Fashion’s ever-revolving door spins again.
Edun, the label founded by Ali Hewson and hubby Bono in 2005, announced that their creative director of six seasons Sharon Wachoub is leaving the brand to focus on her eponymous line.
New show reviews and galleries are in! Check out Edun, Whit, and Concept Korea.
This season, the Edun boy and girl went downtown with some rather dark takes on youth classics. The collection felt a little more hard-edged than in seasons past, with studded chain link sweaters for men, electric yellow tweed minis for women, and black leather biker jackets for both sexes. Bowie’s “John, I’m Only Dancing” looped Read more →
The Clothes: For Edun designer Sharon Wauchob and label co-founder Ali Hewson, this season was all about the juxtaposition of hard and soft. Wauchob combined more traditionally masculine colors and prints (military camouflage and olive green) with delicate, and sometimes sultry, elements (exposed, elastic bra straps and sequins on cargo shorts). The result is a Read more →
As day five of New York Fashion Week comes to a close, check out Timo Weiland‘s solid collection inspired by New York youth culture and outer space, Thakoon‘s subtly sexy dresses, and Edun‘s fashion with a conscience. Go here for that and all the rest of our fashion week coverage.
Sunday was a pretty major day for ethical fashion statements: Eco Age creative director and green fashion pioneer Livia Firth (wife of Colin) struck red carpet gold when Viola Davis stepped out at the BAFTAs in a Valentino gown made from recycled soda cans as the first actress to sign on to her Green Carpet Challenge 2012. On this side of the Atlantic, Edun—the ready-to-wear line founded on a commitment to encourage trade with Africa by Ali Hewson (wife of Bono)—debuted its Fall 2012 collection.
Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Livia and she reminded me of Edun’s motto “we carry the story of the people who make our clothes around with us,” which she also takes as inspiration for her own work. So what stories is Edun telling for next season?
It makes sense that fashion brands have glommed onto Tumblr. The microblogging platform’s highly visual nature is a perfect fit for fashion brands to showcase their identities in creative and subtle ways. Of course, some brands are much better at it than others. Here are the brands we think are using Tumblr best right now.
Under some train tracks in an outside alley in Chelsea, Sharon Wauchob debuted her first collection for Edun. Edun is, of course, the eco-label founded by Ali Hewson and her famous husband. You know who it is. He sings in a band. He wasn’t there. (Gavin Rossdale was, however.)
Edun has been plagued by some inconsistency issues since its inception in 2005. After a big welcome from retailers in the beginning, the Wall Street Journal recently reported that Edun was carried at only 67 stores worldwide, down from hundreds at its heyday in 2006. The company floundered further after creative director Rogan Gregory left in 2007 and the industry as a whole was hit by the recession.
Enter LVMH, who purchased 49% of the company in 2009. Sharon Wauchob was hired as creative director, and most of the company’s production was moved to China after retailers complained about the quality of the garments coming from African facilities. Ali told the WSJ, “It’s a fashion company. That needs to be first and foremost.” Some t-shirts, denim, and jewelry will still be produced in Africa, and the company is hoping to increase African production in the future.
