It is not uncommon I realise, but the change in season and a taste of what sunshine actually looks and feels like makes me feel buoyant.
I allow myself to daydream about what I will be wearing in the months ahead when (a) I might actually fit into something that isn't capacious (b) we can bare shoulders, go sans-jacket and flash an ankle or calf with reckless abandon (c) it is balmy.
Hopefully, my repertoire may include one or two pieces from major cult eco-label Reformation - which not only creates exquisite designs, but seems intent on revolutionising the fashion industry.
Created in 2009 by dynamic designer and environmentalist Yael Aflalo, the Downtown LA based brand offers style with a conscience, with their mission being to lead and inspire a sustainable way to be fashionable. To ensure their creations come at a fraction of the environmental impact of more conventional fashion, all Reformation pieces are produced by either responsible manufacturing partners in the US or overseas using sustainable methods and materials. They also source natural fabrics and materials like Tencel, repurposed vintage pieces and recycled 'deadstock' fabric while incorporating better practices throughout their supply chain. In summary, they make killer clothes that don't kill the environment.
It may officially be my new obsession but Reformation is by no means a new label; it has been knocking about since 2009 and has been adorned by those cool LA girls and a heap of famous faces since then. It has been on my personal radar since Sienna Miller started wearing it circa 2014 - like the beautiful Felice Jumpsuit below - but it's at the top of my wish-list again right this minute. I have spent an inordinate amount of time hungrily poring over the Reformation website and planning what I might treat myself to if the budget stretches (and when my belly stops stretching).
Reformation is great for a number of reasons.
- They make bold, factual statements about the Impact of Fashion that make you stop and think. Like Fashion is the third most polluting industry in the world, and the second largest consumer of water. Making fabric uses water, energy, chemicals, and other resources that most people don’t think about, or ever see. We think knowledge is power, so we talk about resource use, climate change, and other impacts of fashion. This made me stop and think. It's facile to preach about LOVING fashion (which, sincerely, I do) and to casually affix #fashionlover to your Tweets and your Insta pics without giving any real thought to how lovely things are actually produced and what they might be doing to destroy our planet.
- They use a tool on their website called RefScale which tracks the impact each of their garments has on the environment. For example, if I were to purchase this sunshiny Caftan Dress (can I, please?) I would know that this garment required 252 gallons of water versus the industry standard of 1832 gallons of water and therefore I would save 1580 gal. This makes me feel happy.
- Reformation Founder and CEO Aflalo is Making Earth Day her Every Day. The concept is that while most of us might be a bit cynical and assume we can’t individually make a big difference, Reformation have the data to prove that, hell yes, we can. For the lucky people who bought some Reformation stuff in the past year, they saved 250 million gallons of water - a number that will surpass 1 billion next year. To celebrate, they're launching a new super sustainable Earth Day Collection, which is really lovely. Power to the People.
- The clothes have the wow-factor and are undeniably sexy but it's not in-your-face sleaze which I'm not up for. It is confident and multifaceted. Their design mission is to make effortless silhouettes that celebrate the feminine figure. I'm always up for this.
- It is reasonably affordable and they offer free worldwide shipping. This is attractive but terrible news for my bank balance which will soon be maternity-leaved.
- Their Addilyn Dress in Barnyard is not only jaw-droppingly gorgeous, it is advertised as engineered for easy access and currently on the home page features a pretty lady breastfeeding near a tree somewhere verdant and lovely. Hurrah! I would like to think this will be me in Walthamstow in the coming weeks. It won't, but I can dream.
- Their Instagram account actually made me salivate. Then want to be on holiday, all year. Or living in LA. Neither of which will be happening anytime soon, so for now I'll Insta-stalk.
- The website is a design feature in itself - you could spend hours looking at it (oh no I didn't!). It has ornate Fabric Swatches, designs have lovely names like Moonshadow, Fruitcake and Rose Dazzle (how beautiful is that? Hi, potential baby name!*) and there are also Stories - a kind of inspirational moodboard with selected pieces that have great titles like Delicate f*cking flowers and Keep that effortless thing going. I'm certainly not a delicate f*cking flower and I'm not sure I have that effortless thing to even keep going, but by the grace of God I WILL FIND IT - and keep it going.
In the meantime I am seriously considering the following pieces when the time is right:
Labels like Reformation make me feel hopeful. They are doing great things for the planet, they produce beautiful clothes and they make me believe there could actually be life after maternity wear.
Amen.
*I'm joking, Alex.
I think...