När Stockholm Fashion Week håller på för fullt kollar jag in svenska designers i New York. Helena Fredriksson gör vackert, tidlöst ekomode i modernt, innovativt snitt. Mönster och tryck kommer från hennes egen konst. Stort ha-begär på capen i 100% återvunnen ull! Läs min intervju med henne här.

TRANSLATION:
While Stockholm Fashion Week is in full swing I’m checking out Swedish designers in New York. Helena Fredriksson makes beautiful, timeless sustainable fashion with modern, innovative cuts. Prints and patterns are derived from her own art. Major craving for the cape made from 100% reclaimed wool! Read my interview with her here.

TRANSLATION
When I grow up I want to be as good a knitter as Sandra Backlund. Her creations are so completely incredibly amazingly gorgeous that I can spew superlatives all day! This collection is called Blank Page and is from a few years ago, but the white feels so very current. I wonder if she makes bridal gowns, how cool would that be?

DEM Collectives nya huvuddesigner heter Josefin Lassbo och har mångårig branscherfarenhet av modedesign med hållbart perspektiv. Hennes första kollektion för DEM (bild 1 & 2) kommer till hösten och består av både lättburna trikåplagg i flera färger och vävda klassiker som kavaj, kjol, byxa och klänning; allt i 100% ekologisk bomull (det indigoblå tyget färgas för hand av naturlig indigo).

TRANSLATION
DEM Collective (which stands for Don’t Eat Macaroni) was started in 2004, by Annika Axelsson and Karin Stenmar. Their mission was to show that it is possible to combine ecology, ethics, quality and considered design, and that a clothing company can be profitable without putting a strain on people or environment. A lot of their focus is on human rights, making sure that those who make the clothes do not have to work 80 hours a week and get paid slave wages, but can actually live a decent life. They do not use genetically modified cotton (which contains chemicals that are hazardous to us as well as the planet). DEM Collective do not feel that ethical fashion should be expensive, saying “You can dress well at a reasonable cost, and with a good conscience.”

DEM Collective’s new head designer is Josefin Lassbo, who brings many years of experience designing for sustainability. Her first collection for DEM (pic 1 & 2) will be out this fall and includes both easy cotton garments in several colors as well as woven classics like blazers, skirts, pants and dresses; all in 100% organic cotton (the indigo blue fabric is dyed by hand using natural indigo).

Camilla Norrbacks S/S 10 kollektion heter Indochine och tar inspiration från mötet mellan det asiatiska och det koloniala i 20- och 30-talets Indokina. Catherine Deneuve’s feminina stil i filmen Indochine var också en stor inspirationskälla. Färgskalan har beige och mörkblått som bas, accentuerat av rosa, aprikos, gult och grönt. Många mönster tar inspiration från pioner. Looksen på bild 1, 4, 6, 10, 15 och 17 skulle få säkra platser i min garderob.

I heart.

Swedish-Finnish Camilla Norrback is a self-taught designer who started her company in 1999. Her mission is to create strong collections that attract both those devoted to style and fashion, as well as the environmentally conscious and modern consumers. Since 2002, Norrback has used the phrase Ecoluxury as part of her trademark. She is driven by a passion for people, environment and politics and will never compromise neither the quality of design nor the quality of fabrics.

Camilla Norrback’s S/S 10 collection is called Indochine and is inspired by the meeting between the asian and colonial styles of Indochina in the 20s and 30s. Catherine Deneuve’s very feminine style and appearance in the movie Indochine was a large source of inspiration as well. The collection uses beige and dark blue as base colors with accents of pink, apricot, yellow and green. The peony was an inspiration for multiple prints. The looks in photos 1, 4, 6, 10, 15 and 17 would be given prime spots in my closet.

I heart.

(Går)Dagens: klänning från Karanina, mockasiner från Minnetonka, örhängen köpta på gatan i Miami, klocka från DKNY, vintagearmband, väska från Gap.

May fifth is celebrated as a big Mexican holiday here, and by holiday I mean that people drink copious amounts of Corona and eat guacamole, quesadillas and carne asada. We celebrated, very inappropriately, by meeting up with some of M’s friends at a Swedish place called White Slab Palace. At least my dress was a bit mexi-inspired.

Yesterday: dress from Karanina, moccasins from Minnetonke, earrings bought on the street in Miami, watch from DKNY, vintage bracelets, bag from the Gap.

Lyssnade efter pressvisningen också på en intressant paneldiskussion med Eviana Hartman, designer för Bodkin, Sass Brown, professor på FIT, Hazel Clark, Dean på Parsons, Marcus Bergman från Bergman’s och Karin Stenmar från Dem Collective. Utställningen är gratis och pågår till 21 Augusti för er som är i New York.

Några bilder är lånade från Tear-n Tan’s fotoblogg.

Today the exhibition Eco Chic – Towards Sustainable Swedish Fashion opened at Scandinavia House here in New York. Nice to see Swedish eco fashion in the limelight. I wrote about it more in depth here. Designers featured in the exhibition, produced by The Swedish Institute and curated by Karin Gräns, include: Anja Hynynen (pic 7 & 8), Bergman’s (pic 10), Camilla Norrback (pic 1), Dem Collective (pic 9), Johanna Hofring of Ekovaruhuset (pic 2 & 3), Julian Red (pic 5), Nudie (pic 10), Pia Anjou (pic 4), Reflective Circle (pic 8), Righteous Fashion (pic 6), Swedish Hasbeens (pic 3) and Zion (pic 11). I’m a big fan of the exhibition format, versus a runway show, mainly because details are so important in eco fashion. For example, my friend Johanna Hofring’s amazing crochet detailing would simply get lost if the dress swooshed by on a runway. Here, we can admire and study it from all angles, for as long as we wish. And we should…

After the press preview there was an interesting panel discussion with Eviana Hartman, designer for Bodkin, Sass Brown, professor at FIT, Hazel Clark, Dean at Parsons, Marcus Bergman of Bergman’s and Karin Stenmar of Dem Collective. The show is free and on display through August 21, for those who are in New York.

Some images are borrowed from Tear-n Tan’s photo blog.

I’ve always wanted a pair of real Swedish clogs, but for some reason I’ve never gotten to actually buying them. When my friend Sabina was visiting a few weeks ago, we went shop-strolling around SoHo. When I saw a few of these in a shop window, I decided that this summer when I am in Sweden a pair of these lovely creations from Swedish Hasbeens will be mine. Having a hard time deciding between the colors/styles above. Loving their A/W conceptimages, by Ingemar Lindewall.