AS LOCKDOWN measures begin to ease up here in the UK and we’re able to once again perform the forgotten luxury of seeing our friends, there is one commodity we all have in common: a newfound sense of community. For the past four months, we have lived the majority of our lives online creating a new digital reality. Connecting remotely has become the new normal, from quiz nights hosted on Zoom and Facetiming with the family to video-assisted workouts and over-indulging in e-commerce. This unique time has taught us the importance of human connection and of unity.
Alongside all of that, it has also given us the chance to slow down, take a breather and reflect on life as we know it and how it will be post-pandemic. Some fashion designers, as exhibited through London Fashion Week Digital, have begun to question our current fashion system taking into consideration the environmental and inventory crises that will only be exacerbated once lockdown finishes.
Celebrated London-based designer, Christopher Raeburn, has created a new initiative to challenge this motive called ‘Raefound’, asking the question “what could be more radical than making nothing at all?”
Raefound by Christopher Raeburn
Raefound is a movement created to pioneer sustainability – something the brand has acknowledged since it’s advent in 2008. Raeburn became known for his re-appropriation of military fabrics and outerwear created from de-commissioned parachutes. “We knew things were bad before COVID-19 with all the overproduction, all of this stuff we’ve been making. As an industry, we make close to 100 billion pieces of clothing every year, we overconsume and we waste too much. Raefound is all about being part of a future solution,” Raeburn explained in an Instagram Live interview with GQ editor Dylan Jones OBE.
The 35-minute long conversation tackled themes such as the effect of the coronavirus, fundamental flaws in the current fashion schedule, the new initiative and what we need to do to make real sustainable change.
Raeburn’s not-so-new collection, which dropped on Saturday, provokes the question: why is making more the answer? The 39-piece capsule curated – not designed – by the designer fits naturally into his overall design philosophy. It features original, unworn military pieces sourced from government offices in the UK and continental Europe. The only way Raeburn has intervened the garments is by adding branding and making sure they are of good quality.
Raefound by Christopher Raeburn
“Google Trends said that the amount of people searching ‘how to live a more sustainable life’ has gone up by 45 [since May], 50 per cent more, meaning there is a push and pull in the right place,” Raeburn explained, edging at hope for more honest sustainable practice once this is all over, “we need to make sure this isn’t just lip-service,” he continued.
Raeburn’s business has always followed the theme of responsible design, Jones mentioned that “ in a way, the zeitgeist has caught up [with Raeburn]” during the interview, as the designer has always championed sustainability, even at a time when little were talking about the dangers that fashion and consumption were posing to the planet.
Raefound by Christopher Raeburn
The Livestream is available to watch below and the collection is available to buy here
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CBYkm4eDced/?utm_source=ig_embed
by Molly Denton