In conversation with Marques’Almeida
We had a pleasure speaking with Marques'Almeida about their collaboration with 7 FOR ALL MANKIND and sustainability.
The collection sort of based on sustainability, how did you make the collection sustainable?
The collection is called reM’Ade by 7FAM because its part of the reM’Ade label we created under our main MARQUES ‘ ALMEIDA label in which the products are done with deadstock or waste materials. 7FAM is one of the first collaborators to embark on this journey with us to produce collections with waste materials!
How did this collaboration happen?
It came as a continuation of our first very successful and happy collaboration and because we were both as creatives and as brands thinking about sustainability and what steps we could take next to join this conversation and raise awareness to this issue in the fashion world.
A collab is between 2 designers, how did you make sure that the collection has the Marques’Almeida look and feel?
7FAM have always been incredibly generous and trusting when it comes to our creative vision and their team is incredibly hands on to bring on their knowledge and heritage to make this shared vision comes to life!
This is the second collaboration with 7 For All Mankind, will there be more collaborations with them in the future?
We hope so. 🙂
What or who inspired the designs in the collection?
For us at M’A is always about making sure it attracts a diverse audience – yes we have an ideal of girls in mind, and maybe more so when we started years ago, but that has been loosing importance everytime because its become more about understanding embracing and loving diversity and we hope these pieces get worn and loved and enjoyed by a different range of people!
Sustainability, inclusivity and diversity are something you’re aiming for with your brand, how do you achieve that?
We’re taking steps as we go along and learning more about it and making mistakes and learning from our mistakes but for us it really has to do with questioning that in everything we do .making sure we’re using our platform to give voice to whoever doesn’t normaly have a voice in this industry as they’ll know better than us what we should say what we should do to be a more inclusive supportive industry.
And how do you feel about the fashion industry right now? Are they doing enough to achieve these goals as well?
Unfortunately not. There’s a lot of greenwashing and a lot of performance – and its hard to navigate and I don’t mean to discourage younger smaller brands with judgement. But the big corporations must really question things and turn them on its head because its them who will make the real change. That’s why we were so thrilled that a big company like 7FAM with its enourmous reach would join forces with us so willingly on a project like this J
In your bio you quote Helmut Lang “fashion is about attitude not hemlines,” how do you apply this mindset to your work?
I guess it means that for us its always about the purpose, the principle, about what it says and not just the product in itself as a soulless product is not worth much.
Is there something you learned from 7 For All Mankind while working on this collection together?
We learned the challenges a bigger company has in front of them when they try to go a different route. In many ways its easier to change when you’re a smaller company. We also always learn thorugh them about the heritage and technical knowledge in the jeanswear field which we very much appreciate
You won various prizes in the past, is there something on your bucketlist that you really want to achieve in the future?
Change, meaningful change, that’s our biggest dream right now. We’re just coming of of the first 10 years of M’A and we hope the next 10 are about affecting real meaningful change.
Jael Niesink
