Notes from THEKEY.TO
The 4th edition of THEKEY.TO, international event for green fashion, sustainable lifestyle and culture, has been a great Conspiracy!
It has been a nice occasion to meet many young designers at their first show and well established brands from all over Europe. This and the substantial amount of innovative ideas presented, were the most appealing.
On the first day, after the press conference at the presence of the former German “Minister for consumer protection” and patron of the fair, Renate Künast, few brands had the chance to showcase their designs in a simple and fascinating catwalk.
Roaming between the different stands was possible to notice the presence of individual designers as well as of a couple of agencies there to represent different brands. Many choose recycling as their primary approach to Ethical Fashion – from sox to military blankets, from ties to car interiors. Others pointed everything on organic and natural materials: cotton, wool and silk were the most represented. But for sure the most important part of the work was directed by all brands towards innovative materials and creative design.
As per the other editions, THEKEY.TO Conspiracy! is not only trade show, but also a meeting point for many and an occasion for networking with brands, designers, boggers, journalists, consultants among others. The different workshops and the boot camp offered a good chance to deepen some aspects of ethical fashion and get to know new initiatives and best practices. The time spent listening to Summer Rayne Oakes explaining her project Source4Style gave to all participants a clear and sound vision of what this is all about.
Praising all brands (here the whole list) for their great achievements and for being part of the Conspiracy, we would like to mention – beside the five Italian brands already mentioned in a previous post – a few that really stroke us:
- Elementum a clothing collection based on the total use of a piece of a cloth where minimum cuts provide maximum use. Amazing alpaca wool for winter and soft organic cotton jersey for summer to wrap your body letting you play with the simple lines and cuts of these pieces.
- Steinwidder from unwanted sox to the most innovative and appealing clothing. The architectural construction of each piece of the collection reflects the the unicity of the row material. The final result can at times look curious but is of sure effect.
- Reet Aus A very interesting and challenging recycled denim collection from Estonia. Unexpected and fresh design takes up-cycled denim to a totally new level.
- Isabell de Hillerin is working with local Romanian manufacturers to support the production of handmade materials. She adds traditional Romanian embroidery to her designs. The end result, for her new collection called ‘Patina’, is a fascinating mixture of elegance and tradition, sculptured cuts and draped materials.
Ethicalista 