It’s a Time of Firsts for Faustine Steinmetz
Known for her whimsical and inventive designs, Faustine Steinmetz has been hailed as both a magician and a technician.
But her denim is hardly all play and no work: The couture background from the London-based designer and Rivet 50 member is evident in her emphasis on the hand-made and made-to-order felted designs.
Carved in Blue spoke with Faustine about revolting against fast fashion, what’s missing from today’s denim world, and how she’s equal parts excited and scared for the reaction to her upcoming collection.
Carved in Blue: Can you tell us a bit about the archive collection?
Faustine: Our archive collection will see us re-release a selection of our artisan-made garments from previous seasons, making them available made-to-order for the first time through our website and with selected retail partners. Personally, today I feel there exists a disconnect—an almost devaluing of the craftsmanship that goes into the making of any garment, due in part to the cheap throwaway culture created by the fast-fashion industry in which everything is available now.
This is why we wanted to create something that goes against the common belief that everyone wants everything immediately, and create an associated value of time that can be perceived through each purchase by making the archive pieces to order.
Carved in Blue: What has you most excited about this collection and its release?
Faustine: The upcoming collection will be our first in just over a year. Since our last collection, we’ve made a lot of changes in the way we do things; this will be the first time we’ve released a commercial denim range to sit alongside our artisanal range in stores. So I’m just really excited to finally have people see what we’ve been working on; although, if I’m being honest, I’m also equally scared to see their reaction.
Carved in Blue: What are artisans bringing to denim that some brands are not?
Faustine: From our point of view, it’s the ability to do things that simply can’t be replicated by industrial means. In a wider sense, artisans have always been my own personal idea of luxury—someone taking their time to create something just for me that is truly one of a kind. There is just something incredibly special about a person taking their time to create a product like a pair of jeans, that’s so widely associated with mass production, but by hand.
Carved in Blue: How have you incorporated sustainability into what you’re doing?
Faustine: Sustainability has always played a part in who we are. From the very beginning, we embraced the ethos of the slow-fashion movement, standing in opposition to the wasteful linear nature of the fast-fashion industry. Our first collection was made entirely from fabrics that were hand-woven and hand-dyed by ourselves, after which we slowly began to introduce upcycled materials into our collections as a way to meet bigger demand but stay true to our beliefs.
Over the seasons, as the label has grown and our collections become more commercialized, we began to feel like the principles on which we founded the brand were slowly starting to erode as we got caught up in the fast pace at which the industry moves. This is why we took the decision to take some time away from making collections and solely focus on rebuilding our supply chain from the ground up. We’ve been searching for manufacturing and mill partners who practice water-, chemical- and energy-reducing techniques, thus allowing us to reduce, as much as possible, the footprint of our collections.
We’ve also been working to develop a new set of guidelines to govern our design decisions moving forward. From now on, all of our jeans will be made from 100 percent cellulose fibers, including TENCEL(TM) lyocell, while at the same time use as high a percentage of recycled materials as possible to make up the composition. This includes the thread, the labels, the patch and even the zipper tape.
We will also only use fossil-fuel-based fabrics in our collections if they come from 100 percent recycled materials so that no new resources are pulled from the ground. We’re working to minimize the amount of nonrenewable materials used throughout our collections and business, and to eventually one day eliminate its use entirely.
Carved in Blue: What’s missing from the denim industry today?
Faustine: To some extent, I find there to be a lack of true sincerity. Too many people are quick to tell you about this new amazing sustainable offering they have, while at the same time they continue to sell items that damage the environment and sit in direct contrast to the message they are promoting because it’s good for their bottom line.
But that’s probably true of the whole fashion industry, and it’s hard to be too critical of the denim industry; there is no other fashion segment that comes close to the collaborative efforts being made to find lasting solutions to protect the environment. The progress that’s been made in only the past few years alone has been astonishing; we’re very quickly moving toward an industry that uses zero water and creates zero waste in its manufacturing.
Carved in Blue: What’s your favorite denim memory?
Faustine: Well, it’s also one of my earliest memories of experimenting with denim. When I was 14/15, my parents had bought me a new pair of Levi’s and I proceeded to cut them up and make them into different items; I think I made a jacket and a bag from that pair. My parents weren’t particularly happy with me after that. I remember they refused to buy me any new jeans for quite a long, long time.
Carved in Blue: Where do you look for denim inspiration? Is it a person? Place? Art?
Faustine: Everyday people—people who I see on the street who aren’t necessarily trying to be fashionable. My phone is full of people I’ve stopped to ask if I could take their picture. There are a lot of very confused faces in those photos.
Carved in Blue: What does Carved in Blue mean to you?
Faustine: A valuable insight into the industry’s thinking, highlighting issues such as sustainability and solutions for a better way forward.