Art Wednesday

It’s easy to think of Fashion Week as a hub of thoughtless consumerism, centered mainly around flogging hugely expensive clothes to hugely attractive people, but there’s a more thoughtful side to it, too – for the last ten seasons, Estethica has been adding an eco element to the exhibitions at Somerset House, thanks to sponsorship from the High Street brand Monsoon, showing five young designers whose product chimes in with their core values. We thought we’d give them a mention because we’re big fans of the eco movement here at AW HQ (you’d best believe we recycle our assorted empty diet coke cans and disgusting microwave pasta containers). Do as we say, AND as we do. Most of the time. When we’re on our best behaviour.

For the tenth season Estethica, founded by the British Fashion Council (BFC), will form a significant part of The Exhibition at London Fashion Week at Somerset House.  Sponsored by Monsoon, Estethica has rapidly grown into the hub of London’s ethical fashion industry and is highly regarded in the UK and internationally.

Over twenty cutting edge designers, chosen for their design excellence and commitment to working in a sustainable way are exhibiting this season and all adhere to at least one of the key Estethica principles of :- fair trade and ethical practice in the production process; the inclusion of organic fibres; the use of upcycled and recycled materials and fabrics.

Of the twenty two designers five – Christopher Raeburn, From Somewhere, Junky Styling, Lu Flux and The North Circular – have received  BFC mentoring support including fashion business and product advice by industry experts, Bev Mailk, Susanne Tide Frater and Yasmin Sewell. The BFC is delighted that designers showcased in Estethica are now seen alongside mainstream collections in leading retailers worldwide.

The BFC thank Estethica’s sponsor Monsoon for their ongoing support. Peter Simon of Monsoon comments, “Now in our eighth consecutive season, Monsoon is hugely proud to be continuing its sponsorship of Estethica. Sustainability has always been close to Monsoon’s heart with the use of hand crafting and natural fabrics integral to the Monsoon handwriting. As founding members of the Ethical Trading Initiative we feel it is vital to encourage and support the emerging talent in this field. We love working with Estethica as they share our values and embody all that Monsoon stands for.”

Estethica runs at the Exhibition at Somerset house between the 18th and the 22nd of February.

Estethica (Click Here)