With Love, From New York
Anne James New York Brings Us Made-to-Measure Womenswear & Vintage Inspirations
From fabric waste to chemical pollution, waste waters to the negative impact on workers across supply chains — the fashion industry has an enormous amount of cleaning up to do. Now more than ever, consumers have the resources they need to make better fashion decisions. We sat down with #reFashion Week Sustainable Designer of the Year, Anne James, to learn a little bit more about the impact of the fashion industry and her sustainable fashion line based in New York City.
What’s the most challenging aspect of running a sustainable business?
Being honest, the most challenging aspect is the high cost. Our current shopping zeitgeist, since we moved production to huge factories offshore in the 80s and 90s, has consumers expecting very low cost items. The model is set up such that the more orders, the cheaper the item. But that’s what’s leading us to overproduction and textile waste. Another challenge is that right now, to make every piece individually, the lead time is slow and again, the cost is so high. It’s the opposite of the model we have now. It’s an extreme. Moreover, it’s rather hard to build a business based on seasons and sales, and promote the sustainable essential of less at the same time. The industry will heal a bit when it can pursue the middle.
What kind of materials do you use when creating your pieces? How do you keep your pieces sustainable?
As there are millions of textiles in landfills around the world, I didn’t want to contribute to this problem but rather help tackle it while also creating my “new” vision. It can be difficult to be confined to the limited stock and the fact that remnant pieces aren’t easily replenishable, but ultimately it’s a challenge that has to be embraced in the name of less waste. It also fostered my embrace of custom clothes, which I deeply believe in even without fabric limitations.
Right now, I use what is considered waste fabric by the industry. Lots of fabric gets made globally for many fashion companies that can’t possibly use it all. So instead of throwing it away, they donate it or sell it to wonderful resources like Queen Of Raw, Rimmons Fabric in Los Angeles, and FabScrap in New York City. I didn’t want to contribute to the textile waste problem—I could help, instead, by cleaning up. Of course someday I would love to make clothes out of recycled threads, remade of textile scraps. The future of how to really eliminate waste in fashion has not been discovered.
Could you briefly describe your custom process in more detail?
My silhouettes are fairly simple right now, as I explore basics and pieces that I feel are missing from my own extensive wardrobe and yet what I still feel I really need. But down the line, I hope to begin custom designing pieces for individual people. Making something come to life that truly represents that person. What could be more special than a custom outfit? And I get so inspired by the fabric! There really is so much beautiful fabric available that deserves love, use and preservation.
What inspired you to create a sustainable fashion line?
My brand name came to me while I was at Parsons, dreaming up my future as a designer—what that would mean, what that would look like. James is my mother’s family’s name. All of the James women are so elegant, they have the best style. But so much more than that, they are strong and charitable women, who work hard as doctors, realtors, artists, etc. while also raising children. The James women don’t back down at anything, and they do everything with kindness and generosity. And New York, well, it’s where I always wanted to be. It really is where magic happens. I want my work to emulate all of this—through bespoke, empowering, conscious clothing—and of course embrace my deep passion for a more eco-innovative, and kind, fashion industry.
Model: @kaishelllover
Photos: Kiana Kanoa