LFW Designers Phoebe English, Harris Reed, and More Prioritize Sustainability in SS25 Collections
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The British Fashion Council celebrated 40 years of runway shows this season and their most carried-through achievement has to be so many of its designers' unwavering dedication to sustainability. Runway after runway show had garments made from natural fibers, deadstock fabrics, and/or pieces colored with organic dyes — while also casting a wide net of models of different ethnicities, sizes, gender identities, and ages. Distinct from New York, LFW showed sensibility in putting models down the runway that not only look like most customers — but think like them too.
A recent Square Up survey found that 1 in 5 Gen Zers abandoned a brand in the last year based on its reputation for sustainability and ethics. British designers are approaching the industry through that lens, marrying the intersection of high fashion and an awareness of the global climate crisis. Brands like Phoebe English, Harris Reed, and Ahluwalia are not just adding earthy buzzwords to their brands’ marketing materials. They are fine-tuning ethical supply chains, thinking about waste management, and collaborating with niche, like-minded businesses.
“We have been working on natural and botanical dyes, exploring how we can emit petrochemical and synthetic content of the clothes by using natural color,” designer Phoebe English tells Teen Vogue about new techniques she’s implemented. “This also lets us start to have a greater link to our natural systems. It’s an enormous topic, and we learn a little bit more each time we work with a new plant. This time, we have worked with a plant called Ragwort, which is commonly considered a weed due to its toxic effect on livestock but it is also a wonderful plant for pollinators and supports a wide variety of them.”
English, who’s been lauded as one of the most forward-thinking sustainable designers in the UK, made a collection filled with her signature upcycled fabrics in black, white, and golden yellow palettes. She’s openly talked about her brand’s journey of going from exclusively using wood hangers and thrift office supplies to creating entire collections of highly-finished biodegradable garments. “I always suggest starting with one area that you already have a natural affinity or skill set in. For us, this is textiles, and slowly working on one area at a time from there onwards,” she says about her brand’s evolution.
Harris Reed masterfully worked with found materials for the entirety of his FW24 “Encore” collection, displayed in Victorian jacquard gowns made from comforters, vintage lace tablecloths, and damask drapes. As we reported, Reed gathered all the materials over the last six months used Textile Trunk — a Vermont-based antique textile collector — to help source the delicate vintage pieces.
Priya Ahluwalia’s “Home Sweet Home” collection inspired by a recent trip to Jamaica, included sourced materials like macrame lace doilies that she made into tops. Made-to-order designer Karoline Vitto partnered with sustainable footwear designer Tabitha Ringwood for the sandals on her runway. Vitto also notably had more midsize and plus models walking in her show than straight size with curvy waists, full breasts, and stretch marks being beautifully showcased by her sexy swimwear pieces.
From sourcing recycled textiles to the production process and marketing, in all aspects of the business, brands are considering their carbon footprint. The Council, which has a legacy of supporting environmentally-conscious brands like Joe Casely-Hayford and Stella McCartney, has been instrumental in this agenda.
The major push, however, is coming from schools that are teaching students to reuse what they would normally waste, consider the life cycle of clothing, and be financially conservative by making small-scale business models. London College of Fashion created its Centre for Sustainable Fashion 16 years ago and offers a course with Kering to teach sustainable governance models. Central Saint Martins — who graduated Simone Rocha and the Chopova Lowena designers — has aggressively been focused on climate change and biodiversity.
“With the students coming out of fashion school, it’s so fantastic to see how these things can be part of everyone's general design practice, they are the generation that will affect the level and scale of change we need,” English says. “We have continued to work with what others might consider ‘waste’ materials, faulty, off-cuts, deadstock, trying to create links to other companies who have textiles potentially going to waste or headed to the bin. Then, we use our design skills to give these materials new life. It’s a wide subject and can feel daunting to begin with, I always suggest starting with one area that you already have a natural affinity or skill set in - for us, this is textiles, and slowly working on one area at a time from there onwards.”
In the spirit of full transparency, as many of the brands at London Fashion Week were, this story was possible because of United Airlines, which sponsored travel. United, in partnership with Saks Fifth Avenue, recently named British designer Nicholas Daley as the winner of their 2024 New Wave competition. His winning design will appear on board United Polaris business class flights in 2025. As the competition winner, Daley was also awarded a $10,000 grant by United. “We love partnering with Saks Fifth Avenue to not only give customers the best sleep in the sky but to support the next generation of fashion talent,” says Mark Muren, United’s Managing Director of Identity, Product, and Loyalty. “We’re thrilled to see Nicholas Daley’s design come on board next year and support his growth as an artist.” United Airlines has also made a goal to be 100% green by 2050 by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Accommodations were provided by Ruby Hotels, a boutique hotel chain with locations throughout Europe. Their lovely Ruby Zoe Hotel in Notting Hill is a train ride away from most LFW shows and lies in the quaint neighborhood surrounded by a farmer’s market, British pubs, and beautiful parks. Their rooms are modern with Scandinavian design and offer a low-waist house cleaning option. For a no-frills stay and friendly front desk staff, it was the perfect choice for my visit to London.
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
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