EKO-LAB gets the big picture

Posted by Melanie Bender on January 12 at 11:52 AM Fashion is a lot more than what we wear.  It's at the cusp of an entire network of farmers, manufacturers and designers, employing millions of workers the world over.  The team behind EKO-LAB (one of our DMD Lab finalists) represents that last group - although they consider themselves more creators than designers - but they are keenly aware of all many other the links in the chain of production.  A unique collaborative of 6 designers brought together by a shared passion for changing the face of sustainable fashion, each EKO-LAB designer represents a unique but complimentary point of view and 'niche'.  We sat down with the 'EKO-LAB six' Melissa Kirgan, Xing-Zhen Chung-Hilyard (a.k.a., XZ), Meiling Chen, Kaori Yamazaki, Amy Mohlenhoff and Mika Machida to talk dressing up Barbie, life in a co-op and changing the world one garment at a time.

DMD: What made you want to be a designer?
Melissa Kirgan: It all started with dressing Barbie!  That, and having a genetic disposition that compels me to believe that wearable, functional art is the highest level of design.
XZ: The belief that there must be a better way to be environmentally and socially responsible and stylish, at the same time.
Meiling Chen: To me, it’s the best way I can express my feelings and passions, and make connections with others.
Kaori Yamazaki: I have always loved making things. For me, fashion design is an extension of creating something by hand. I started by making unique little things, and designing garments just followed. I feel most comfortable being called a ‘creator’ rather than a ‘designer’.
Amy Mohlenhoff: Being a designer was something I always wanted and to be.  Nothing else was ever very appealing!
Mika Machida: For me, the desire to make my graphic design visions into something wearable was a huge driving force to become a clothing designer.

DMD: Why ‘EKO-LAB’?
MK: Our work together began through the Lower East Side boutique Ekovaruhuset. We took on the responsibility of promoting and producing events for the store, and through collaborating on those we found that we really enjoyed working together and were also very successful at it! 
XZ: On top of that, we found that all of our collections miraculously happened to hang really well together and complement each other. When it came to putting a name on what we had been doing, we wanted to use ‘EKO’ as homage to the Ekovaruhuset boutique where we established ourselves, and ‘LAB’ as in ‘collaborative’, which is the nature of how we work.

DMD: If you weren't a designer, what else would you want to do?
MK: Film director.
XZ: I'd be a party planner.
MC: An actress or a writer.
KY: A farmer.
AM: An acrobat in the circus!
MM: Fisherman.

What did your mother want you to be?
MK: Well, she did sign me up for the Marine Corps, but I don’t think she was serious!

DMD: Did you study design in school?
MK: Yes, we all studied design however we all actually focused on different disciplines within design. Amy and I studied Fashion Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).
XZ: I studied Art and Graphic Design Pratt Institute and FIT.
MM: I also studied Graphic Design at The Fashion Institute of Technology FIT.
MC: I studied Art and Graphic Design at The National Taiwan Academy of Arts and The School of Visual Arts in New York.
KY: And I have a background in Textile and Surface Design also from FIT.

DMD: How does the whole co-op thing work?
MC: Working as a group of six, we accomplish much more than if tried to do everything alone. We all have very different personalities, which creates a truly unique working dynamic and also makes it a lot of fun ideas. 

DMD: If you could spend a day in anyone's shoes, who would it be?
MK: Karl Lagerfeld.
XZ: Mother Teresa.
KY: Marie Antoinette.
MC: Amelia Earhart.
AM: Audrey Hepburn.
MM: Mogi.  He’s my cat.

DMD: Can sustainable fashion change the world?
AM: Certainly!  More and more people are becoming aware of what they wear and how their clothing is made.  So many workers in undeveloped countries are suffering from unsafe work conditions, and the Earth could be so much healthier if the fashion and textile industry became more sustainable.
MM: By creating truly unique pieces, keeping our production methods transparent and educating our customers, we hope to help aid in their decision. Every consumer has a choice to make this a better world to live in!


Topics: design, fashion, green        SHARE: