How does a designer reckon with putting more products into the world? Now that the climate scientists have told us it’s “Time to Panic,” that’s a very real question for many creators—and the journalists who report on them—with few satisfying answers. The truth is, it will take government projects of massive scale to slow down the inevitable warming of the world. Until the production of polyester (which is hugely polluting and, just as bad, results in material that never decomposes) is taxed, the way carbon emissions must be, Kit Willow is going to keep agitating for change—and keep not using polyester in her designs.
Willow, who is Australian, came up with a couple of clever ways to address her concerns this season. Her trench features asymmetrical elasticized pouch pockets sized to fit your reusable water bottle on one side and your reusable glass coffee mug on the other, single-use plastic being her bête noire. The novel construction of shirtdresses gave them multi-use functionality—you can button up the hems and create shorter, softly voluminous silhouettes. Elsewhere, Willow revisited her signature wispy dresses, which she pieces together like puzzles from rectangles of silk georgette. A few of the breezy frocks have built-in capelets to be worn on or off the shoulders. She said they were inspired by Wonder Woman.
It’ll take super-heroic efforts to modernize fashion manufacturing, let alone save the planet. When will we all realize that it’s us that’s the endangered species? Willow gets credit for making raising our awareness of these issues one of the cornerstones of her brand.
