“Fashion from Nature” exhibition showcases close to a hundred different pieces of garments.
On the 1st floor, it features a huge array of materials used to create fashion in which many of them are drawn from the animal kingdom. For instance, whalebone was used as material for fashion; baleen shaped and stiffened to make women’s garments and was used for men’s umbrella frames. Nevertheless, people started to search for alternative man-made materials such as spun glass which
was crafted into trimmings and “feathers” to replace real fur.
Umbrella frame
Baleen for structure
Spun glass feather
Calvin Klein's eco dress
On the way up to the second floor, there is a dress from Calvin Klein for the Green Carpet Challenge, worn by Emma Watson which sets the tone of fashion sustainability. The dress is made from yarns that are processed from plastic bottles and it could be worn in different ways due to the separate parts. The exhibition informs the viewers about how production processes in the past, as well as the present, have a disastrous effect on the environment.
The next section of the exhibition is what interested me most, “Protest!” It includes many items from different fashion movements that were meant to raise awareness about sustainable fashion. One of them is a Gas Mask that was worn in the 2015 Eco-fashion at the Greenpeace “Detox Catwalk” in Indonesia which aimed to encourage legislators, manufacturers, and brands to eliminate chemical pollution caused by the textile and clothing industries.
By Bridget Harvey
Alexander Calder
Advertisement against fur for fashion
Moving on, the last section of the exhibition illustrates how innovations have led to more sustainable materials. For example, Vegea is a leather alternative made from the stalks, seeds, and skins of grapes left over from wine production and Pinatex which is a non-woven textile made from pineapple leaves. Pinatex costs £50 per linear metre according to its official website. However, these materials are not so affordable yet but maybe in the future.
" Orange Fibre " collection by Salvatore Ferragamo & Pinatex bag
Vegea collection designed by Tiziano Guardini
Also, in the ‘Protest’ section of the exhibitions, there are standout works of Vivienne Westwood and Katherine Hamnett. In particular, these artists have used Fashion as a form of activism and a voice for change. In her garment selection, Katharine Hamnett would like to raise awareness about pollution caused by cotton production. As shown by the exhibition, the production process of cotton releases a vast amount of toxic substances into the water bodies and according to www.sustainyourstyle.org, 20% of industrial water pollution comes from textiles treatment and dying. This is the issue that Katharine wanted to tackle. Meanwhile, Vivienne Westwood aimed to raise awareness about climate change. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reached the milestone of 400 parts per million for the first time in 2015 and surged again to the new records in 2016 according to the World Meteorological Organisation’s annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin. Hence, I would like to analyse how successful Vivienne and Katharine were in raising awareness about sustainability through fashion.
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| Umbrella frame |
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| Baleen for structure |
On the way up to the second floor, there is a dress from Calvin Klein for the Green Carpet Challenge, worn by Emma Watson which sets the tone of fashion sustainability. The dress is made from yarns that are processed from plastic bottles and it could be worn in different ways due to the separate parts. The exhibition informs the viewers about how production processes in the past, as well as the present, have a disastrous effect on the environment.
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| Vegea collection designed by Tiziano Guardini |
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