Phoebe Englishn 2018, London-based
designer Phoebe
English walked into
her studio and announced to
her staff: “We’re going to have a
war on plastic.” And so it began.
Her first battle was against
packaging, so she figured out
how to use biodegradable and
recyclable materials. “Once
you’ve found a solution for
something,” she says, “it gets
quite addictive.”
She moved on to developing
a system of zero-waste
pattern cutting, a difficult
and time-consuming process
that uses entire pieces of
fabric, from edge to edge, so
that no scraps are left on
the table. Then she scrutinized
the raw materials she was
using—zippers and elastic were
out; biodegradable buttons
made from milk protein and
reclaimed fishing nets were in.
English launched her label
in 2011, but over the course
of three seasons, she says,
“we rewrote the company.”
The goal was to reinvent her
brand—without sacrificing
I
the quality or integrity of the
clothes, which have become
deceptively complex as
her eco-practice has evolved,
revealing their seams to
showcase the intricacies of
her patternmaking.
Unwittingly, her start as a
tiny, craft-based U.K. fashion
business has become her
competitive advantage—to
be small is to be nimble—and
turned her outfit into a global
leader in progressive, eco-
conscious fashion design.
“I realized that we have abilities
that larger companies don’t
have,” English says. “If you’re in
a company where you have
that ability to make changes
quickly, it’s really your
responsibility to be doing it.”Phoebe English in
her London studio.