Eye: Bethany Williams Presents Sustainable, Socially-Conscious, Thoughtful Collection At LFWM
/Eye: Bethany Williams Presents Sustainable, Socially-Conscious, Thoughtful Collection At LFWM
Bethany Williams believes that social and environmental issues go hand in hand and through exploring the connection between these issues we may find innovative design solutions to sustainability. The goal is not to just comment on a community, but work in their social spaces to try to create a change through furthering economic gain for charity.
Williams brought these core principles to her appearance at Day 1 of London Fashion Week Men's. introducing a global public to the considerable moral and environmentally responsible activism embedded in her small collection. According to her press release:
For her Spring/Summer 2018 collection, “Attenzione” electrical tape and wine bottle packaging were woven into practical and durable new textiles at San Patrignano and used to create outerwear, and the inspiring stories of the women she met were woven into a printed textile collage. Jersey pieces from the collection were also produced collaboratively with the women at Making for Change. The collection also funnels money back into the enterprises – 10% of the profit from each garment sold is donated to San Patrignano, and a further 10% is donated to LCF’s Making for Change to purchase new machinery. As well as integrating socially conscious design into her collection Bethany is equally committed to sustainability and sourcing. The knitwear from ‘Women of Change’ has been created through taking recycled wool and denim from Kent and then hand knitting them through cottage industry on the Isle of Man where she grew up. Raw materials are sourced from Chris Carney Collections, a recycling and sorting facility where it goes on to be washed, cut and unraveled before the hand knitting process. Other denim elements within the collection are sourced alongside this and unpicked before being reconstituted into new garments. – from Bethany Williams