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Young labels make sustainable fashion headway at NY Fashion Week
Two years after losing her job in fashion due to the pandemic, Emma Gage founded Melke, which debuted at this season's New York Fashion Week with an emphasis on sustainability.
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Fashion designer Emma Gage, of Melke, works at her studio ahead of New York Fashion Week on February 4, 2022, in New York City. (AFP/Angela Weiss)
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wo years after losing her job in fashion due to the pandemic, Emma Gage founded her own brand, Melke, that debuted at this season's New York Fashion Week with an emphasis on sustainability.
The 26-year-old from Minnesota is not the first to bet on this trend, at a moment when the fashion industry has faced criticism for its environmental impact.
Another designer, 23-year-old Olivia Cheng, told AFP that "everybody now wants to be part of this conversation."
Her brand, Dauphinette -- known for its jewelry and outfits crafted from real flowers -- was featured on New York fashion week's official calendar for the first time, showing over the weekend at a Chinatown restaurant.
Gage cited the use of hemp, organic cotton and recycled fabrics as materials that are less environmentally harmful, and also voiced her mission to purchase materials from companies committed to respecting human rights.
"I would never want to come out and say like, yeah, everything's 100%, sustainable, everything's perfect," Gage said. "Because that's a lie."
Speaking from her studio in Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood, a trendy area for New York creatives, Gage said she's "focusing on making pieces that will last."
