by Shayley Blair
Mother of Pearl label’s Creative Director, Amy Powney, works alchemical design magic out of all sustainable sources.
Getting to this level was a challenging undertaking, though. A journey across multiple countries searching for truly sustainable source materials began in 2018, after Powney decided to use her Vogue Best Young Designer prize money to create a holistic fashion range.
For five years, filmmaker Becky Hutner followed Powney’s determined efforts to evolve the label to its now completely sustainable status.
Amy Powney designs beautiful clothes with wearer in mind, applying attention to detail from origin to fruition. “If she doesn’t connect to it and doesn’t love it, then what am I making?” Powney asks rhetorically.
An important focus of Powney’s designs, is “empowering women and making them feel great and not at the expense of the planet or the people that make it.”
Powney agrees with the concept that better quality garments result from a holistic approach to fashion, from sourcing materials to designing for longevity. You can view some of her immaculately finished garments in the documentary Fashion Reimagined, designs which are now worn by celebrities like Gwenyth Paltrow, Emma Thompson, and Saoirse Ronan; with a royal seal of approval of her mulesing-free woollen scarves, bestowed by the now King Charles.
Powney is now looked to as an advisor on many facets of sustainability. As documented in Fashion Reimagined, sustainability encompasses, but is not limited to, ideals of traceability; organic origins; minimal use of water and chemicals; being socially responsible; considering animal welfare; and producing a low carbon footprint. “I’m often a go-to,” she tells us today. “I do a lot of panel talks, a lot of in-conversations, I get asked a lot of questions. And I have a really nice relationship with a lot of journalists here in the UK that care.
“The thing is, it’s really complicated, and you see that in the film, like how as a customer do you try and unpick what product to buy? And how, as a journalist, do you know when a brand is saying they’re sustainable, if they are or not? The film is really helping people for that reason too, they can see how complex it is… So many journalists that I know watched it and they say, ‘I thought I knew, but I didn’t’. And a lot of conservatives that are watching it, I guess it’s helping them ask the right questions, too.”
Powney also details the dilemma of believability in claims made by numerous labels, about eco-friendly and ethical fashion, and how this can even begin at the supplier level. “In 2018, when the search began, it was like nobody cares. Nobody’s talking about it. And obviously now people are a bit… I mean, there’s a lot of green washing going on – a lot of fake green – but now it is marginally easier to actually be able to buy the correct fabric with the right certification. It doesn’t make it perfect at all, and there’s still lots of issues that we have to delve into, but now we know the questions to ask and how to do it. But it’s an ongoing thing, and obviously suppliers change, and certifications are complicated – and they’re often not telling the truth as well. So, it’s just a never-ending detective work.”
Fashion has gone hand in hand with cultural revolutions throughout its long history, and the ripples of a huge sustainable shift, are already felt. Among the stars who appear in the documentary, Katherine Hamnet of the eighties “Choose Life” t-shirts fame, and who is an idol of Powney’s, speaks inspirationally on the issues.
The Fashion Reimagined journey is splendidly scenic, populated with inspirational advocates for minimal impact, who have respect for the planet and its animals – people like Amy Powney, who walk the talk.
Fashion Reimagined is screening from 12 October 2023, to find out where, click here.
