator on how important sustainability is alongside ethical manufacturing and production. My future collection’s ethos will always project inclusivity in the designing process up to the stage of marketing by blurring all parameters that are set right now by typical beauty standards.
I want to make zero waste pattern cutting more known in the commercial industry
Ivan
Claudia: Whatever I do, I wish to operate in a small scale production. I never had money and I don’t care about making money, I want to create content and clothing that has meaning and keep living my escapist dream. I really wish to be part of a change in the industry, a change that is not simply focused on sustainability in materials but is concerned with the wellbeing of the people working in it. I want to be part of a fashion industry that is more inclusive and aware of the fact that it runs on privilege. Change is coming though, I am sure of it!
Maria: In the future, I aspire to become an expert pattern cutter. I always found it really inspiring to have an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the rules of pattern cutting, and consequently to be able to break these rules, to create something truly unique, inventive and original. Contrary to popular belief, I think pattern cutting is the most creative job in fashion, as it represents the pivotal point where the tectonic plates of 2D and 3D meet. My preferable design method is with draping and pattern cutting, as the variants of designs in my head translate directly into 3D and then directly in flat paper patterns or vice versa, instead of relying on traditional drawings.
What are the issues in the fashion industry that you hope will change in the future?
Johanna: I would hope that you have a bit more empathy rather than competition. We can only develop our potential when we engage with other people rather than if you just think for yourself. Then obviously, trying to find something where you don’t have to produce as much as we do right now. No matter how much we try, if we continue producing as much as we do right now, we will never reach sustainability within the industry.
Ivan: I’m really looking at the waste, because I think that’s an issue of mindset, as well as an issue of how we live and how we think about things. It’s about appreciating what you have, and I think if you can start to change that mindset that will change the industry as a whole as well. Change how people live in general. I think we need to bring more of that into the industry and into the world.
Zamara Oborska Calado’s collection. Pic: Zamara
Zamara: I really want to be a designer that normalises inclusivity within the fashion industry and hopefully my actions can transcend into other pathways. There is a long way for the perceptions that people have of ‘beauty’ or ‘perfection’ to be more open-minded, so I would want my future brand to speak up about that, as well as having all my creations and processes be sustainable and ethical.
I want to be a designer that normalises inclusivity within the fashion industry
Zamara
Claudia: I am particularly concerned about environmental impact, but also the impact of the exhausting pace of the fashion industry on mental and physical health. I am worried that not enough voices have space and that we are just doing the same thing over exactly because of that. Inclusivity can’t be just a trend to exploit to show how good you are. If you are a brand or an institution you have to follow up on the way you present yourself. The future is bright though, and I know that from the conversations I have with my classmates and friends, we are the last burnout generation!
Maria: It cannot be acceptable to use child labour in the fashion supply chain, the workers should be paid fairly, the workplace should be a safe space physically and emotionally. It really saddens me to point out that there is still a big skeleton of emotional abuse going on in the fashion industry, in my opinion, a completely pointless and outdated practice that often proves to be very damaging to employees and students alike. Furthermore, I am a proponent of a slower production pace, with higher quality, durable garments and more attention to sustainability and transparency.