In a time when ‘green’ and ‘eco-friendly’ are catchphrases companies use to woo customers, it’s refreshing to come across a designer who is actually green and eco-friendly – and makes everything in Australia, with Australian resources.
Liz Disler, the visionary behind her label of the same name, is a loungewear, basics and pyjama designer doing things differently. After spending two years researching the terrible practices of clothing designers and manufacturers, and learning firsthand whilst working in the industry how destructive fashion can be, Liz decided to combine her love of design with her love of sustainable fashion and create a range she believed in.
When I met with Liz last week I asked her why she created a basics range and her answer was obvious, “because there’s no one out there doing it, there’s nothing out there like it.” Her label and first collection, Forever And A Day, launched in January 2010 with approximately ten pieces in the range. “I wanted to keep things simple and design a range for people that was easy to coordinate and enjoy.”
Liz sources her fabric from an Australian company that creates all fabric in compliance with organic and eco-friendly standards. There is no bamboo featured in the range – whilst it has the reputation of being a sustainable material, the heavy chemical used to process it rightly strips it of its eco title, and Liz’s personal experimentation with it was disastrous. “I tested working with bamboo, and had it pre-shrunk to avoid any issues, and then after testing and washing it, it still shrunk. Hemp was another option for me, but the industry hasn’t quite figured out how to use it for clothing without it remaining rough.”
Liz’s main inspiration behind creating her own range was the lack of good quality, luxurious organic clothing available. “Most organic basics you come across are rather rank – with a very hippy vibe. Organics is booming in foods, and even children’s clothing – so why should women miss out on everyday basics because they aren’t available?”
Despite the obvious prettiness of her range, and complete wearability, what I love most about this young Australian designer is her vision – to keep creating an innovative, totally harmless clothing range that never compromises its integrity. “In the future, all I hope is that we remain wholesome.”
And I don’t think we, as consumers, could ask for anything more than that.
To learn more about Liz Disler, or purchase some of her range online, visit www.lizdisler.com.
To read Sarah Kempson’s article on sustainable fashion, click this link.
