SPRING FASHION 2020
SLOW START
This year, clothing works best when it has meaning behind it, reconnecting with artisan skills or celebrating slow fashion, a rejection of throwaway culture. Here local shops, designers and fashion gurus pick their personal favourite items for our spring style special
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o here we go again. It’s no longer quite so dark as we leave the office, and though we’re still reaching for the woolies each morning – and will be doing so for a while, let’s be honest – we’re also starting to think about the less buttoned up freedom that comes with warmer weather style. So what should we be wearing this spring and summer? Truth is, in this every-trend-at-once, anything goes era, drawing hard-and-fast rules and pithy suggestions is harder than ever – but we’re going to give it a go anyway, with the help of a selection of Bath fashion gurus. Turns out the ’70s are still in (but the ’90s are too); graphic polka dots and fluoro neon highlights are everywhere; and we’re seeing more waistcoats, feathers, bra-tops and even hot pants than we have for a while. But above all these specifics, one thing is clear: a sort of quirky, relaxed, home-made quality continues to look much more appealing and of-the-moment than anything too slickly luxurious or factory made. We’re talking sustainability, we’re talking authenticity, we’re talking vintage and recycled and artisan heirloom techniques. Most of all, we’re talking slow fashion, better made – perhaps more expensive – pieces where the hand of the creator can actively be seen, and which we’ll keep and wear for decades, not just a season or two. And if a piece has genuine eco-cred, as opposed to just looking like it might, all the better…
26 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
Trend: Sustainable THE B TEAM “This dress is by Baujken,” says Nickie Davies of Kilver Court, the designer shopping village out at Shepton Mallet, “and usually retails at £139 – but we sell it at Kilver for £97.30. We love these guys, in part because of their admirable sustainability policy – they donate 10 per cent of their profits to charity, and are part of the global B Corp family that encompasses 3,000 businesses committed to balancing purpose with profit. That means, for instance, that they’re legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment – Patagonia and Innocent Drinks are also part of it. Baujken is all about slow fashion, using ecofriendly fabrics, making the sustainable attributes of each product clear, and they do most styles in sizes up to 18. And if you eventually wear out your Baukjen item, you can send it back to them to be sustainably recycled – they’ll pay the postage.” For more, www.kilvercourt.com
