From her base in Paddington, outside Sydney, Kit Willow has been a pioneer and a voice of conscience in distressing times. On an early morning call from her office, she remained as upbeat as possible given the state of things. “The wildlife devastation is what’s most powerful for people. The response—the need and willingness to give and help—marks a real shift in awareness, which is positive. For the first time, climate change is at the top of everyone’s mind,” she said.
One of the things the designer has been doing on a local level is “rewilding,” by planting a tree for every sale, an effort 98% of clients opt to support. “We’re really focusing on directing money where it’s needed most,” she said.
Willow also has been working with the Salvation Army, sourcing, editing, and repurposing fabrics like denim that would otherwise be on the fast track to the landfill. One off-the-shoulder number appears here; other pieces were studded with spackled opaque sequins made from algae and sourced from eco-responsible innovator Carolyn Raff. “Algae is such an efficient absorber of carbon dioxide—it might really be the future,” she observed. Elsewhere, microscopic images of algae were expanded into an organic print on a dress made of jersey upcycled from discarded plastic bottles and produced using solar power.
In a nod to her roots as a lingerie designer, Willow incorporated corsetry notions on some fall pieces, in particular with boning details under the bust on a dusty pink shirtdress made of fast-growing, water-sparing hemp, and in lace-up details on jackets and skirts made of organic cotton. Some pieces even had a little extra edge, with elastic harness details. “It’s a not-too-pretty kind of feminine,” the designer offered. Which is exactly the kind of eco-conscious mix her base is after.
