Like many of his fellows who had a successful career in the fashion industry, Ifeanyi Okwuadi also did his class at Savile Row. The 28 year old fashion designer based in London indeed learned and understood how to make a garment, and by definition, an impeccable one. If quality is his main focus, it’s certainly for him a way to create a piece that sustains through time. 

He envisioned his collection through the artisanal gesture and that’s probably what made him stand out of the 36th Hyères Fashion Festival. Winner of the Great Prize in 2021, the menswear designer took into account everything that makes sense to him such as sourcing the right fabrics, using great craftsmanship, but also by including his remarkable tailor skills.

In today’s Smart Creation episode, we talked with Ifeanyi about locality, ambition and sustainability from a design perspective.

CONTENT TO FIND YOUR WAY IN THE EPISODE

0:55 : Ifeanyi presents himself

3:10 : His definition to sustainable fashion

4:15: What was his project for the Hyères Festival?

7:50 : What was the main question regarding sustainability in his project?

9:40 : What’s its starting creative point ?

10:55 : What did he learn in terms of sustainability?

12:50 : What makes a good garment

13:45 : What did he learn at Margaret Howell ?

15:25: How can we bring back this idea that a good garment costs money?

18:45 : Where does he want to bring his project ?

20:15 : What will be his most important criteria as a member of the Hyères jury?

21:45 : How can the fashion industry accelerate its revolution?

22:55 : What does he advise to young designers?

24:16 : What does he want to close the door to in our industry?

24:35 : What does he look at to get inspired?

24:50 : What is the last piece of clothes he bought? 

25:05: Who would he like to listen to in this podcast?

KEY LEARNINGS

 «It’s really important for me to promote what we have, specifically in Britain like the craftsmanship, the skills and the labourers.»

«In a quality garment you can see the tailor's construction work, the needlework or everything that is involved in the making.»

«It’s all about the quality of the garment.»

«You can learn from the past, but don’t take away the bits that have gone wrong or failed and work on those things.»

About Ifeanyi Okwuadi & other references

Ifeanyi Okwuadi: http://ifeanyiokwuadi.com

@ifeanyiokwuadi: https://www.instagram.com/ifeanyiokwuadi/ 

36th edition of Hyères Fashion Festival: https://villanoailles.com/festivals/36e-festival-international-de-mode-de-photographie-et-daccessoires-de-mode-hyeres 

Margaret Howell: http://margarethowell.fr 

Fashion Revolution: https://www.fashionrevolution.org 

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