Cult London designer Ada Zanditon talks to Chasseur on the importance of ethical fashion and how she is challenging the common stereotypes.
Ethical fashion designer Ada Zanditon is an uncompromising young woman of extreme intelligence, lauded by Vogue for her; “geometric cuts, bodycon shapes and kaleidoscopic prints. For Ada Zanditon, her love and talent for fashion is a powerful double-edged sword and she is, alongside Christopher Raeburn, one of London’s chief progenitors of sustainable fashion, but Ada is far from what you would expect of an ‘ethical’ fashion designer, rather she is a, fashion forward thinker who creates cutting edge clothing. As this movement gains momentum in the industry then, who better to sit down with and discuss its importance and our own responsibility as industry leaders to champion the cause and how and why sustainable fashion is finally escaping out of its box.
Inspired by Katherine Hamnett, a designer who has always been at the forefront of sustainable yet innovative fashion and who also uses her work to promote the causes in which she believes, Ada was also influenced during her time at London College of Fashion where the idea of sustainable fashion is integrated into every course.
For Ada, fashion is both an art and a form of communication. Through fashion she believes that what we can convey is infinite, not just about ourselves, but also the bigger picture. A keen interest in science and a fascination with nature, which is her main source of inspiration for her designs, Ada finds a sort of magical harmony between fashion and the natural world that she weaves into her work with stunning results (most all of the designers collections have had a natural theme from which inspiration has been drawn).
“As a designer we hold a powerful position of responsibility and should use it as such, sustainable fashion is in the hands of the designer”; Zanditon is just as interested in using her role to spread the message of the beauty and wonder of nature as to the next big trends and what makes a woman look good, and that we should both acknowledge and cultivate a harmonious relationship with the natural world as opposed to a destructive one.
The idea of sustainable fashion is simple, it is the idea in fashion that we can create a system which can be supported indefinitely in terms of environmental impact and social responsibility. It is unfortunately mired in poor public image that the new breed of ethical designers are smashing down;
“I have a lot to talk about as a designer because I have a strong aesthetic – and a very innovative use of sustainable materials and production, but my methods of production do not define my aesthetic – my passion for narrative defines my aesthetic and would do so whether it was sustainable or not… sustainability has to be interesting, inspiring and fashion forward to be exciting to read about, engage with and ultimately buy … ”
Ethical fashion does not have to mean the stereotypical dowdy hemp sack clothing. Designers like Ada Zanditon with the cutting edge garments she creates are challenging this perception and proving it wholly wrong. Her innovative use of fashion film, a medium that is increasing popular in the fashion industry and is in itself a sustainable form of communication, also aids in keeping her message fresh and modern. Her fashion film ‘Tigress Rain’ is prime Ada Zanditon, it displays her interest and inspiration in nature and how this leads her to create her signature tough, edgy and ultimately sexy designs. Ada is a big supporter of Panthera, the Tiger conservation group and her research led into them and female tigers led her to draw comparisons between these animals and the women she design’s for. Female tigers are powerful, aggressive and violent, yet also beautiful and elegant creatures, and this is how Ada also sees women; in particular she notes The Bride in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. Her SS13 collection is based around this comparison and is suitably goddess like. The garments do as they intend and enable the wearer to convey her inner warrior /tiger queen; the Ada Zanditon woman is sexy and powerful.