Orsola Designs
Fresh from London Fashion Week, ethical fashion designer, Orsola De Castro took some time out to talk with us about Estethica, her fashion label and winning twice at the RE:Fashion Awards.
How was London Fashion Week?
It was very exciting! It was more exciting for Estethica on a whole rather than us as individuals, but LFW is always like that for me. As the curator of Estethica I am always just so busy!
How was Estethica received by LFW?
It was massive this season and the most successful that we’ve ever seen. We were the opening act for LFW, which was a really important event for sustainable fashion. We had the best quality of buyers and press we’ve ever seen. It really was a coming of age for Estethica!
Did you manage to take a peek at any of the others shows at LFW?
I took some time out to look at a couple, but not as much as I would have hoped! [Any designers you liked?] I was quite interested by one of the new generation designers who did a kind of homage to Pucci with her prints and jewellery. That was a very good show and Christopher Kane was fantastic too.
So going back to the beginning, how did you become interested in ethical fashion?
For me personally as a fashion designer it wasn’t an ethical need as it was a creative need. We started off customizing until we realized how much waste was being dumped during a collaboration with Jigsaw in 1999. Suddenly I realized it wasn’t just about the quality of stuff I could get by shifting through the rubbish, but the fact that there was so much of it! At that point it became an environmental need not just a creative one.
But what was it that inspired you to become a designer in the first place?
Now that I have absolutely no idea about! It was completely by accident. I can’t say how it just some how happened along the way. I trained as a print maker and I used to print on fabrics so I guess the love of textiles then brought me to this.
So, you also co-create the clothing label From Somewhere, how would you describe the style of it?
I would say it’s classic, eclectic and more wearable than it looks! I mean it very bad hanger appeal, but very good body appeal. Its aim is to make recycling easy and understood.
Where would like to see Estethica in five years time?
All over the world! [That’s fantastic!] Yes!
I was lucky to attend the first RE:Fashion Awards, for ethical fashion last November, were you won two awards. How was that?
It was a fantastic event on an emotional level for me, because I really felt like I was being thanked by my peers for the work I have done in recycling and with Estethica. But I also felt the awards strengthened all of the negative views on ethical fashion. The budget had been cut during the production stage and the catwalk really wasn’t up to scratch. Unfortunately the awards did a lot of good and some bad.
It was the first awards to take place, so do you think by next year it may be refined more to what you would expect from the event?
I was speaking to some people involved and they aren’t even sure whether another RE:Fashion will take place this year. Really for me Estethica is what I want ethical fashion to be identified with and how I want it to be shown.
So, as a designer is there a particular item of clothing you have or own that you really love?
Well it’s funny because I never used to wear clothes From Somewhere when I first started. But now I wear it all the time so I think I’m getting better! I reckon my coats are the things I like the most. At the moment we are also doing these zip-less dresses, which are very tight but without a zip in sight using elastic and jersey panels. That would be something I’m very into at the moment.
You have also inspired so many people to start customizing their old clothes and refresh something they haven’t worn in a while. How does it feel to inspire so many people?
It has been an amazing journey so far and I am really proud to be where I am. But most of all I am so proud to see people realizing that we can’t buy the way we have been buying. If that means that they can look at someone like me for inspiration then that’s great. You know swapping, changing, cutting clothes and customizing is something we should all be looking at more regularly to change this industry from within.
The garments made for the From Somewhere label are made from off-cuts found on the floor of fabric factories. How did you come up with the idea to use off-cuts?
Basically I was approached by a company in Italy who asked me if I wanted to take some of their damaged garments to customize. I arrived at this factory and realized the stuff I really wanted was actually on the floor and it was off-cuts. I found I was able to patch the off-cuts together and I could have more reproducibility than just one-off garments. After this From Somewhere was born.
As a top ethical designer what would be your tips to someone looking to go greener with their fashion but doesn’t know were to start?
Well, the customizing route is the easiest to go down, with second-hand, off-cuts and scraps being quite cheap. My advice is always to start going somewhere were there is some kind of production with local manufacturers, and start approaching them about end of runs, off-cuts and damaged items. Fabric shops are great for this too, just see what you can find locally to customize.
Finally, do you have any big events for 2009 coming up?
We have another Estethica planned for September and the way it has been going we will probably have to start on that tomorrow! So that’s it really.
Well thank you very much for taking the time out to talking me and good luck for September!
Thank you! Bye.
Stacey Malvern