Let’s talk about fashion!

Hello my lovelies! Another week gone by and at least things started to wind down. Life is slowly coming back to normal and I am happy to report that I am finally breathing again! Anyway, I will treat this September as if it’s New Year. I will only say that I have huge plans for the next months, but I will not spoil anything!

I wanted to write this blog for quite a while, but life got in the way! Between my hand and summer and work, I only found time to post about it now. I am sure by the time this post is published all of London will have visited V&A and this exhibition in particular! For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, today I’m going to tell you about my impression on the “Fashioned from Nature” exhibition at the Victoria and Albert. I am cheating a little bit, as I have already written about it on the blog of the company I’m working for, but that’s okay, right?

The exhibition moves in two directions; the first one is the natural ingredients that helped make clothes for thousands of years and the second one is how nature has inspired fashion. There’s also a third direction, which is the alternative ways of doing fashion, but I will explain that in a little bit.

As I ‘m sure you know, natural fabrics, like cotton or silk or linen have been used for a long time, because they were easy to get from nature. Both cotton and linen are plants, so they were easy to grow and cultivate and eventually be used as clothes materials. All of these three fabrics are perfect for the skin, as they are breathable and comfortable next to the body. Because they are protein in nature (silk) and come from plants (cotton and linen), they are not irritating. All in all, cotton, silk, linen and even bamboo are the best natural fabrics and make such long-lasting clothes that the need for them shouldn’t have been that high. There-in lies the third direction of the “Fashioned from Nature” exhibition; because we live now in an era dominated by fast fashion, the Earth’s natural resources (and I’m not talking only about fabrics, but also water needed in the making process and also gas needed in the transportation) are dwindling fast, so we must look into more “ethical” and sustainable fashion.

I could talk to you about sustainable fashion for quite a while, as it is an interesting subject for me. In part because I’m working for a company that produces clothes made from natural fabrics, and because I understand that food and fashion are exhausting all natural resources, having the choice of more sustainable fashion is a huge deal in my view. I hope in a few years everyone will be talking about sustainable fashion and the process of making clothes from, let’s say, recycled fabrics will be the norm. Here’s to hoping at least!

The other part of the exhibition was how nature was interpreted when making fashion. Flowers, animals and everything from the natural world was inspiring when making dresses, waistcoats, accessories and everything in-between! It’s completely understandable in my opinion; fashion, like any type of art, is inspired by the environment. Just like these well-admired paintings depicting nature (rivers and mountains and animals), fashion works in the same way. It’s no wonder that florals are dominating catwalks no matter the season!

From a person interested in all aspects of fashion, and out of professional curiosity (I feel so important now… lol) when I first visited the exhibition, I felt so overwhelmed! To see for example the dress Emma Watson wore for the Met Gala in 2016 or a Jean Paul Gaultier unbelievable dress were a true revelation for me. But, I’m not sure that for a person not interested in fashion, this exhibition will be equally fascinating. Perhaps they could try the first floor that focuses mainly on global supply chains in fashion and the need for more sustainability? Or you can just take the plunge and visit the exhibition regardless, no matter if it’s not your cup of tea? After all, life is all about experiencing things you wouldn’t before, no?

If you still haven’t visited “Fashioned from Nature”, don’t stress as it will be on until January. Plenty of time yet! Victoria and Albert is such a beautiful place that only one visit is not nearly enough! So, get out and enjoy!

Till next time,

Sofia-Maria