Teatum Jones, a London-based company, presented at Copenhagen Fashion Week as part the Zalando Sustainability Awardshowcase. It unveiled its Re-Love Global Womanhood 2222 collection, which includes archival stock, damaged tailoring fabrics, and “imperfect and forgotten” Liberty fabrics.
“According to our Pillar #6 “A Slower Approach To Fashion”, every thought and care goes into the development of a new textile.” Teatum Jones explains in the show notes that nothing is allowed to proceed unless it’s deemed necessary. “It is part of our Zero Waste mission, to be resourceful with research-and-development from past collections. We want nothing to go waste.”
Teatum Jones collaborated closely with Liberty in selecting fabrics from its stock archive. The brand described the collection as “hidden in their Italian warehouses because of the pandemic.” They selected 12 fabrics from their deadstock collection, including the iconic Liberty prints Standen and Sussex as well as Ceremony.
Teatum Jones’ fil coupe fabric was used to collage these Liberty prints in fuschia and cobalt blue. This was done in order to reduce waste in dye development and sampling. They combined the Liberty fabrics and archival fall/winter 2018 “Global Womanhood” deadstock silks, and redesigned them to create a patchwork mashup of different scales and colours for the Grace Dress.
Teatum Jones’ SS22 collection is presented at Copenhagen Fashion Week
Teatum Jones stated that patchwork is a passion of hers in the Zero Waste approach to creating collections. Each patchwork textile is hand-crafted using a combination of archive and scrap fabric and a balance of colours. Each piece is unique and made by hand. It’s almost like wearing textile art. This is sustainable craftsperson-ship at its best.
Mary-Ann Dunkley is Liberty Fabrics’ design director. She said: “Preventing waste entering landfill is a key goal for Liberty Fabrics. All fabric that isn’t sold during the season is retained and used for upcycling projects. Teatum Jones has shown how recycled old-season prints can still be used in stunning collections that preserve the environment and the timeless design of Liberty.”
The London-based brand ensures that garment production takes place within 9 miles of its studio. It also uses British woollen mills to source end-of-line stock and damaged stock to avoid it going to waste.
CPHFW: Teatum Jons unveils sustainable practices in SS22 collection
Re-Love Global Womanhood 2022 is inspired by 25 women who embody the Teatum James spirit of “bold and confident, creative, and smart.” This includes Kelly Knox, trans model Munroe Bergdorf and Sian Thomas, former I-D editor Caryn Frank, Lybian textile designer Nawal Gebreel, and Triumph underwear creative head Sian Thomas.
Each woman was asked three questions about her most primal emotions, joy, sadness, and hope. The results were then divided into three chapters.
Joy is manifested in a palette that combines vibrant reds and burgundys with passionate pinks, and deep purples. To reduce pollutive travel, neon pink florals are printed on to deadstock red silk organza in London and then pleated in England. Signature Bella dresses are made from recycled poly and Liberty waste print, and feature two-tone chunky British Merino knits with voluminous magenta repurposed poly satin sleeves.
Sadness was displayed in a palette that included midnight navy, intense and spring ivory. Large graphic florals were printed in London onto navy silk organza skirts. Layers of recycled poly printed satins are placed beneath large-scale geometric jacquards woven with chunky and reclaimed woollen yarns. All yarns and embroidery tapes are sourced from deadstock.
Hope, the final section, is energetically gathered together with a group fun, optimistic patchworked unsold Vintage Denim looks with neon Houndstooth Intarsia jumpers. They were woven in England by John Smedley, knit specialists using ZQRX New Zealand Merino Wool certifications.
Teatum Jones’ classic silhouettes are all here, including oversized coats, tailored suits with belted eyelet straps, and elegant dresses with tiers and gathered sleeves. The Alex dress, with its pleated handkerchief hems & flowing gathered sleeves, is a highlight.
Teatum Jones starts upcycling project for Save the Children
Teatum Jones announced a partnership with Mary Portas for ‘Mary’s Living and Giving’. This initiative involves upcycling and deconstructing vintage denim. They have also embellished it with excess material from their factory and sampling rooms that cannot be used in garment production. All the shapes and embellishments are hand-placed, hand-fixed with no additional cutting. Each piece is handmade and unique.
Mary Portas stated that she loves Teatum Jones, and all they stand for, which is why she’s so excited about the “Re-Love” initiative. “In partnership with Liberty, my Mary’s Living & Zero Waste Initiative will be launched. Save the Children by opening gift shops Teatum Jones already live and breathe my “kindness economy” philosophy. They use local communities to inspire them, find innovative ways of reusing and repurposing materials, and they now lead this exciting, sustainable partnership. As we move out of lockdown and into a new, more responsible era for fashion, retail, this is the perfect example for a partnership for goodness which allows people to shop in an aspirational, sustainable, and ethical manner.”
Watch the full show below.
