A shot from the Growing the Next Era of Fashion section at Material World
Ines Stuart-Davidson/RBG Kew
As a lover of fashion, I was intrigued to visit Material World, the first festival at London’s Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, devoted to fashion and textiles. Staged in the Temperate House until 2 November, the exhibition sees artists, designers and scientists explore plants, textiles and sustainability.
One standout is Nnenna Okore’s Between Earth and Sky. Hanging 20 metres above the ground, this large-scale sculptural work turns simple materials into intricate, immersive forms, while the use of biodegradable materials, responsibly sourced fibres and natural dyes encourages us to ponder our own responsibilities.
The focus on organic materials continues in the Growing the Next Era of Fashion section, with clothes made from plants and fungi. I especially loved a dress knitted from pineapple fibre and nettle leaves (pictured).
My big takeaway was that sustainability in fashion is as much a creative opportunity as a technical challenge, and that all our choices reveal how we relate to nature.
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