Amy Powney (London, UK)
Amy Powney has a refreshingly ethical approach to fashion design. Using organic, fair trade and recycled fabrics she constructs wearable clothes that have a thoroughly considered design process. Highlights of her recent collection include chunky knitted and tailored dresses.
What is your nationality?
Dover Street Market, constellation records, illustrator Cat Roissetter, films by jeunet and vincent gallo, friends and family, people watching, travel, photogphers Robert Parke Harrison and Diane Arbus...
What was your inspiration for your last collection?
Some of the above and the work of Leonardo Da Vinci, sacred geometry and the divine proprtion. working with the concept and meanings of proportion, mathmatics, geommetry and how Da Vinci used scientific and mathmatic workings in his art.
Where did you go to college?
What was the last thing you saw that really inpsired you?
What have you been doing since you finished college?
Working for Mother of Pearl and Jens Laugerson
How would you describe your style?
Masculine and feminine, tailored and draped
Can we buy your collection anywhere?
No not at the moment, but i am happy to be contacted directly for comissions
Are you involved in any outside projects in other fields?
I am representative for the Ethical fashion forum and part of a fair trade NGO who I went to Ghana with at the end of last year filming a doccumentery which I intend to do more work with along with other fair trade projects. I am also a finalist in the knitted textile award which will be exhibited around the country.
Who are your favourite designers and why?
All desigers at Comme, Undercover, Cosmic Wonder, Westwood, Jens Laugerson for their creativtiy and cut and also Stella McCartney for her cut and ethical approach.
What are your plans for the future?
At the moment I am working for two inspirational designers, where I am learning skills to take forward in the future for my own work. My belief for the future of 'ethical fashion' is that the garments have to be well designed and the fact that it is ethical is a positive bonus. I think peolple have a stereotypical image of hessian, or hemp when they think ethical, and they are not far from wrong! Before companies will change, comsumers have to demand and they are not going to do this unless the product is desirable.