Eindhoven designer makes dresses from savoy and mandarin peels
The Eindhoven designer Agnes van Dijk makes dresses from organic material. Her savoy leaf dress was nominated for the Green Concept Awards. "Sheets are not waste, but raw material."
“This is a precursor to the dress that has been nominated,” says Agnes van Dijk about a dress made of savoy leaves. “There is a zipper behind it, because pulling it over your head is not good for this material. Those are all things you have to think about.” The awards are for products or concepts that are sustainable and innovative.
Durable
“Some people may see mandarin peels as waste,” says Van Dijk. “But I prefer to see it as a raw material”. Sustainability is important to Agnes. She doesn't do fast fashion. The dress under the savoy artwork is also a second-hand product. To make the dresses last as long as possible, she mummifies the organic substances. "I've tried all sorts of things," she says. “At first I only worked it from the outside, but I noticed that the quality deteriorated after a few years.” Now all fabrics are processed before they are transformed into a dress.
Fashion
She learned how to make clothes at an early age. Eventually that developed into art. “I have always had a fascination with nature. The beauty and the ingenuity,” she explains. “And as an artist you are more concerned with what is around you anyway”. That combination led to the special dresses. They are all portable, but the shape is the most important. “I think about material first, and then about the dress.”
The winner of the Green Concept Award will be announced at the beginning of 2023.
Interview
Click here to the Studio040 site and watch the interview video and read the entire article.