PFW Day 4 – Lizzie Parker

Oct 20, 2008 | Fashion

Designer Lizzie Parker’s line was inspired by French film, with a little 80’s bohemian twist to it. She wanted to create something flattering for a variety of different body types, above all creating a well-crafted garment that anyone could wear. She always wears her pieces first to work out all the kinks in them before sending them out to be produced, creating each piece herself. Using only sustainable fabrics such as organic cotton, and organic bamboo jersey (one of the first to be certified organic (Sept. 2008), she created a line of fluid, drapey pieces in blacks, creams, and hot pinks. All of her manufacturing she conducts in Seattle (where she is based) in order to reduce her carbon footprint. She currently has a mini-boutique inside Tweed (a Seattle ladeis’ clothing boutique), and often works in the store in order to interact with her customers directly and keep the dialogue open between consumer and designer. Her clothing appeals to the confidant, fashion-forward consumer, who enjoys funky, but comfortable pieces. For more information on Lizzie Parker, visit the website here.

-Carly J. Cais

PFW Day 4 – Saffrona Classics

Oct 20, 2008 | Fashion

Designer Sarabeth Chambers of Saffrona Classics created her collection around a revolutionary new seaweed-based fabric known as Seacell. Developed in Germany, this fabric is made of Lyocell (100% wood-pulp fiber) and seaweed, with about a 5% seaweed content overall. The vitamin- and mineral-rich Seacell has a microscopic silver content, rendering it antifungal, antimicrobial, and antibacterial (which don’t diminish even after repeated washes in the washing machine). The fabric also “breathes” with the wearer, and is lightweight and soft. In her collections up until now, Sarabeth has always used silk for her simple yet elegant party dresses, but in this S/S ’09 Collection, all the pieces are done in Seacell, lined in organic cotton. She found that since Seacell only is manufactuered in black or white, she had to get creative with it to create colors in her collection. The Crayola palette of her dresses was achieved with numerous dying in baths of beets and Kool-Aid. Comitted to local and eco-friendly business practices, she sources all of her fabrics and contracting in the U.S., mostly from Northwest suppliers. She says the woman who wears her clothes is someone who has a good sense of humor and someone who wants to make a statement. To see more and buy direct, visit the Saffrona website.

-Carly J. Cais

PFW Day 3 – Sameunderneath

Oct 20, 2008 | Fashion

Designers Tyla Dahlman and Andrew Van Zanten said they were inspired by the 1970’s Cuban Revolution when designing the Sameunderneath S/S ’09 Collection. In it we saw lots of bright, fun colors, great cuts, linen, and organic cottons. The line definitely had a low-key “travel” vibe to it, with an appeal to younger couples (since they put out both mens’ and womens’ wear). We saw surprisingly intricate crochet pieces, tailored shorts, breezy organic cotton dresses, and printed tees, all paired with long feather earrings, boho hairbands, and leather flowers (some even tied onto the models’ calves – how’s that for innovative acccessorizing??).
Sameunderneath itself is a concept brand and desires to spread a message as it grows. The designers utilize eco-friendly fabrics not as a marketing point or because other companies are too, but simply because “its the right thing to do. Everyone needs to be conscious of what they’re buying, using, and consuming,” they say. “Sameunderneath is a concept, a belief, and a way of life. It brings people together of all different races, religions, and backgrounds because we are all really the same underneath.” Check out the brand’s website here to see more.

-Carly J. Cais

PFW Day 3: Nike Considered

Oct 17, 2008 | Fashion

Nike as a company has set the laudable goals of becoming completely sustainable within the next ten years, both in business practices and in materials they use, and are actively working towards this. (Kudos!) “Nike Considered” is actually going to soon drop the “Considered” from their name (which used to designate their distinction from the clothing under the regular “Nike” label). They are not even a separate division within Nike; in fact, the only way to tell that your Nike-branded clothing is manufactured with sustainable materials is to look at the label. (Now that’s missing a major marketing opportunity, IMHO.) Their eco-friendly apparel is not particularly distinguishable from their “non-eco-friendly apparel” (NEFA? gotta find a shorter term for this) in either look or aesthetic…since they manufacture both men’s and women’s apparel, there were some hot male models on the runways, followed by “cute sportswear for women” (which pretty much sums up the Nike brand in a nutshell). Below, the women’s looks from Nike’s show (and I swear, you’ll never tell the difference between the shots I snapped and the shots provided by pro photographers):

(the first two wonky-looking photos from us, the rest of the uber-fabulous photos from the incomparable Pete Kim. Thanks Pete!)

Alula, May Tee, and Sameunderneath coverage coming in the following posts…

-Carly J. Cais