IN A world pleading for preservation, Phoebe English rejects the concept of fast fashion in favour of utilising sustainable and ethnic techniques to showcase her AW20 collection. Titled Nothing New, the collection redefines creativity and innovation, comprised entirely of deadstock and surplus material sourced from various studios across greater London.
Resorting to “collaboration, communication and exchange” as fundamental assets for accumulating sustainable fabric, the fashion brand continually strives to search for new ways of producing regenerative clothing in a response to our environmental crisis.
Sustainable materials central to the collection include organic cotton and natural rubber elastics, while specific pattern cutting techniques are used in an effort to reduce wastage. Quilted jackets are crammed with offcuts of silk organza salvaged from SS20.
Diagonal patchworks comprised of differing fabrics and patterns highlight the diversity of personalities sourced from all over the city, while muted hues of black, brown and white combine to make up the primary colour palette.
Phoebe’s take on minimalism with an androgynous edge is a cult favourite among her broad range of customers, prompting her to amalgamate her men’s and women’s collection to avoid gendered labels, regarding her designs as nothing more than ‘clothing’.
Reviving the old into the new, in pursuit of addressing the desperate cries of our world in need of conservation and protection, while making sustainability accessible and exciting is all at the very heart of AW20.
by Cara Jenkins
Images: Regis Colin for NOWFASHION