UNFAIRs intervju med Barbara Í Gongini
Her er et intervju som UNFAIR har gjort med Barbara Í Gongini om levedyktig og bærekraftig design. Bør leses!
UNFAIR is an organization with a goal to present a versatile and nuanced look into the fashion world as it is unfolding in the Nordic countries. UNFAIR´s ambition is to work with upcoming and innovative Nordic brands with viable and sustainable aspirations. Unfair Fashion Revolution is aiming to place focus on transperancy within the Danish Fashion Inudstry. UNFAIR has thus contacted BARBARA I GONGINI for an interview and illustration of our sustainable designs and an explanation of their production journey.
BARBARA: Sustainability may take manifest itself in different ways. There are several aspects that are important to us, taking under consideration the sustainability principles of our choice, hence; 1) to continuously strive to work with eco-friendly fabric and production solutions in order to progressively enhance our collection´s sustainable rating according to HIGG´s Index; 2) to further work with our Wardrobing Concept that implies that our designs are rich in longevity and multi-functionality in order to instantly fit into current wardrobes, while simultaneously be timeless designs that can be rekindled year´s to come – so granting a more sustainable product – which relates to the fact that our collections have a numerical order as these are not trend based per se; and 3) to up-cycle available stock and/or fabric residue from already produced collections as a means to minimize the production footprint and utilize all already once sourced resources.
UNFAIR: What is most important to you in regards to social responsibility?
BARBARA: We strive to instill, both internally and externally, a stride towards Social Justice. Strive towards social justice ought to be filtered through all stages of the value chain and implies measures to be taken towards human rights as well as animal welfare. We are doing our best to source all given information from potential suppliers, before embarking a collaboration, to make sure that they adhere to ethical procedures.
UNFAIR: Why is sustainability and social responsibility important to you and your brand?
BARBARA: It has always been important to me, as an individual, to acquire products that are of ecological nature. Hence it is valid to me to incorporate such logic into the product I am granting others – sustainable in its composition and aesthetic/look. I believe that as a designer, and brand, we have the opportunity to set a tone at the top within the fashion industry and encourage all actors in the value chain to embrace slow-fashion as well as exercise more conscious way of consumption. It is important to sustain our planet and its scarce resources, long-run.
UNFAIR: In brief, please elaborate on your brand DNA and values?
BARBARA: Navigating in the field of Avant-Garde, we pursue a conceptual approach to the design, which is rich with experimentation to the form, nonetheless simultaneously practical and wearable in its construction. The core of our brand DNA is centered on strength of individual and not on sex or sexual orientation, societal order or other normative pressures, but on playful imaginative tale of craftsmanship that breathes freedom of self-expression. Our brand values are, amongst other, sustainable and eternal, geometric and futuristic.
UNFAIR: Are you aware of Fashion Revolution Day? Is there a need for a FRD, how so – and what does it mean to you?
BARBARA: Yes, we are familiar with FRD. I do recall last year, where I myself, during my participation at Copenhagen Fashion Summit 2014, wore my own design inside-and-out. This was a symbolic action to further support Fashion Revolution and in particular, to show respect to the horrible tragedy at Rana Plaza.
FRD is absolutely a valid event as it serves on educational and informative purposes to further enlighten all actors in the fashion industry about the ethical and ecological challenges it is facing. Designers ought to set an example and be advocates for sustainable design. FRD is thus a great platform to further manifest such messages further to the public eye – both to suppliers as buyers.
UNFAIR: Why is it important to you to enlight where your designs come from?
BARBARA: We inform and educate our consumers about our design procedures, from cradle to crave, as we strive for transparency in our actions. This is not only data our customers demand, it is data we insist on granting. It reflects who we are, who I am and what I stand for.