Kathrine Hamnett x Patrick McDowell Need Your HELP.
Sustainability at Pitti is a series of interviews that celebrate fashion’s climate-conscious innovators. By providing a platform for the designers that put sustainability at the core of their brand, we hope to inspire and lead a wave of change within our industry, helping us all to push for a better future together.
When two of the loudest voices in UK fashion unite to make a statement, it’s impossible not to pay attention, particularly when that statement is “HELP.” branded in huge black lettering across an entire collection. But turning heads is the whole point of Kathrine Hamnett x Patrick McDowell’s collaboration, which is intended to raise awareness about the devastating effects Brexit is having on the British fashion industry.
Working closely with London-based studios, Hamnett’s pieces have been Reimagined by McDowell with sustainability in mind — the HELP. print found across the capsule was added using water-based ink, and the jackets are all from previous collections and revamped with a new silhouette. What’s more, Hamnett’s cotton tees are all GOTS Certified (Global Organic Textile Standard) aka they’ve been given the stamp of approval from the world’s most reputable certifiers.
In order to learn more about their collaboration, their feelings about Brexit, and the fashion industry’s sustainability efforts, we linked up with McDowell.
What could the fashion industry do to HELP. negate the effects of Brexit?
We need real support from the UK government that identifies and acknowledges the size and importance of fashion in the UK. I hope that together as a whole industry we can find solutions and work through the extra struggles Brexit brings.
How has Brexit negatively impacted UK brands trying to produce collections in a climate-conscious way?
Brexit has made the movement of goods more expensive and currently, they are taking more time. In general, I think sustainability is about being connected to people, process, craft. Brexit is separating us from Europe and that's damaging for everyone.
Can you talk us through the sustainable elements of this collection? For example, what are the benefits of using water-based dye?
Firstly all the jackets are from past seasons, reimagined. The workshop and printer we used for the collection are all within 5km of my studio, so they are very local. Printing can often be full of harmful chemicals and use a lot of energy to realize. Mesh and Blade, the London-based printers who we worked with, use water-based dyes free from toxic chemicals and the prints are cured through air, instead of the traditional 'baking,' which uses a lot of heat.
How do you pair your awareness about the fashion industry’s climate impact with designing and creating new products?
For me, the clothes have to have a meaning but also be special and desirable. I think we have had so many decades of clothes that just don't mean much. I think now, especially after the pandemic, we need meaningful, desirable, and long-lasting pieces that we can cherish for generations to come.
What are the biggest obstacles you face as a designer in regards to creating responsible collections?
The system is set up to cater for making first, selling later. I believe this is one of the most pressing problems in fashion. If we simply made what people actually wanted rather than guessing we would dramatically reduce the waste created in this industry. It's just how it was in the past. The future is about looking back to how things used to be, combining those ideas with technology, and creating the future.
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