Quarterly Review—Spring
A look back at some favourite moments in the Veryan Studio over the Spring season.
Interviewees
Our interviewees Freya Dowson & Niina Sarma-Hintikka engaged us with stories of their careers and their experiences of sustainability in action.
An image from the Coal Mines in Chakwal, Pakistan series.
Our March interviewee was Freya Dowson, the humanitarian photographer and blogger behind Nishaantishu. She shared her thoughts on her work with NGOs, how they help contribute to sustainable change and how she captures the personality of her subjects with us.
“I’ve been to communities where...you talk about the importance of good animal handling and thinking about the welfare of your animals, for example, and you can hear people coming back with “that’s all very well and good for you to tell us, but what does it actually mean? How can we apply it to our lives and how can we teach our children?” And then you’re like, that’s sustainability. That’s what sustainability actually means and looks like in practice.”
For June, we interviewed Niina Sarma-Hintikka, the founder of Kielo clothing, who took us through her journey to building a label founded on ethics and ecological values.
A selection of instagram images from Niina's beautiful page for Kielo.
“...only later in life I started to think what ethical values really mean to me. Becoming a mother also had an influence on this. I started to get really anxious about all the clutter we are surrounded by, all the chemicals they put on everything, factory farming, animal welfare issues, fast fashion... It really was a snowball effect. I wanted to learn more, but I also wanted to be the change.”
Collaborations
Eleanor wearing her #021 dress and carrying the mini mini Elwin bag by Lost Property of London.
At the studio we developed a custom #021 dress for Eleanor O'neill, founder of Study 34 and sustainable fashion journalist at Huffington Post, to wear for a special day at Buckingham Palace.
“I was thrilled to wear Veryan for this brilliantly British garden party.”
One of our new partners, Hazel & Rose, opened the doors to their Minneapolis boutique this summer. They source a range of local and global ethical designers for a unique selection in their store in The Broadway.
Emma's shot of the Veryan collection at her boutique, Hazel & Rose, in Minneapolis.
“I started this boutique to give local shoppers an alternative to fast fashion and to introduce new designers to the area. I didn’t want anyone to think they had to compromise their personal style in order to shop ethically.”
Behind-the-scenes
A moment from our instagram, prepping labels for SS16.
“This spring saw our busiest production period yet in the studio—it was exciting and challenging. It brought home to us how off-cuts from pattern cutting can massively increase the waste we have. As we pick durable fabrics, off-cuts can be very handy. We use them as bias binding, as interlining or sometimes even lining in the #019 tote bags or accessories range. The very smallest of scraps and threads in natural fibres (that make up the vast majority of our garments) can be composted.”
Collections
May marked the launch of our SS16 womenswear collection.
“Building garments to seamlessly integrate into the daily lives of busy women is at the forefront of our design ethos. This season we focussed on easy, pared-back dresses and wrap tops in crisp cottons. We used GOTS certified organic fabric for this capsule collection, dyed and woven in small runs by a family run business in Kerala. The designs and finishes are durable, the pieces are timeless additions to curated wardrobes.”
Article originally published July 4, 2016