There are many events around Los Angeles for Los Angeles Fashion Week—from the latest PETA campaign, to upcycled collections at the Nya Studios in Hollywood. One show that stands out from the sustainable rest is the launch of the new Merci Dupre Clothiers Enviroware Collection, which was unveiled yesterday at The Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills.
The new collection is made exclusively from high-end cotton, hemp, silk, and linen. It includes silk dresses, bunched at the waist, as well as champagne hued skirts with black tulle, simple black dresses with spaghetti straps, organic cotton shirts and capes. It’s all about enhancing our health and wellness.
“I think of myself as a fashion engineer, not just a fashion designer,” said Merci Dupre Clothiers founder Dr. Christina Rahm. “It’s protective clothing, the first of its kind.”
The new collection, which was introduced by Karen Floyd of Elysian, includes extravagant, upcycled denim pieces, transparent tulle pieces paired with big hats and 1980s-era inspired ripped jeans paired with jackets and crop tops.
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“I wanted to create a collection that women can wear every day,” she said. “Whether it’s long, flowing dresses or simple shirts, nothing beats affordable basics.”
Over the past year, Dr. Rahm has worked with 28 types of cotton and 17 types of hemp to build this collection. Many of the fabrics were sourced in Milan, and much of the collection is created from deadstock, upcycled and sustainable fabrics.
“The fashion and textile industry knows that pollution is impacting us all,” said Dr. Rahm. “We’re all trying to not emit pollution into the world. Sustainability is hard to tame. It’s something we have to work on.”
The showcase, presented by Elysian, ROOT and DRC Ventures, all started with a podcast. Dr. Rahm is the host of Under The Red Chandelier, which interviews creative leaders working in fashion, creativity and the arts. Born out of these hour-long conversations, she wanted to create her own project—a fashion brand that wasn’t only stylish, but one that would educate women on how to protect their skin from toxins, bacteria, pollution, and UV rays.
“My goal with this fashion collection is to get the attention of women, because if women know, they’re going to care,” she says. “We can protect our bodies from our harsh environmental conditions, all the while looking fashionable.”
Dr. Rahm claims to have pioneered a breakthrough technology called Super Skin Coating, a fabric that acts as a defense against environmental toxins. It’s what she calls a 96-hour process, where fabrics are soaked with a special natural coating for the clothing line, which protects against viruses, bacteria, fungus, and pollution.
In the first week of November, Dr. Rahm is collaborating with other fashion designers to incorporate this protective fabric into their own clothing line, too, with Merci Dupre Clothiers and Root Brands.
“I embed a protective lining to the fabric that we heat, boil, freeze, cool and embed into the fabric,” she said. “I use natural elements like aloe vera and vitamin C to create clothing that protects against pollution, UV rays, and bacteria.”
Next up, Dr. Rahm is gearing up for runway shows in Saudi Arabia and India. Until then, she will be working on developing her Super Skin Coating for other fashion brands to use, as well. It’s a way to share her message that we should not only protect our planet from toxins, but protect our bodies from toxins, too.
“Fashion speaks to people,” she said. “As a woman CEO, I have come out stronger than before I started my fashion brand, and I want it to symbolize to other women that we have to work together, and we can come out stronger together.”
“We are smarter than viruses,” she adds. “We need to use our innovation to make us stronger.”
Source : Forbes
