For most fashionistas, Berlin would be considered a small kid among the giants of fashion like Paris or London.
But, as every young generation tends to contradict its predecessors, Berlin found their own niche in the fashion industry – sustainability.
ESMOD Berlin International University of Art for Fashion had for the first time the show of their Master graduates program – Sustainability in Fashion – showcased at Paris Fashion Week, in Goethe Institut.

Needless to say, eco-sustainable development in fashion is definitely a guideline for future designers, and raising awareness when it comes to ethic and fair trade is one of the biggest challenges for the industry.
These students of 2013 class had a holistic approach to sustainability – considering design, communication and business as well as developing coherent sustainability standards for their projects.
And with such an international topic comes an international team of graduates, from Russia, Canada, Hungary, Sweden, Germany and Brazil.
Meet some of them and their collections shown at PFW Summer 2014.

Adriana Stetsyuk

“It is time to rethink Fashion!”

PROJECT TITLE: “Is it time to rethink?”

Classic urban aesthetics is the motor of the collection, produced with organic cotton and with a variety of configurations and combinations, which allows the customer to wear the outfit in many different ways, hopefully leaving behind the need of a new piece of clothing. Another interesting eco-friendly aspect of Stetsyuk’s collection was the fabric, waterproof and windproof, free of heavy metal and dyed with sustainable products.
Simple, elegant and sustainable.

Anita Heiberg

“Change is happening”

PROJECT TITLE: 13 Dresses

A good example on how technology, fashion and sustainability can be intrinsically involved.
13 Dresses is a crowdsourcing platform for building consumer involvement in sustainable fashion. With this platform, customized and easily updated garments can be accessed and bought worldwide. When offering a customized piece, production waste is reduced and a stronger bond is built between designer and customer that actively participate in the design process.
Special attention for the digital textile printing, custom made.

 Ralf Schuchmann

“Fashion can change the world and heal itself.”

PROJECT TITLE: China Surealism

East meets west with great style.
This project is a platform that offers sustainable marketing and design strategies to companies who would like to decrease their environmental impact and create high-end products for the Chinese market.
With an eight look capsule collection for women, made with organic cotton, Schuchmann mixed his western roots with his work experience in Beijing. From the leftover materials, the necklaces were produced avoiding any material waste.

 Sanne Lundblad

“Future fashion is slower and less harmful.”

PROJECT TITLE: ONE OF TWENTY FIVE

Selling ONE new design each 25TH day, ONE OF TWENT YFIVE supports young sustainable designers, GOOD QUALITY design, and SLOW fashion.
The consumer will also have a chance to purchase UNIQUE pieces.
When launching the online platform, Lundblad will start selling her own brand SANNE LUNDBLAD, with organic fabrics and zero waste pattern technique combined with knitted and Alpaca designs made of social communities in Peruvian highland.
Keeping local techniques with global style.

Marina Chahboune

“I do hope that more people become aware of the power they have to co-create this movement by adopting a sustainable user’s behavior”

PROJECT TITLE: Greening the Blues

“There is no business to be done on a dead planet.” (Yvon Chouinard)
“Greening the Blues” is an intense research and evaluation of the current situation in jeans production in case of its human- and environmental toxicity. Thinking on how to be combine innovative and eco-friendly technologies with design trends and selling number, Chahboune gave priority to sustainable choice of material, ecological treatments, low impact on the ecosystem and no harmful substances. Literally greening the blues.

Simone Simonato

“I hope to see fashion as an expression of cultural diversity”

PROJECT TITLE: Sica Clipping Up

Sica Clipping Up project takes place in Bangladesh and partners with the Consultancy Service International (CSI), whom is one of major players towards sustainability and social compliance based in Dhaka-BD. CSI has developed the Village Produced, which is key to the Sica Clipping Up project.
Simonato applied her design to local techniques and culture.

 Mayta Lara Leal

“Fashion can be used to create awareness of social and environmental responsibility”

 PROJECT TITLE: Free People Collection

This project is a case study of the high-end German brand ABURY – Beyond Fashion, which supports social projects held in Morocco.
The result of the analysis and evaluation of the artisanal production process, natural resources, cultural aspects and social business of the brand, is the development of a new collection. Focusing not only in appreciating the regional culture and handcraft techniques, but also preserving the natural environment, benefiting local production and empowerment of artisans.
The result? Sophisticated leather bag collection.