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nobody is doing sustainable fashion like SDCA
“Sustainable fashion, in my opinion, tends to be quite boring”.
It’s a Wednesday evening in Bethnal Green, and Sonia of SDCA Studio is surrounded by show goers who are hanging on her every word. She’s not wrong. It seems almost every eco-friendly brand out there is promoting the same refined style: a classic white tee, a structured black blazer and the perfect piece of denim. That’s all well and good, but what about those who lean into the more experimental side of fashion? Are they destined to pollute the planet with every purchase that is perhaps a little more avant-garde than the idealistic capsule wardrobe?
This is where SDCA comes into the equation. “The goal is to make women feel fabulous, gorgeous and sexy in clothes that don’t harm the environment”, and that is precisely what they are doing. For SS27, with a collection aptly titled ‘Rebirth’ (each of the garments have been crafted with scrap materials from past seasons), the designer has stitched together clothing that feels seductive without compromising on morals.
And let me tell you, the show was a lot of things; boring was not one of them. In the stripped-back setting of Green Alley Studios, the audience gazed on as the designer dressed the model with the opening look before our eyes in a curtain hanging from the ceiling. To the untrained eye, a piece of fabric such as that is, well, a piece of fabric. Not to Sonia. “Something I find really inspiring is that
a rectangle can create such beautiful and diverse pieces”. Not a single part of the material went unused in the garment, which featured poppers throughout, enabling it to be worn in any manner of ways. There is something quite special about watching a design come to life on the runway; think the McQueen SS99 finale, or the iconic Coperni spray on dress in 2021. This had that same magical quality, even perhaps more so, as we witnessed Sonia working with her own two hands, blending a futuristic design with a feeling of tradition.
The opener set the scene of what was to come. Working with a singular model, it was an intimate affair, which oversaw eight select looks, each packed with the utmost thoughtfulness. A personal highlight was what appeared to be a pinstripe suit, but upon closer inspection, was actually comprised from multiple layers of denim, with the stripe detailing simply being stitched onto the surface. That’s the thing about these garments; each one had a unique story behind it: dresses were handwoven on a child’s loom; coats were created from past runway pieces, and even the large carrier bag that had been used to hold the fabrics had been repurposed for the occasion.
What makes SDCA so unique is that the designs are not derived from a sketch, but from the world around us. Sonia divulged, “it’s the limitation of the fabric that decides the design, not the other way around”, and what a fantastic mentality to have. Whilst explaining the origins of her brand, she mentioned that she had hesitations and reluctance to create yet more waste. Instead of yielding her ambitions, she sought out a method that supported her morals.
We often hear about sustainability mantras; brands in this day and age can’t exist without one. Though I must admit, I’ve never heard a designer speak with such passion and conviction on the topic. Sonia’s work invoked a feeling of optimism and comfort of knowing that, in a world where John Galliano is designing for Zara, designers have the ability to be concurrently creative and conscious.
‘Rebirth’ was the perfect template, and quite frankly, the industry would be in a far better state if others followed suit. This collection proved that clothes don’t have to be dull in order to be ethical; we can have the best of both worlds. SDCA most certainly does.
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