I returned from Norway feeling nostalgic for a world I’d never known, intrigued by glimpses caught of a serenity and simplicity which seemed so far from reality’s reach until I set foot in those old Norse lands.
I drank water from the rivers, streams and lakes which poured with abundance around us, breathed truly clean air for what felt like the first time in my life, and ate fruits of the land which we foraged ourselves.
I saw a woman knitting a sweater on the porch of her house with an insulating bark roof full of flowers above her. Turbines turning in the distance, creating clean energy through the simplistic existence of nature. It is a country cradled in idyllic and conscious living, and it made abundantly clear to me what we as a collective society have lost touch with.
There once was a time when our clothing was made for us. Like a sculptor, tailors fit fabric, letting the body guide a garments’ shape and lines. Now, our bodies are guided by sizes decreed to us, made for no one in particular, and everyone at once. Incorrectly indicating the human body ought to align to a single silhouette. Penetrating young minds to conform.
There once was a time when brands were not hollow, when the emblem marked on a product indicated its quality, artistry and honour. Before greed came along and cut the livelihood from fashion’s form, unravelling it completely to remove the heart, care and community that was once woven into each product. Spinning instead an intricate web of middle men, slaves and harm.
There once was a time when we grew crops without toxins, when farmers in fields and their surrounding communities didn’t suffer cancerous contamination through crop production. Leading entire families to meet an early grave so ‘the haves’ can have more to covet and quickly dispose of.
We now live in a world of cognitive dissonance, struggling to stay woke while still heeding the call of consumerism, trying to buy our way to a better life through half-baked marketing campaigns which tell us how we think we should live. Draining the soul of all it truly hungers for by feeding it with meaninglessness. Surrounding ourselves with items endlessly cloned while simultaneously wondering why the quest to ‘find ourselves’ never ends.
Slow fashion is meant to offer a cure to all this, but there are still very few brands which truly put kindness at the forefront of their genesis the way the label The Summer House (pictured) has. With warmth and grace, they effortlessly marry ethical production, sustainability and affordability into a touching trinity, eloquently embodying the artistry of fashion created slowly, through conscious craftsmanship and pointed production that embraces a level of love and logic I’ve rarely seen.
Their clothing is affordable, despite being tailored to each individual customer, they rival ‘fast fashion’ retail prices while offering affordable luxury made without harm.
The Summer House has built around them a unique, nostalgic, worldly and romantic aesthetic using organic raw materials which are handwoven into fabric in fair-trade factories, before being cut and sewn in their airy studio creating unity, and community, through lack of middle men and utmost care.
The dress I chose as a gift from them is truly a work of art: clean lines, delicate details and a lightness about it which makes you feel airy and bright. It was a Cinderella-esque experience the first time I put it on, the fabric embracing my body like a caterpillar’s cocoon, custom tailored to every measurement I had shared. made for me and me only, intended to accompany me through the seasons and chapters of life.
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ITEMS MENTIONED / PICTURED
THE SUMMER HOUSE PURO DRESS, €58.95: The beautiful dress pictured throughout this post is ethically and sustainably hand made from a high count handwoven khadi, by the brand The Summer House whose efforts in ethics and sustainability have inspired me to write this post. You can support their conscious creations by perusing their collection HERE, you’ll find the dress I’m wearing HERE.
VINTAGE WOOL HAT, $78.00: I bought this hat at Kilo Vintage Shop in Paris, there’s a similar one made ethically in the USA by Rag & Bone HERE.
SONYA KASMIRI ALICIA BAG, £265.00: I wrote a piece about Sonya Kashmiri’s creations HERE last year and was given this bag as a gift. Her consciously created collection is internally strengthened with leathers upcycled from the discards of other’s creations, then lined with organic cotton, and topped with vegetable tanned leathers making use of a byproduct from French bovine production.You can shop her collection online HERE.
RARE BREED CASHMERE BOBBLE HAT, £50.00: I had a collection of these handknit in England from the soft undercoat of a unique flock of goats bread on a farm in Devon where the fibres are treated with as much care as the rare animals who produce them. I have one left in stock if you’re interested email leotielovely@gmail.com
LES RECUPERABLES ROSE KIMBO, €75.00: made with upcycled vintage fabric, ethically in France. Each piece is unique but you’ll find a similar one online HERE.
THOUGHT CLOTHING ANTOINE ORGANIC COTTON THROW, £140.00: Organic cotton throw ethically produced by thought clothing. You’ll find it online HERE.
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PHOTOS: SHANE WOODWARD
SOURCES: Greenpeace, The Guardian
SPONSORED POST: This post was sponsored by THE SUMMER HOUSE and I received the dress pictured as a gift from them. I don’t receive any editorial direction from brands I work with, and any opinions shared as well as the story direction is mine (and Shane’s). Any facts used to support my opinions or provide information can be found in the source links above.
That is a beautiful dress! Thanks for sharing this post and sharing this brand with us. I hate fast fashion. One of my favourite ways to embrace slow fashion is to stick with having my own clothes tailored to me from my home country. I'll check this brand out! I'm always looking to support companies who care for more than just their pockets