fashion designer
fashion designer

Patrick McDowell in his studio at the JCA London Fashion Academy. Photograph by Aaron Bird

As the world’s fashion capitals gear up for fashion week, we’re celebrating designers who are paving the way for a more sustainable and ethical industry. Here, Patrick McDowell meets with Ella Johnson in his new studio at the JCA London Fashion Academy to discuss how sustainable fashion and social impact go hand in hand

Liverpool-born, London-based designer Patrick McDowell captured the world’s attention in 2018 with his graduate collection made from old Swarovski crystals and Burberry fabric donated by Christopher Bailey. Proving that sustainable fashion need not be synonymous with mundanity, McDowell was soon after nominated by Anna Wintour for the Stella McCartney Today for Tomorrow Award, and he subsequently went on to host London Fashion Week’s first ever Swap Shop.

Today, the 26-year-old has just been named the inaugural Designer in Residence at Professor Jimmy Choo’s JCA London Fashion Academy, where he will continue to make one collection a year under his eponymous label while carrying out sustainability advisory to other brands. But far from becoming a global brand overnight, McDowell is preoccupied with elevating other underprivileged creatives through scholarship programmes within the industry. Here, he explains why there is no time to waste.

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LUX: Your first interaction with upcycling was when you created a bag from an old pair of jeans at 13. Was that a consciously sustainable act?
Patrick McDowell: It was the defiant act of a child who had been told ‘no’. Typically, in very working-class areas, your school uniform is bought three sizes too big so that you can grow into it. I was just sick of this really long satchel bashing against my knees, so I made one that was shorter out of a pair of jeans I knew I was never going to wear. Nowadays, it’s quite cool for kids to chop and make stuff, but back then it was all about buying. So, while I had made the bag with a needle and thread, people didn’t believe that I had made it. I quite liked that reaction, because I thought I must be alright [at fashion] if people thought I’d bought it.

It was crazy, really: I was this curly haired, 13-year-old child – nobody could tell if I was a boy or girl – walking around in this very sad uniform with these elaborate handbags that I had been making! It was a very working-class suburb of Liverpool, and looking back, I suppose it must have been quite unusual.

fashion shoot

LUX: Your ‘Catholic Fairytales’ collection addresses some of that disillusionment.
Patrick McDowell: I had a very Catholic upbringing. Every day started with a prayer. As a gay person growing up in that, it was quite challenging to realise that everything built around you was disagreeing with who you were. At 13, my Religious Studies teacher told me that it was OK to be gay, so long as I didn’t act on those feelings.

So, it was quite therapeutic doing ‘Catholic Fairytales’. The final irony of that collection is that what I did is way less avant-garde than actual priest robes, which have months and months of handwork. The recent history of the Catholic church is, on the whole, one of extreme extravagance. I did this very big, phallic hat for my collection, which people were surprised that I hadn’t invented – there was a papal tiara that shape, which they got rid of in the 1950s because they thought it was too over the top.

Read more: Patrick Sun on Promoting LGBTQ+ Art in Asia

LUX: What was your experience of joining Central Saint Martins as a northern, working-class, queer individual?
Patrick McDowell: I almost quit in the beginning. I somehow managed to get in without a foundation course, which is not meant to happen, and I failed the first year. I had such a panic because I’d spent six years trying to get there, but never considered what I’d do when I got there. All that self-limiting stuff comes from the class system and growing up working class. The school system is awful. It’s one of the reasons why I’m now such an advocate for creative education. I experienced how beneficial that kind of education can be, but also how hard it can be if you don’t do the ‘right’ things in the ‘right’ way.

fashion shoot

LUX: Do you feel a responsibility to elevate others in the industry?
Patrick McDowell: I’m very aware of how privileged I am, but my journey, from where I came from to where I am now, was a lonely one. I embody that journey, but at the same time, I graduated from one of the world’s best fashion schools with a collection made from Burberry fabric donated by Christopher Bailey, and old Swarovski crystals, with a British Fashion Council scholarship. All of those things opened the doors for me. That’s why I cried every day for two weeks, walking across Hanover Square, when I first came [to the Jimmy Choo Academy]: I was so overwhelmed. But I’ve realised that by letting myself get so overwhelmed, I wasn’t doing anything productive. When I started looking into it, I was shocked that there aren’t more scholarships available in schools. It’s so easy and inexpensive for brands to do it, plus there’s no bad press for starting one. That’s why I built a scholarship programme into my next contract with Pinko. It’s also why I’ll always push for as many social and educational initiatives as I can. It’s usually something people come to later in their career, but in my view, there’s no time to waste.

LUX: You say that it is not only a designer’s responsibility to ‘create beautiful clothing’, but to also ‘redesign the systems they sit within’. How are you doing that from a sustainability perspective?
Patrick McDowell: I was already sustainability ambassador for the Jimmy Choo Academy, and now I’m also Designer in Residence. I only do one avant-garde collection a year. I’ll be doing my next collection in September so there’s no rush, which I appreciate: I can do it when I want to do it.

The rest of the year, I work with brands, schools, and Graduate Fashion Week. I mentioned Pinko, with whom we have a social corporate and sustainability focus. I’m about to do my fourth collection with them, but this year we’ve expanded it so that the business is also committing to 30% of this overall product having a sustainable attribute. We’re also starting a social sustainability programme to start scholarships and a stronger internship programme.

I’m not interested in constantly producing thousands of the same dress in slightly different colours because that’s how you grow a brand through a wholesale business model. I’m not desperate to become a global brand overnight. The impact I’ve made with all the projects I have done has been way bigger because I’ve worked with bigger organisations to make it happen, rather than going at it alone.

fashion designer at work

Photograph by Aaron Bird

LUX: This disinterest in building a brand overnight, is it personal to you or common among your peers?
Patrick McDowell: These days, it’s definitely more common for Central Saint Martins students to say they want to do less or fewer collections. Richard Malone is a great example of someone who has a very successful business that he’s intentionally keeping at a certain size, and making beautiful pieces that a certain type of person wants to buy or order. He has a made-to-order service in Selfridges. I never thought I’d see that!

Read more: Markus Müller on the Importance of Global Sustainability Standards

LUX: Would you say that sustainability is a modern day luxury?
Patrick McDowell: I think it is a version of luxury that we see now. For a long time, harm was  fashionable. ‘How many exotic animals are in your Birkin? Mine’s got four’ – that kind of thing. Now, people take pride in saying ‘my jacket didn’t harm anything’. That’s an interesting shift. But it’s complicated, because for some people, wearing an outfit from a fast fashion company is their only way to feel like the person they want to be. I’m not going to be the person sitting in this Mayfair studio telling them that fast fashion is wrong. If that’s something that keeps that person going, then they need that. It always goes back to education and class systems, and to the fact that this country is set up to stifle the majority of the people that exist in it. And remembering too that it’s not sustainable either to completely change a business that supports thousands of people, because those people would then have no jobs.

LUX: What has the response been from the brands with whom you work on sustainability initiatives?
Patrick McDowell: It can sometimes be difficult going into a brand and disrupting the whole way they work. A brand is used to working in a very linear way, and then I go in and start asking people to work with each other who would never usually each other. But all those connections are exactly what businesses will need to grow and survive. I hope that I can do these things with brands and then, once I leave, there’s the infrastructure in place for them to do the work themselves.

LUX: It’s as though brands need external disruption to make change.
Patrick McDowell: It can’t happen with the teams as they already exist. Everyone is so busy; it just doesn’t work. But they’re going to have to start somewhere, so that’s where my consultancy approach helps. I’m not locked into these crazy fashion cycles. We have to rethink everything right now, to find creative solutions for everything from journalism to mathematics, science to fashion. It’s an extremely modern way to be working – to be passion- and emotion-led. It’s what resonates.

LUX: During London Fashion Week in 2020, you collaborated with the Global Fashion Exchange to host the first Swap Shop. What was that like?
Patrick McDowell: It was the first Swap Shop for any major fashion week, and we re-circulated 500 garments in 3 days. I always think that fashion weeks should be idea hubs; you don’t have to have it fully formed – just show an idea. We digitally tokenised all the swaps through QR codes, and we didn’t know if it was going to work, but now everyone’s doing it!

fashion photography

LUX: Is this pressure for perfection holding fashion back sustainability-wise?
Patrick McDowell: Sometimes we’re so scared of making everything so polished – especially with sustainability, where there is so much anxiety. We’d rather say nothing, because if we say something, people are going to criticise everything. But we all have a responsibility to just let people try things out and make mistakes. People think businesses are these holy grails of perfection, but the fact is they’re made by people, and people make mistakes.

LUX: It sounds like we need to put the fun back into fashion.
Patrick McDowell: Yes, you have to do sustainability in a way that’s fashion. It’s still fashion week, and it has to work for fashion week. It has to look great. Don’t be lazy. Just because you remade something doesn’t mean it can look bad, it still needs to be aspirational!

That’s one of the reasons my graduate collection went so well, I think, because it was all made from this old Burberry fabric, and it was glam, fab, and clean. It’s an easy message to get your head around: old stuff, turned into new stuff. I haven’t reinvented the wheel, or spent 20 years trying to get the spider make silk. Not everything has to be life-changing.

LUX: Can you tell us about your next collection?
Patrick McDowell: Marie Antoinette.

Find out more: patrickmcdowell.co.uk

All fashion images: Patrick McDowell’s ‘Catholic Fairytales’ collection, photographed by Aaron Bird

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As the days get shorter and the light begins to fade, mark the seasonal changes with these warm-toned essentials

Founded by sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, The Row is renowned for understated silhouettes inspired by the minimalist aesthetic of 1980s New York. Following this form, their mustard-yellow Ulmer sweater is knitted in soft cashmere with raw edges at the cuffs and hem

matchesfashion.com

Cartier’s iconic panther motif, dating from 1914, has been reimagined many times to reflect different facets of the animal’s character. Here, the feline appears languid and graceful on a delicate 18k yellow-gold bracelet set with diamonds, tsavorite garnets and onyx.

cartier.com

Known for her avant-garde menswear designs, Grace Wales Bonner’s collections are full of references from cultural research, mixing motifs from black culture with British tailoring techniques. These navy blue trousers with a velvet green stripe are one of our favourites.

walesbonner.net

Crafted from beige canvas with a tan leather trim, this Cassandra shoulder bag by Saint Laurent takes inspiration from classic safari style. The gold-top YSL plaque opens to a tan suede interior with two spacious compartments and additional zip pockets

ysl.com

This playful multicoloured gilet by Gucci is made from a patchwork of gingham, polka dot and tartan fabrics. Embroidered lettering on the back reads “Gucci Band”, referencing the brand’s focus on togetherness. With a relaxed fit, it layers well over a jumper or jacket.

mrporter.com

The Giona dress by Roksanda is inspired by the silhouettes of early 20th-century Gibson Girl images. In an eye-catching scarlet-red crepe, the dress falls in gathered tiers to a romantic floor-sweeping hemline with a high ruffled neck accented by burgundy velvet ties.

matchesfashion.com

This article originally appeared in the Autumn/Winter 2020/2021 Issue. 

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Build your autumn wardrobe from the collections of ethically and environmentally minded designers

Mara Hoffman’s Catalina jacket evokes a tropical mood in a vivid red hue with lightly padded shoulders and a flattering plunging V neckline. The jacket is crafted from a blend of linen and a sustainable rayon fibre, and it features a tie at the front for a customisable fit.

net-a-porter.com

In 2020, Rosh Mahtani of Alighieri became the first jewellery designer to win the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design for her poetic, ethically produced, handmade pieces. These Infinite Song earrings in gold-plated bronze are inspired by Eliot’s ‘The Waste Land’.

alighieri.co.uk

Stella McCartney has long championed sustainable design through the use of innovative processes and materials. This stylish saddle-shaped bag is made from the brand’s signature vegetarian leather with a woven canvas strap that sits cross-body or on your shoulder.

net-a-porter.com

French brand Veja has a strong focus on social and environmental responsibility. All of the brand’s trainers are made from organic or recycled cotton, wild rubber and recycled plastic bottles. We especially love this pair’s striking navy blue and white colour palette.

veja-store.com

Crafted from a recycled wool mix with a slim-fit cut, these gender-neutral tailored trousers by sustainable brand Riley Studio make an elegant and versatile wardrobe staple. As with all of the brand’s products, they are designed to last years of wear.

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These Kallio sunglasses by London-based brand MONC are crafted in a workshop in Italy using bio-acetate frames and mineral-glass lenses, both of which are highly durable as well as bio-degradable. The design for this pair is inspired by an artistic district of Helsinki.

monclondon.com

This article originally appeared in the Autumn/Winter 2020/2021 Issue. 

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Product image of glasses and fishing nets
Product image of glasses and fishing nets

Sea2See turns discarded plastic fishing nets into high-fashion eyewear

François van den Abeele had a dream – to turn discarded plastic fishing nets into high-fashion, hand-finished eyewear. People once laughed at him, but now, as he leads a swell of eco-entrepreneurs, his products are in increasing demand around the world. He tells LUX how he created an ecosystem around his brand, Sea2See
Portrait of man holding glasses

François van den Abeele

“My love of water sports nurtured a passion for the ocean and brought me to focus on the problem of plastic contamination in our seas. I had spent a lot of time reading about the degradation of our oceans, the problems surrounding marine plastic, and about the brands trying to implement circular economy in the way they produce.

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“I began to investigate ways of using plastic waste as a raw material to produce something that people would use and potentially wear. Sustainability is non-existent in the optical world; the main raw material used is plastic and 40 per cent of the population wears glasses. It was a perfect win, win, win.

“All this, along with a personal motivation to change my profession and do something positive with a sustainable impact culminated in the creation of Sea2See Eyewear.

“We have agreements with 27 ports in Spain, six in France and now we are starting in Ghana. We collect on average half a ton of plastic waste per day that we recycle to produce all of our optical frames in Italy.

Fishermen standing on a boat deck

“The market is changing, and consumers are more and more worried about the future we will leave to our kids. The proof is that in three years we are being sold in more than 2,500 optical stores across Europe and North America, and the numbers are growing.

Read more: Highlights from the 3rd edition of NOMAD St. Moritz

“People laughed at me four years ago when I had the idea of producing glasses with recycled marine plastic. Today we get calls daily from stores or brands that want our product or to collaborate with us.

“There is a global awareness that we must treat our planet better and consume differently, and Sea2See, thanks to its customers, is doing its part. Sustainable glasses will not change the world. People that wear them will.”

Discover the collections: sea2see.org

This article was originally published in the Spring 2020 Issue.

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graphic banner in red, white and blue reading Charlie Newman's model of the month

Portrait of young woman with red hair

British model Anna Proffitt. Instagram: @annaproffitt

LUX contributing editor and model at Models 1, Charlie Newman continues her online exclusive series, interviewing her peers about their creative pursuits, passions and politics

colour headshot of blond girl laughing with hand against face wearing multiple rings

Charlie Newman

THIS MONTH: 22-year-old British model Anna Proffitt has appeared on the catwalk for top fashion houses and graced the pages of many glossy magazines all while juggling a university degree and setting up a platform to discuss slow fashion. Here, she talks to Charlie about escaping to the countryside, sustainable shopping habits and reintroducing a ‘mend-it’ mentality.

Charlie Newman: Firstly, can you tell me about your background? Where did you grow up?
Anna Proffitt: I actually just moved back to the village I grew up in, I missed the countryside and Derbyshire folk when I was in London full time! I’m from a tiny village near the Peak District that’s all hills, fields and forests. I love it now, but not so much when I was young, I thought it was very boring. Everything was very quiet, my primary school class only had nine students. I remember passing my driving test in about four months so I could have some freedom! Now I’m so happy to live in the quiet, I can hike, climb, run and see the horizon all the time. I’m much more productive when I’m here, it’s all the clean air.

Follow LUX on Instagram: luxthemagazine

Charlie Newman: Were you always interested in fashion fashion?
Anna Proffitt: It’s the classic story of someone from the middle of nowhere seeing fashion as this glamorous escapism. I had a subscription to Vogue when I was 14 and fantasised about what it would be like to work in the industry. I did Fashion Design at College then Fashion Communication at University. Midway through studying I was scouted by an agency in Milan and went there in my summer break. When I came back I decided that I wanted to pursue it properly so applied to London agencies online and Models 1 signed me. Having worked for three years now experiencing the ups and downs, I am so grateful for the opportunities that have come out of it and know how to make it work for me. I have great respect for models, you have to be very strong and grounded to succeed.

Model wearing puffy yellow tutu

Instagram: @annaproffitt

Charlie Newman: How easy was it to manage both modelling and studying?
Anna Proffitt: I studied at Nottingham Trent University so I was on the train to London pretty frequently. At times, it was hard to juggle as my course was very intensive. I am naturally organised and hard working so I made it happen, I wrote a lot of my dissertation in queues for Fashion Week castings! I don’t think I would have done it in a different order as my modelling career helped with my course, it inspired and influenced a lot of the projects I did. I had a real industry perspective so could tune my projects to what actually happens in fashion, not just what I read about. I’m lucky to have had truly supportive agency that respected my studies and asked how I was. The stress of third year really took its toll on me so I took a long break from modelling but with a great team, I came back and walked Celine in the September after graduation.

Charlie Newman: In my opinion, catwalk modelling is the most gruelling part of the industry. How do you get through fashion week?
Anna Proffitt: It really is! I’ve certainly not always thrived in it, you have to be so in tune with yourself and able to ignore a lot as the nature of the process strips away your self-worth very easily if you let it. But then you have to be in it to win it. It’s all about the balance of knowing what is right and safe for your physical and mental health whilst allowing your ego to take you into that model mentality. I have a much stronger sense of self now, I guess it comes with age. So fashion week wouldn’t be so gruelling for me now as I know how to keep myself level.

Read more: Truffle making & Michelin-star dining at St. James’s Hotel & Club

Charlie Newman: What has been your favourite show to walk in and why?
Anna Proffitt: Celine is the biggest show I’ve walked yet and it was amazing to be surrounded by some of the biggest names in the industry. It was fascinating to see how a big fashion house works and be a part of the hype around Hedi Slimane’s first season at Celine. As a dressmaker myself, it was a dream come true to see how expert tailors fit the garments and discuss fabrics. I love Paris so much too, being able to spend 3 weeks there was amazing. Travel is definitely the biggest perk of the job!

Charlie Newman: Other than Celine, what’s been a career highlight so far?
Anna Proffitt: I loved the shoot I did for Wonderland Magazine with Campaign for Wool. It was all about championing British industry and conscious consumption which I am extremely passionate about and it was also my first glossy magazine shoot. I ended up collaborating with Campaign for Wool on my final major project at University. It’s so fulfilling when you meet lovely people on a job that you get on with and can work with on other projects.

Charlie Newman: Who do you look up to within the industry?
Anna Proffitt: I look up to the Ateliers of Haute Couture, they are some of the most skilful and talented people on the planet. My favourite artists in the industry are Rei Kawakubo, Tim Walker, the late Alexander McQueen and Christopher Simmonds.

Young female model with red hair

Instagram: @annaproffitt

Charlie Newman: How did you come up with the concept for The Idle Hands Collective?
Anna Proffitt: Idle Hands is a platform that discusses conscious consumption in the fashion industry. It started as a way I could visually explore the topic so more people can join the conversation. I am passionate about the craft of fashion and using what we already have, there are so many amazing clothes in the world we don’t need to make more, especially more that are made from plastic and fall apart after one wear. I want to champion quality over quantity and prove you don’t have to forfeit your aesthetic in the slightest to dress sustainably. The blog consists of think pieces about sustainable fashion and features people, makers and communities that are paving the way. It goes alongside my vintage and up-cycled business which I have on Depop and my Instagram.

Read more: Why Spain is best for cultural travelling by Geoffrey Kent

Charlie Newman: As consumers, how can we make our approach to fashion more sustainable?
Anna Proffitt: Stop buying crap clothes! Why would you want to put your hard-earned cash to something that you know will only last you about two months? I would love to see a massive shift in consumer mentality that champions quality items over anything the fast fashion brands give you (which are inherently made to be disposable). I would love for charity and second-hand shops to be destigmatized and a ‘make do and mend’ mentality to be reintroduced. In this consumerist society, we can vote with our wallet, so make your money count.

black and white portrait of a woman

Instagram: @annaproffitt

Charlie Newman: Who are your favourite sustainable brands?
Anna Proffitt: My favourite sustainable fashion brands are: Paloma Wool which is ethically made in Barcelona, Girls of Mars, FARA Charity shops because they are usually nicely presented and Rokit Vintage (my favourite is the Covent Garden branch). I am currently using a face oil by an independent maker called Lovely Skincare based in Sheffield and I use Neal’s Yard too as their green credentials are to be envied.  The Body Shop and L’Occitane have recently teamed up with TerraCycle so you can recycle all beauty empties in store, which is quite revolutionary. The best places to shop are always local; support your local community. Shop your local markets, greengrocers, hardware stores, charity shops and book shops.

Charlie Newman: Lastly who is your role model of the month and why?
Anna Proffitt: My role model of the month is the climber Nina Williams. I watched her documentary at the Reel Rock Film Festival and I am in awe of her mindset and strength. Go check her out!

Follow Anna on Instagram: @annaproffitt

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