As New York Fashion Week rolls around again, it’s the perfect time to listen to this interview with Hillary Taymour, founder of the much-talked-about NYC label Collina Strada.

Collina Strada is produced locally in small runs, using mostly deadstock. They’ve been working with the Real Real to upcycle unsold items, and with Liz Ricketts at the Or Foundation (hear Liz on Episode 150) to upcycle and divert T-shirt waste in America before it heads offshore, and ends up in places like Kantamanto Market in Ghana.

Known for shaking up the sustainability conversation stateside, this CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund finalist is also often heralded for its work around diversity and inclusion, and championing representation in their shows, but Hillary has no time for that. She says, they simply cast their community; their friends and artists they admire. Whether that’s the label’s co-designer Charlie’s septuagenarian mum; the model Aaron Philip (self- described “a black woman in a wheel chair who happens to be trans”); or a musician like Dorian Electra - it's not that Collina is doing something radical. Rather, that the conventional fashion system is super out of touch.

A candid conversation about going your own way, finding joy on creativity, and the frustrations of trying to be a sustainable fashion designer inside an unsustainable system.

NOTES

WHAT THE PRESS SAYS…

I-D: “In the last half-decade, the New York label has not only developed a cult following within the fashion industry, but has attracted a diversely talented community of collaborators (models, artists, musicians and even playwrights) loyal to its unwavering vision. And with an ethos that centres authenticity and inclusivity, it’s obvious why. For Hillary and co-creative director Charlie Engman, being the best version of themselves means steadily transforming Collina Strada into a fully sustainable, wholly transparent, radically inclusive — and radically fun — fashion label.” Read the rest here.

FASHIONISTA: “ Taymour has been addressing the climate catastrophe through her work for a long time. This season, as fashion shows go (mostly) digital, she took her creative vision online in the form of a video presentation, and the result was more joyful and weird than apocalyptic and scary. Entitled "Change is Cute," Collina Strada's Spring ‘21 collection featured bright colors, cheerful hand-drawn prints and some of the brand's signature silhouettes: barely-there swimwear, comfy-looking sack dresses and skintight catsuits.” Read the rest here.

HARPER’S BAZAAR: “Looking back on Taymour’s 14-year archive, she’s been maddeningly ahead of the curve, not just on harnesses (which peaked on Louis Vuitton’s runway in 2019) but Crocs (Taymour bedazzled them in 2015; Christopher Kane followed in 2017; Balenciaga in 2018), and the ‘90s slip-dress-over-Hanes-tank revival. (Taymour: 2017; every designer with a Paris atelier: Now.)” More here.

Is DIVERSITY & INCLUSION being treated as trend? Probs. We know it, right? So what do do?

“Creating an inclusive culture involves looking at every step in the employee lifecycle – from how an organization is structured to how the organization tracks people data and how it uses the insights to shape improvement in its diversity and inclusion culture. What is the strategy for attracting, hiring and onboarding diverse talent? Is your interview panel made up of people of different backgrounds and ethnicities? … Is there a consequence if a manager is not welcoming of diverse employees in their teams? Does everyone get enough opportunities to develop toward agreed to career goals? Is pay fair across all categories of employees? And who is running the show? Are the top levels of leadership representative of the organization’s customer base and the talent throughout the firm? These are many questions that have to be addressed to truly create an inclusive culture. It’s not an easy task nor a quick fix. It requires commitment from the top down and ongoing efforts to listen, understand and act.” via Forbes.

Is OVERPRODUCTION as much as 40% on purpose? YEP. So why doesn’t the industry do something about it? Well, because so far it’s been cost effective to keep on like this, but in future that does look set to change. New legislation, for example French laws outlawing the destruction of unsold stock, plus EPR should - eventually - turn the tide on this.

Is SO LAST SEASON on its way out? “Keep it in your closet. That’s how it’s meant it to be. I don’t want it to be that Legally Blonde quote - ‘Don’t stomp your last season Prada shoes at me honey!’ This interview was recording before Alessandro Michele’s shock departure from Gucci, which some say was partly to do with his keenness to slow things down, avoid sales etc. Talking of Gucci… Discover GUCCI VAULT here.

THE COLLINAS is a fashion documentary produced in lieu of Collina Strada’s AW22 show, and loosely inspired by The Hills. Can you tell? In the spoof, actor Tommy Dorfman makes her fashion week debut playing a twenty-something moving to New York City for a fashion internship at Collina Strada…

“YOU’RE EATING FEAR” is Hillary’s response to the non-vegans in the room.

Read Cathy Horyn’s review here.

SLOW FACTORY is a school, knowledge partner and climate innovation lab focused on addressing the intersecting crises of climate justice and social inequity. More here.

KIM PETRAS’S MET GALA “HORSET” DRESS Kim decided on the outfit by Collina Strada for the event’s theme: “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” which she paired with a lengthy braided ponytail, because she grew up riding horses and wanted to represent “all horse girls and horse humans here today” via Independent.