Eco-Friendly Designers: 10 Success Stories

Without chasing fashion, and without running the risk of finding yourself in the field of false sustainability, where everything seems green, new generations of eco-designers are now emerging. How can they be recognized? By their materials, of course, all natural, but also by their ability to produce clothes and accessories by recycling materials destined to become waste. Scraps of fabric, sacks, and citrus fruit nets recovered from the agri-food chain, and even banana leaves. Here are 10 stories to explore further.

Index of topics

Laura Strambi

Photo Credit | laurastrambi.com/it

A designer who combines quality clothing with respect for the environment. The brand is characterized by a minimalist style and clean design, combined with a strong feminine identity. The collection—both clothing and accessories—is entirely eco-friendly and made in Italy. For a green fashion, eco-sustainable and which gives a glimpse of its objective: the importance of preserving the environment for future generations.

Tiziano Guardini

Photo Credit |www.tizianoguardini.com

Dresses made of non-woven fabrics, which are completely hand-woven materials such as leaves, barks e Pine needles. His project aims to use advanced technologies that aim to eliminate the CO2 emissions. Hers is a woman who in her clothes replaces satin and chiffon with organic fabrics, for the production of eco-sustainable clothes and cruelty free. "Nature as a starting and finishing point, keeps all its characteristics intact, transforming into a luxury and contemporary product, impalpable and material at the same time.“, we read on the official website.

Giuseppe Buccinnà

Photo Credit | www.giuseppebuccinna.eu

Among the eco-sustainable stylists of the moment, Giuseppe Buccinna creates fashion that is attentive to reality and its mutability, drawing inspiration from contemporary art. Sustainability guides the entire production process, implying absolute respect for workers and the environment. Production takes place entirely in Italy, in collaboration with suppliers selected for their reliability and environmental awareness. High-quality garments, design, and environmental responsibility are the cornerstones the brand strives to ensure.

Alessandra Micolucci

Photo Credit | www.alessandramicolucci.com

Clothes made from fruit for this young eco-sustainable Venetian designer who obtains the fibres for her clothes directly from plants of bananaAlessandra has revived the use of bananas for textile purposes from the East, using them to create soft, high-quality fabrics and yarns, which she uses to create rigorously handcrafted garments.

Margherita Francesca and Giulia Paglia

Photo Credit | Facebook.com/PagliaMilano/

Margherita, Francesca and Giulia Paglia are three sisters from Milan who started these eco-sustainable creations, made with waste from large companies which become beautiful fabrics, used to make jackets, shirts, dusters, and trousers. Nothing of their work is thrown away, as the waste from their production is in turn reused to make eco-sustainable accessories such as pins, belts and clips.

Gilberto Calzolari

Photo Credit | www.gilbertocalzolari.com

When eco-friendly designers meet recycling. This is the case of Gilberto CalzolariA firm believer that there's a different way to create fashion. A fashion that's glamorous but doesn't forget to take care of the environment. For his creations, he uses fabrics such as SEAQUAL polyester derived from plastic recovered from the sea or EVO Nylon, extracted from the seeds of the castor oil plant; he recycles unusual materials such as jute bags, tulle from nets for packaging citrus fruits; uses padding made with 100% recycled fibres from PET bottles.

Nicholas Chiuppesi

Photo Credit | Facebook BENNU

His name is Nicholas Chiuppesi, and in February 2021 decides to found BENNU, his brand that aims to "recover from the past to protect the future." His exclusive collections of tailored blazers—each a unique and numbered piece—are born from research into warehouses and unsold stock. The brand's pieces blend traditional Italian tailoring with a commitment to embodying the transformation that characterizes our time.

Flavia Amato

Photo Credit | Facebook Malìa – natural couture lab

Her dream was to "create an atelier where I could combine my passions for health, organic food, and fashion, blending them with artisanal manufacturing and a captivating style." And she did. From her love of fashion Flavia Amato was born in 2016, Malia Lab. An organic tailoring shop where the Calabrese model maker and clothing designer creates and packages garments clothing in the name of ethics and sustainability. Garments that respect the well-being of the body and the environment, far removed from consumerism and capable of becoming trendy.

Blazé Milano

Photo Credit | Facebook BLAZÉ MILANO

Their names are Corrada Rodriguez d'Acri, Delfina Pinardi and Sole Torlonia, and they are the founders of Blazé MilanoThe brand's creators have always supported the versatility of the blazer as a timeless piece of clothing and are aware, as they have stated, of having a strong responsibility despite being a niche brand: "that of showing how extremely high quality and refined design can perfectly coexist with a totally eco-sustainable approach." They have recently launched Blazé Atelier, a made-to-order service for unique and personalized garments, designed for during the time. Furthermore, together with Arizona Muse, they signed a eco-sustainable capsule collection.

Judith Tanzi

Photo Credit | garbage-core.com

For the clothes and accessories of his brand, Garbage Core, which he founded in 2019, Judith Tanzi uses exclusively second-hand fabrics. His vision of fashion is directed towards theupcycling. And in fact, the ideas for her clothes come from second hand clothes that she finds. Clothes that she pairs together, unpicks, and disassembles to transform them into something totally new and unique. And, of course, handmade. When creative expression and sustainability coexist.

Eco-stylists: 10 success stories