Textile Confessions: Shosh, New York

The A/W 2015-2016 collection of Shosh fashion brand  features taffeta Gruppocinque fabric. Intrigued by C.L.A.S.S. partner ‘s sustainable products, designer Carol Pratt explains the inspirational process that shaped her new collection “for women who love design… Who want a second skin to emancipate them from a jello mold of conformity and pressure to look like a model whose job it is to disappear”.

Carol Pratt says: “My goal is to make clothing for women who love design, who want a second skin to emancipate them from a jello mold of conformity and pressure to look like a model whose job it is to disappear. Clothing should give you courage to be radiant and be a big sphere of influence.

 

A because getting dressed frames who you are, it reflects your interior. This Getting dressed isn’t simply a nod to style but a certain very significant choice about one’s self.  Not to dig too deep, but often we are at our most unlatched and vulnerable in the act of getting dressed. It’s so private. We do it every day, but it’s not like brushing our teeth, a ritual task we perform every morning.  Putting an outfit together, even if we don’t have massive choices, is an emotional and   social   comment; what we want to say to our community about who we are. 

 

We were initially attracted to the taffeta Gruppocinque fabric because of our strong belief in working with sustainable fabrics. I swallow whole the idea that what we wear can change the way we live. The taffeta that we chose for the collection is elegant and wearable and we were able to have the exact color we needed to make the entire collection sing. 

 

The buyers are responding very positively and continue to be intrigued by the genesis of the fabric.  Our first season, using this fabric, we used an extremely bright, almost neon coral, color for a number of styles, which was somewhat of a risk. But everything sold well and we realized how versatile it is. So, given our success, this season we used the taffeta even more deeply for many of the styles that at first glimpse may never have occurred to us.

 

We are definitely thrilled to use more recycled and eco textiles from the CLASS library. It has become one of the most significant and exciting part of our design process each season. I have come to realize that this is my very real job as a designer, to give my customer the experience of  a beautifully made garment that fits well and is made from ethically sourced fabrics and dyes and that will also contain all the elements of good design, drape, structure and grace.

 

The piece that Linsey and I both adore, and plan to wear our selves in a variety of ways, is a dress we call the Abbie dress, named after my twin sister who coveted   the dress as soon as she saw it. It’s a bronze, almost two tone, dress that can be worn casually layered or dolled up, darling, for swank“.

In a groundbreaking development for the textile industry, C.L.A.S.S., an advocate for sustainable innovation, proudly highlights the achievements of its partner, ERCA Textile Chemical Solutions, with their latest innovation, REVE…