Go ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more
Go ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more
Go ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more
Materials such as velvet, cotton, and silk are often found on the catwalk at London Fashion Week.
But the design Duovin + Omi thinks outside the box this season (milk carton).
The eco-focused designer worked with King Charles himself to create a fabric that was entirely made from recycled milk cartons from Sandringham Estate under His.
The pair talked about the inspiration behind this idea. And he works with the royal king, famous for his spirit of sustainability.
“We were sitting with the head gardener at the Sandringham dining room, and the waitress asked, ‘So do you want milk?’ Then it revealed to us how much milk the average British person drinks,” Omi explains.
“1,238ml per person, 1,238ml per week. That’s a lot of milk!”
This sparked ideas that inspired the designer’s new fashion week collection.
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“This season we focused on chaotic sustainability,” says Vin, ahead of the collection “Kaos,” which will debut on February 19th.
“Years ago (our collection) started by focusing on one thing like plastic, but this season, everything we can think of has been recycled and clothed. changed to and added to the clothes.”
The designers have been working with the Wang since 2019, when the duo began creating and developing sustainable fabrics using the plants and weeds of their former real estate, High Groves.
Last season, the pair developed a lightweight fabric made from chipping Sandringham waste, but this year they turned their attention to the waste generated within the four walls.
“We took a milk carton from the Sandringham Visitor Centre and developed it into a sponge-like material that looks like leather,” says Vin.
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It has a sponge material made from milk cartons – it is not surprising that the fabric is almost entirely composed of sandingham cream tea waste.
And the thick, adaptable materials are set to debut at the upcoming fall/winter London Fashion Week, allowing the pair to focus on developing fully recycled outerwear for the first time.
Following the ban on exotic skins such as crocodiles and snakes by London Fashion Week, at its show collection last November, Vin + Omi snakes sought to develop sustainable alternatives for designers.
“We’re looking at leather alternatives, outerwear alternatives, because you can get a texture that’s very similar to exotic leather. Why do you use them? Is that the case?” says Vin.
“(Designers) have to work harder to hunt real exotic materials. It’s not cheap yet to convert natural fibers into furry materials, so in many ways it’s gorgeous. There is still a cost to become an item.
“However, their customers should treat the plant as just as extravagant as it would be to kill a dead leopard.”
Images opened in the gallery
The pair wanted to emphasize that it was not about blaming fellow designers, but about finding a solution.
“It’s not about the fact that you’re doing something wrong,” Omi says. “Unfortunately, the world doesn’t work that way. Everyone has to eat. Everyone has to drink milk.
“It’s not about shameing or blaming the industry, it’s about saying how we can improve what’s been wasted.”
The design duo hopes King Charles will be adopted and improved.
“Our ideas should be stolen,” Omi declared.
When asked how the king influenced their creative process, Vin said, “(King Charles) is very open, so he is very creative.”
He said opening up to one of the toughest jobs in the world is “incredible.”
“The key figures around the world are really strict and very strict about protocols, and they probably never see them dancing monkeys like us to fix their infrastructure.” Vin laughed.
“It’s like the fact that we are granted access to him, indicating that we are allowed to talk to him about ideas and concepts.
“I have met quite a few leaders and monarchs. They don’t all have the spirit that[King Charles]do.”
Vin + Omi is based primarily in Norfolk, but they are sent all over the world by designers searching for innovative and sustainable fashion solutions. The pair just bought an aloe vera farm in the Canary Islands.
“We are the service industry,” says Omi. “When did fashion become rock and roll? When did designers become rock stars?
“We’re here to dress people in the most guilt-free way possible.”
