sustainable fashion

I’m a creator, and always have been. Whether I was writing stories or songs, or (badly) drawing pictures of all of my imaginary friends, I always thrived off of funneling my wild imagination into something real and tangible. Fashion became another outlet that allowed me to do that, by helping me to create characters and stories from the looks I put together with the clothes I bought.

Up until recently, my only desire was to put together looks from pieces that other people created, like assembling a puzzle, rather than create something for myself. However, with the recent, urgent push for people to be more conscious consumers and give things up that are doing the most harm to our environment, I’ve come to terms with the fact that I have to part ways with some things that I’ve previously loved and leaned on, like fast fashion- a huge contributor to environmental harm around the globe. Because I’m passionate about being more green and have resolved to buy mostly second hand and ethically-made clothes, I’ve also opened the door to another possibility that I’ve only recently considered: designing and creating clothes of my own.

In the past, the thought of going through the arduous process of learning how to design and assemble my own clothes has left me feeling nothing short of dejected. How am I supposed to put in the work and learn how to do this on my own time? It just seems like there are always better things to do with my wild and precious life. However, after viewing Ronald van der Kemp’s Fall 2019 couture collection, I feel like my resolve to actually go through with this and learn how to craft my own dream wardrobe (with my own hands!) is renewed.

On top of being very in line with my own ultra-feminine, eclectic sense of style, I fall in love with van der Kemp’s couture season after season because he creates his gorgeous looks almost entirely from recycled and vintage, deadstock materials, making his creations environmentally-friendly and pretty much one-of-a-kind. It has to take a massive amount of skill and creativity to turn what basically amounts to scraps of random fabrics into his incredible couture creations, and this season there were so many pieces that really left me inspired to forge my own path in the fashion design world. These are the kinds of clothes I would like to make and wear- the fluttery, blue blouse; the plaid dress with the rad, military details; the lacy, white blouse (I could and pretty much do have an entire wardrobe of just these, thanks); and even the shimmering, silver dress with ruffled details that shines as delicately as the dust of a moth’s wing.

For me it comes down to this: It isn’t enough for me to behold and consume the beauty that others put forth into the world. I want to possess the ability to create my own beauty that others may appreciate. It’s one of the biggest things that drives me forward into the world each day.

Anyways, check out a few of my favorite looks from the Ronald van der Kemp Couture Fall 2019 collection below:

ronald van der kemp couture fall 2019 runway white blazer with white pants the young eclectic

ronald van der kemp couture fall 2019 runway plaid dress with military buttons the young eclectic

ronald van der kemp couture fall 2019 runway fashion blue blouse with white skirt the young eclectic

ronald van der kemp couture fall 2019 runway pink dress with bow and fringe details

ronald van der kemp couture fall 2019 runway fashion brown leather top with fringe jeans the young eclectic

ronald van der kemp couture fall 2019 runway silver ruffled dress the young eclecitc

ronald van der kemp couture fall 2019 runway black overalls the young eclectic

ronald van der kemp couture fall 2019 runway lace white blouse with jeans the young eclectic

All photos from Vogue.com by Allessandro Lucioni for Gorunway.com

Lately, I’ve been indulging a new love of comfortable, rustic-looking clothing that emulate something that someone living on a farm in the early 1900s might have worn. It’s so simple and no fuss, as well as being pretty dang cute- especially when in comes in provincial patterns like plaid and gingham! Because of this strange, newfound love of prairie, farm girl style, discovering the brand Ace & Jig was a surprising treat!

Designed by Cary Vaughan and Jenna Wilson, the mission of the Ace & Jig brand is simple: Create effortless clothing from interesting, eye-popping textiles that can be worn in several ways and for several years. Instead of designing to appeal to the latest trend that will die in a single season, Ace & Jig designs pieces for the long game, in timeless silhouettes that you can layer with other pieces to create new looks day after day, which makes building a wardrobe with a low environmental impact a lot easier!

Not only does Vaughan and Wilson’s brand help to cultivate sustainable fashion, it also empowers women in genuine ways, like employing a group of women in India and paying them fairly to weave their custom textiles. It seems that the essence of the Ace & Jig brand is wholesomeness and an honest desire to improve the world, which is something I have no problem getting behind!

And the clothes are pretty alright, too. I was instantly delighted by the vibrant plaid prints, as well as the surprising ways the outfits were layered, like having an apron-esque, pinafore layered over another dress, or a pair of overalls over a pair of pants made from the same print. All of the layering in the outfits creates depth through interesting silhouettes and refreshing color combinations, that I can’t imagine being unhappy while wearing one of them, and it makes me want to romp through a field of rolling, golden grass with a milk pail in hand.

I think we could all take some notes from Ace & Jig on how to refresh our wardrobes by layering our clothes in innovative ways. We can also probably all agree that the age-old rule that says you can’t mix prints may be a bit outdated.

Check out my favorite looks from their last two collections below: