Berrie
We've been bringing you all things Eco for the past few weeks now, including emerging design talent. We caught up with 'Make your Mark in Fashion' winner, Mia a few weeks ago and this week we chat to fashion designers, Berrie.
Berrie, who were designing for Enamore beat off stiff competition to make it to the final three, and their collection was well received by all during the final, which took place during London Fashion Week.
We caught up with one of Berrie's designers, Deborah to talk about Berrie's plans for the future, about the collection and what she thinks of eco-fashion being the buzz word of the moment.
What inspired your collection?
The motivation to start the label came from a growing frustration at the disposable, trend driven high-street, which offers poor quality and fit to the consumer.
From a design perspective we are inspired by our shared love of Burlesque, of timeless classic feminine silhouettes, of vintage prom dresses and cheeky 50's nipped in knits and jackets. Print and colour are key to the Berrie look, inspired by the team's passion for travel, influences range from Brazilian graffiti, Andean sunsets to Thai parasols, interpreted in our own Berrie British style.
Team member Claire's stunning interiors print collection takes on the form of personalised mobile graffiti when transferred to fashion, the kaleidoscopic designs brighten up even the bleakest of British skies, spreading their colourful and positive message and drawing out the miraculous from the mundane. In short we are inspired by cheekiness, colour, creativity and cut.
What did the judges make of Berrie's collection?
They were very complimentary in general and commented that it was a very full well rounded collection, particularly they loved the printed and plain mac and knitted dress, and they seemed impressed with our UK manufacturing focus, and with the high quality of our finish and with the amount of research we had put into our business model for the brand
What does Eco-fashion mean to you?
Eco-fashion to me is a worrying term, which is in danger of being just a buzz word. I consider myself a designer, not a fashion designer, nor an eco designer.
To be a good designer, you must take into account all the materials and processes which go into the final garment and its use. Therefore eco fashion or ecological fashion, requires the designer to design fashionable garments, which make the best of the materials available to solve the problem of fashion in the least harmful way to the environment and people affected by its production. I believe this way of working should be integral to good design, not separated as 'Eco' design.
Do you have much of a background in eco-fashion?
Berrie is something I created with my two friends to focus on our passion for both fashion and to explore how we can approach the ethical clothing dilemma with action and experience rather than just world-solving pub chat.
However we all work full time within the fashion and clothing industry. I work as designer for technical apparel company Finisterre, down in Cornwall. We work with recycled polyester and focus our sourcing and production methods within the UK. We recently won the Observer ethical award and we are committed to holistic sustainable design, which is real and integral to everything we do.
On a personal level I previously travelled in South America and became involved with a knit cooperative whilst teaching English in a deprived area in Lima, Peru. The families live in cramped conditions with as many as 12 people in shacks, high in the damp clouds on the outskirts of Lima. The women knit jumpers for the local tourist markets and get paid as little as 15 pence a day for their work.
On the voluntary project we worked with the women to develop shapes and patterns which they knitted into hats and scarves, and sold to tourists at fair prices, with all the money going back to the women and their families. Also during my travels in Peru, I poked my nose into some local organic cotton farms and suppliers and investigated the Peruvian organic cotton market, where I also became involved with a small family enterprise who grow and experiment with, and use to naturally dye the cotton yarn. I became fascinated by natural dyes and experimented further once I returned back to the UK.
Can you explain what eco-fashion actually is?
I worry that the term is fashionable and transient, like trend and I do not believe it has longevity, far better to believe in and practise good considered design. The key is in the quality of the product and the logic of the process in which the process has been conceived, produced and used.
What materials do you use in your collection?
Organic cotton and alpaca knitting yarns, organic cotton sateens, organic silk and hemp. Digital printing and vintage trims.
How much do pieces range for?
Between £80 - £250
What do you think of the trend for fast fashion?
It is ultimately disposable and means that we end up with charity shops filled with barely worn clothing, which are retailed at more than they were new!
However I would be lying if I said I have never bought fast fashion, but I can safely say the things in my wardrobe I treasure and make me feel special are generally second hand and vintage pieces, I am sad that with the growing trend for fast fashion, the quality of second hand market will diminish.
Do you think eco-fashion has become a buzz word and that people don't actually know the ethics behind it?
Yes, with everyone using the words ethical, green, sustainable and eco to push a product, it has become a marketing tool and loses real meaning, I am sure there have been a number of so called eco T-shirts flown half way across the world and back for retail to us which could have equally used an available, more cost effective than a conventional non eco alternative.
I have more faith in considered design and honest marketing. The consumer has so much information made available to them now, I trust that the savvy consumer will see through the scams and trust in brands that work transparently and in an interactive way with the consumer not in a dogmatic, guilt-ridden way nor those merely ticking the green boxes.
What is the eco-industry actually about?
I would hope it is a shift in designers, suppliers and manufacturers working together more to increase information exchange and communication to influence the most ethical and logical processes. In reality I am aware that a lot of money that should be spent on this commitment to research and development is actually being spent on green wash marketing campaigns.
However my hope and belief for the future is that when the green trend has passed, the up and coming designers and most successful companies will have recognised that ethical production methods are the only truly sustainable future for industry on an economical and environmental platform.
FemaleFirst- Laura Terry
We've been bringing you all things Eco for the past few weeks now, including emerging design talent. We caught up with 'Make your Mark in Fashion' winner, Mia a few weeks ago and this week we chat to fashion designers, Berrie.
Berrie, who were designing for Enamore beat off stiff competition to make it to the final three, and their collection was well received by all during the final, which took place during London Fashion Week.
We caught up with one of Berrie's designers, Deborah to talk about Berrie's plans for the future, about the collection and what she thinks of eco-fashion being the buzz word of the moment.
What inspired your collection?
The motivation to start the label came from a growing frustration at the disposable, trend driven high-street, which offers poor quality and fit to the consumer.
From a design perspective we are inspired by our shared love of Burlesque, of timeless classic feminine silhouettes, of vintage prom dresses and cheeky 50's nipped in knits and jackets. Print and colour are key to the Berrie look, inspired by the team's passion for travel, influences range from Brazilian graffiti, Andean sunsets to Thai parasols, interpreted in our own Berrie British style.
Team member Claire's stunning interiors print collection takes on the form of personalised mobile graffiti when transferred to fashion, the kaleidoscopic designs brighten up even the bleakest of British skies, spreading their colourful and positive message and drawing out the miraculous from the mundane. In short we are inspired by cheekiness, colour, creativity and cut.
What did the judges make of Berrie's collection?
They were very complimentary in general and commented that it was a very full well rounded collection, particularly they loved the printed and plain mac and knitted dress, and they seemed impressed with our UK manufacturing focus, and with the high quality of our finish and with the amount of research we had put into our business model for the brand
What does Eco-fashion mean to you?
Eco-fashion to me is a worrying term, which is in danger of being just a buzz word. I consider myself a designer, not a fashion designer, nor an eco designer.
To be a good designer, you must take into account all the materials and processes which go into the final garment and its use. Therefore eco fashion or ecological fashion, requires the designer to design fashionable garments, which make the best of the materials available to solve the problem of fashion in the least harmful way to the environment and people affected by its production. I believe this way of working should be integral to good design, not separated as 'Eco' design.
Do you have much of a background in eco-fashion?
Berrie is something I created with my two friends to focus on our passion for both fashion and to explore how we can approach the ethical clothing dilemma with action and experience rather than just world-solving pub chat.
However we all work full time within the fashion and clothing industry. I work as designer for technical apparel company Finisterre, down in Cornwall. We work with recycled polyester and focus our sourcing and production methods within the UK. We recently won the Observer ethical award and we are committed to holistic sustainable design, which is real and integral to everything we do.
On a personal level I previously travelled in South America and became involved with a knit cooperative whilst teaching English in a deprived area in Lima, Peru. The families live in cramped conditions with as many as 12 people in shacks, high in the damp clouds on the outskirts of Lima. The women knit jumpers for the local tourist markets and get paid as little as 15 pence a day for their work.
On the voluntary project we worked with the women to develop shapes and patterns which they knitted into hats and scarves, and sold to tourists at fair prices, with all the money going back to the women and their families. Also during my travels in Peru, I poked my nose into some local organic cotton farms and suppliers and investigated the Peruvian organic cotton market, where I also became involved with a small family enterprise who grow and experiment with, and use to naturally dye the cotton yarn. I became fascinated by natural dyes and experimented further once I returned back to the UK.
Can you explain what eco-fashion actually is?
I worry that the term is fashionable and transient, like trend and I do not believe it has longevity, far better to believe in and practise good considered design. The key is in the quality of the product and the logic of the process in which the process has been conceived, produced and used.