The ties between identity, politics, and fashion have never been clearer.
IKIGAI LABELS, an Amsterdam based slow fashion online store, recently launched a slow fashion video project entitled Fabric for The Mind— exploring themes like the Japanese philosophy ‘ikigai’, slow fashion, inclusivity, emancipation, and social sustainability.
The project is a refreshing reminder on how brands can be extending their role in the fashion landscape— not only as pushers of product, but as champions of larger conversations— about culture, identity, and reimagining fashion’s future.
The series encapsulates a beautiful display of perspectives— from thought leaders such as Aja Barber to zero-waste fashion designers like Nathalia JMag— and I’m excited to share my own thoughts on the state of the industry as we approach a critical cultural juncture where accountability is on the rise, alongside an awareness of how exploitation exists in fashion.
THE PROJECT IS A REFRESHING REMINDER ON HOW BRANDS CAN BE EXTENDING THEIR ROLE IN THE FASHION LANDSCAPE— NOT ONLY AS PUSHERS OF PRODUCT, BUT AS CHAMPIONS OF LARGER CONVERSATIONS— ABOUT CULTURE, IDENTITY, AND REIMAGINING FASHION’S FUTURE.
Alongside this video is an editorial featuring pieces from IKIGAI’s shop. I’m sporting linen trousers from Filanda 18, a brand that is an ode to the antique hunters, the slow-travelers, and the enthusiasts of hand-crafted treasures, and Buki Akomolafe, a Berlin-based clothing label self-named after its founder’s German/Nigerian heritage that weds a background of tradition, handcraft, design experience, and aesthetic vision.
Filanda18 a fashion design lab exploring heritage textiles and interpreting them into ready-to-wear collections. Each collection tells a story through the use of textile techniques that have originated across different geographies and time – from Uzbeki ikat to Venetian lace, from Bengali Kantha to Japanese boro.
IKIGAI LABELS – FABRIC FOR THE MIND14 VOICES CALL FOR CHANGE
BUKI AKOMOLAFE is an homage to the gentlewoman of today. A refined balance between clean European classical tailoring and traditional craftsmanship, and techniques of West-Africa. Her creations are placed within a new and globally accessible context. The label uses only high quality, eco-organic materials like certified cotton, organic hemp-silk, and individual African wax prints.
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