No plastics, synthetics, fossil fuels or electricity were used in the production of Angel Chang’s latest zero-carbon womenswear collection.
While the clothes seem fairly simple in shape, the collection and setting for the preview held at Chelsea’s Pace Gallery in New York City on Thursday was sure to cleanse the palate of the week’s usual loud music and overstimulated nature. of Fashion in New York. The emphasis was on leisure suits and casual jackets in natural dyed hues (sun-bleached stone, yellow, orange and a washed indigo) paired with wide sandals.
To miss the inspiration behind Angel Chang’s recent presentation “Weaving the Future with Indigenous Textiles” is to miss thousands of years of technique. Chang’s ancestral roots reach back 14 generations of Chinese herbalists, and her artisans—ethnic minority grandmothers in rural China’s Guizhou province—uphold a similarly focused craft. The production process takes at least six months (from growing the cotton to the final sewing of the garment).
As for how Chang is slowing down the fast-fashion system? It takes diligence.
“For my collection, I follow a zero-carbon design approach that I created for myself. My zero-carbon design philosophy follows three core principles: no electricity, all-natural, locally produced,” Chang told WWD. “Following these rules, the collection is made without plastics, synthetic chemicals or fossil fuels. It is made hyper-vertically in one place using raw materials in season and creating local jobs in rural communities. Every piece is 100 percent handmade from seed to button, from the local seed cotton we grow on the ground to the hand spinning, hand weaving, dyeing and sewing.”
By staying on the zero carbon course, Chang is able to make changes to today’s industry norms.
“For me, I feel it’s easy to be part of the fashion system because that’s where I got my training,” she said. “I know what the industry can and cannot do and the levers to move it forward. To be more sustainable, my advice would be to reconnect with nature and learn how clothing was made before the Industrial Revolution 200 years ago. Clothing has historically been made in a sustainable way and we can revive these traditional practices that are healthier for ourselves and the planet.”
A champagne reception followed the presentation as Chang – celebrating a decade in business – is one of the designers participating in the Cartier Women’s Initiative.
