Sustainable fashion is taking the world by storm, with more people than ever shopping consciously and steering away from fast fashion.
Amy Jane, a fashion designer based in Wimbledon, creates ultra-feminine dresses using sustainable methods.
The 24-year-old is the creative director for Amy Jane London – a womenswear brand that creates garments using eco-friendly materials.
Amy designs Victorian style dresses, often with pretty pastel and floral prints to make “every woman feel beautiful”.
Amy encourages her customers to “treasure their dresses” by washing the garments with care.
She told the Wimbledon Times: “We remain as sustainable as we can by ordering small quantities of materials and working closely with an ethical factory.
“We are slow fashion, and each piece is timeless - we encourage our customers to treasure their dresses and it's something that I do too.
“When I was pregnant, I never bought any pregnancy clothes – I just wore smock dresses as they’re adjustable.
“I never buy clothes from the high street and haven’t done for years because I prefer buying unique pieces that are special to me.”
Amy says that she only buys clothes if she is “obsessed" with the item.
She explained: “We all we all have to start thinking more logically about what we are buying and why we are buying it and only buying it if you're really in love with it.
“That's something my mom's always told me from a young age, she would say ‘Only buy it if you truly love it’ and that has stuck with me – I only buy clothes if I am fully obsessed with it.
“It is important to stay true to yourself as well because it’s hard to be sustainable when there is so much influence around.
“If you remain the person, you are, with your own style, then its harder to be swayed into different trends.
“That’s the problem with fashion – there is always a new trend that is processed way too fast.”
Amy says the purpose of Amy Jane London is to make women feel “feminine and beautiful” as she creates one-of-a-kind styles inspired by vintage prairie dresses.
Amy said: “I love to make pieces that make women feel feminine and beautiful.
“I’m really passionate about creating romantic pieces that can be cherished forever and worn for years – kind of like seasonless designs.
“My designs are inspired by 1970s prairie dresses and vintage Edwardian pieces.
“I love history and I’m obsessed with the 19th century, so I really wanted to create a modern twist on antique pieces.
“The styles are extremely unique, and it took me a long time to figure out how to complete the look – but I finally have and now I’m completely obsessed.”
Amy currently lives in London with her new born baby girl – but soon intends to be moving closer to her home town, Leeds.
She says her interest for vintage designs stemmed from her mum, as they frequently took trips to antique markets.
Amy explained: “When we visited the markets, my mum would buy Victorian corsets, she’s always loved florals and prints.
“My mum is an artist herself, so a lot of my inspiration came from her.
“University was a journey in itself because I was figuring out what styles I loved; sometimes it was hard to stay on track.
“I was fortunate to intern for Preen by Thornton Bregazzi for six months and I learnt so much there – I worked alongside the most amazing designer, and he has definitely inspired me.
“I graduated in June 2020 and thought it was a great idea to start my own brand as I had so many dresses I had already been working on.”
Amy says she is now looking to expand her brand by sharing her brand on social media.
She added: “We’re looking to expand our brand by continuing to create seasonless pieces and branching out into social media – like TikTok."
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