After several seasons away, PPQ’s Amy Molyneaux rejoined the London
Fashion Week schedule to showcase her new collaboration with Frankie
Phillips, creative director of sustainable, affordable fashion brand,
ToBeFrank.
The new label, ToBeFrank x Molyneaux has sustainability at the core,
with a collection that is 90 percent sustainable, using no virgin
materials, and was born out both creative directors wanting to prove that
consumer don’t have to “compromise style to save the earth”.
The collection features jerseys, wovens, denim and leather that have all
been developed from creatively sourced sustainable fabrics, explained the
new brand, including recycled fibre, vegetable dyed cotton, vegetable
leather, and compressed apple juice waste, using state-of-the-art factories
in Turkey that use zero water technology washing.
Utilising ToBeFrank’s sustainability background, the label has become
known for its lux daywear featuring satin created from seeds, organza made
from recycled plastics and chrome-free leather.
The new ToBeFrank x Molyneaux label will also share the ethos and
framework of making clothing that aligns with ToBeFrank’s ‘innovation,
responsibility and transparency’ checklist: People – living wages and
development programmes supported by its foundation; Planet – continually
striving to do better – with a goal to be at the helm of innovation
including materials, methods of procurement, production and delivery; and
Profit – ensuring that all prosper equally through our supply chain with a
celebration of the artisans who create its product.
New sustainable label ToBeFrank x Molyneaux debuts during London
Fashion Week
For its debut collection for autumn/winter 2020, ToBeFrank x Molyneaux’s
silhouettes comprised of Elizabethan inspired high necks, tailored
monochrome one-pieces and high cut playsuits. The designs featured recycled
laces trims with organza woven from recycled plastic and A-line chiffon
cocktail dresses made from spun left-over cotton husk, while recycled wool
coats were showcased in two-tone off white and black with recycled buttons.
The label also took its sustainable message one step further than most
designer labels on the London Fashion Week schedule, it shared a detailed
transparent list of the material information from the collection from
recycled and organic cotton to herb dye fabric, denim made from plastic
bottles, and creating fabric from seeds.
“We are aware that each fabric we use, or that anyone uses will have
some form of impact on the environment (much like anything else). But, it’s
about using fabrics which are better, which do not drain away our natural
resources or fill our skies with awful chemicals, that will make the
biggest difference,” explains ToBeFrank and Molyneaux. “So, after much time
thinking creatively and out the box, we are able to present you, our
fabulous looks, which have all been made thoughtfully and with fabrics, you
would’ve never of dreamed of – such as, jacquard organza made from recycled
plastic bottles, 100 percent recycled wool and recycled satin to name a
few.”
ToBeFrank x Molyneaux transparent about sustainable materials in
collection
For its recycled cotton T-shirts and shirts the label worked with a
recycling plant in Istanbul to make its recycled cotton and polyester. This
recycling plant takes in 800 tonnes of unwanted fabric cuttings every month
which would normally go into landfill. This unwanted or waste fabric is the
offcuts from production runs, fabric that has never been used, washed or
worn and the recycling plant breaks the unused fabric down into fibre and
re-spins it, making a new fabric.
The brand’s denim was made from plastic bottles collected from the
oceans from Repreve, who clean, sort, and melt the bottles into pellets
which are then melted down into polyester yarn. This fibre can be used for
many types of fabrics and for ToBeFrank x Molyneaux they used it as a
replacement for virgin polyester to create its slim fit denim styles by
blending this plastic bottle fibre with organic cotton fibre. On average
nine plastic bottles make one pair of denim.
For the faux leather trim patches seen, ToBeFrank x Molyneaux created
these from apples, technically the waste from apple juice production, which
was collected and then dyed and compressed onto an organic woven patch to
secure the apple waste into the needed shape.
ToBeFrank x Molyneaux also utilised herb dye fabric, where they use an
old process dating back to the Egyptians where fabric is dyed with herbs,
weeds and tea bags. Combining the old way of colour production with
modern-day machinery, smooth colour and colour fastening can be achieved.
The label uses this process to dye jersey T-shirts and denim with Turmeric,
Hena and Rubia, these are picked and dyed by local communities. As well as
this they also dyed with tea bags sourced from the supplier’s kitchen.
Another innovation is the use of fabric made from seeds, Cupro, which is
a regenerated cellulose fabric made from cotton waste. It’s made from
cotton linter, the small fluffy fibre covering the cotton seed, which is
left over after the cotton harvest. It’s produced in a closed-loop, which
means that the non-harmful chemicals used can be extracted afterwards and
the water can be recycled.
While vegetable-dyed leather has been sourced from the by-product of the
food industry, with sheep skins used to make its leather jackets, which are
then dyed using natural dyes from vegetables and the leather is tested and
approved as chrome-free which is good for the environment, workers and the
wearer.
On top of all this, ToBeFrank x Molyneaux adds that producing with less
water is also a key goal, and they use Ozone and laser technology to finish
its denim. On average this reduces water usage per denim by 50 percent,
however, the brand states that it is currently working with suppliers to
try and reduce this even further.
ToBeFrank and Molyneaux, added: “We are overwhelmed with all the love
and support that we received at our debut show at LFW. Thank you so much to
everyone for coming and we hope you absolutely loved how fabulous our looks
are.
“We are so excited about this new collaboration and we hope to continue
to show you how you can still look fabulous while saving the world.”
Images: courtesy of Tobefrank x Molyneaux
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