#FashRev 2016: Hiro + Wolf and Lalesso
There are fourteen fantastic brands that grace the #FashRev 2016 campaign. Alice Wilby, Stylist and Co-Founder of Novel Beings, has interviewed each one about being part of the Fashion Revolution.
Read on to hear from Hiro + Wolf and Lalesso…
HIRO + WOLF (London and Kenya)
A chance meeting whilst walking their dogs led accessories designer Amy Fleuriot and craft development expert Bee Friedmann to establish Hiro+Wolf, eponymously named after their four legged friends.
Driven by their shared passion for sustainability, design and animals, Amy and Bee work with small scale artisans and craft groups in Kenya to create a beautiful line of accessories for people and their pets.
Why do we need a Fashion Revolution?
Bee – There have been too many atrocities committed in the name of fashion and it is time to connect with other like minded people. Fashion Revolution is the way forward, as a group we have a stronger voice to shout out against bad practice in the industry and celebrate beautiful, fair design. Fashion has to slow down. Fashion has to become responsible to the people who make it and the people who buy it. As designers, consumers and manufacturers it is up to us to bring about the change and it is also up to us to educate others. Fashion should bring joy to the lives of the people who make it as well as the people who wear it.
Who made your clothes?
We work with seven different artisan groups in Kenya to produce our jewellery, baskets and printed textiles. Some of these are simple husband and wife businesses employing up to 10 people from their local communities. Others like Bombolulu Workshops in Mombasa provides training and employment for over 100 artisans with physical disabilities. We know each one of our producers personally and employ a lady on the ground, Irene, who oversees production, quality control and working conditions for us when we are back in London. Our pet accessories are manufactured at our London studio and by a talented lady named Jayne in the West Midlands. Jayne used to run a large factory but now works out of a studio in her back garden. She’s truly wonderful and often texts us late at night with new ideas for designs!
What inspired you to be a sustainable brand?
Amy – I studied Accessories design at university and so I’ve always been fascinated by craftsmanship and the process by which things are made. Being a maker myself I am always inspired by new materials and processes and feel a strong need to be connected to this. I’m my most inspired when working directly with our artisans, pushing their strengths to inform new designs. To me business is about people and nurturing creativity, at Hiro + Wolf I am fortunate enough to play a direct part in the beautiful story of how our collections are made. We have enough “stuff” in the world already so it feels good to be creating luxury products from recycled materials that actually make a positive impact on peoples lives.
Bee – Growing up in South Africa in the 70’s and 80’s made me face the injustices of treating people badly through exploitation of the young through to the old. Later in life I became involved in craft development as a way to uplift poverty stricken groups and give them a sustainable income. This way forward also protects traditional crafts such as weaving and enables people to live an independent life.
Hiro + Wolf has given me an outlet for this and it is through our brand that we aim to spread the world and enrich the lives of our artisans by bringing their talents to the world.
LALESSO (Kenya)
Luxury African fashion and fiercely proud of it, LaLesso mixes traditionally inspired prints, kaleidoscopic colours simple silhouettes and local artisanal craft to create a vibrant sustainable brand. Kenyan artisanal craft permeates their design process and even the swing tags on their products double up as beaded bracelets that the customer can wear.
Why do we need a Fashion Revolution?
We need a revolution because fashion consumption over the past two decades has become completely irresponsible. The power of the media and high street retailers has created a consumer who not only consumes fashion at an unnecessary fast pace but who lacks social and environmental consciousness when doing so. The Fashion Revolution movement creates awareness amongst us, the consumers, forcing us to think about how fast we go through clothing and at what price our garments are being made. It’s about forcing the retail giants to unveil transparency in the supply chain so consumers can respond appropriately to what they are buying. The suffering and infliction caused by the fashion industry on both a social and environmental level simply cannot continue.
Who made your clothes?
Lalesso garments are made by the wonderful Wildlife Works in Kenya
What inspired you to be a sustainable brand?
Both Alice and I grew up in Africa and I think being a child of Africa somehow instills a sense of social responsibility in you. Africa is a third world continent and you are constantly surrounded by the stark divide between rich and poor. The importance of creating or providing a job is not something you learn about, it’s something instilled in you through growing up there. When starting Lalesso there simply wasn’t another option as to how we would make our clothes. Creating and providing sustainable jobs was, in fact, one of the most inspiring factors of starting the brand.
Download the 2016 campaign posters here
Video of Savanna filmed and produced by Rachel Jones, Futerra
