Sustainable fashion à la Hellen Van Rees…

It’s hard to believe that designer Hellen Van Rees only graduated this year, when already she’s garnered praise from leading fashion bloggers and one of her designs has been worn by Lady Gaga. “It was very surreal to see such a famous person, who I’ve seen in countless pictures, suddenly wearing something I created,” she says. Van Rees’ take on Spring/Summer 2013 brings us a cubist vision in yellow and grey, with beautiful woven contours making their way onto dresses, tops and even iPad sleeves. Following on from a “really positive” reception at London Fashion Week as part of Vauxhall Fashion Scout, she’s looking forward to a busy year ahead.

Van Rees uses discarded remnants to create her woven pieces, with no waste, making them sustainable as well as fashion-forward. The three-dimensional cubes which line the body and sleeves of her garments are completely seamless, with the weaving worked around the forms, and it makes you want to take a second look just to work out how on earth they came together.

“I’m inspired by shapes, textures and contrasts,” she explains, with current diverse influences including the art of Rachel Whiteread, Gerhard Richter and Anish Kapoor as well as the flapper girl style of the 1920s. Whereas the Jazz Age has been a big trend for Autumn/Winter 2012 in its most straightforward sense (such as the 20s-tinged Ralph Lauren show set to the Downton Abbey theme tune, or the excesses of Jean Paul Gaultier that made us all wish we could go to the ball), Van Rees is less obvious for the season ahead.

The collection is called ‘Square One: The Miracle of the Space Age’, therefore it’s more like an imagining of how a flapper might dress in 2020 rather than 1920, adding a dose of fantasy alongside the elegant mid-length hems. Flappers aside, her dream woman to dress would be someone with “a very unique, quirky style, like Tilda Swinton.” Looking at her designs, you can’t help but think that Swinton would feel right at home.

So, what can we expect during 2013? “I have a lot of ideas to work on!” she says enthusiastically. “I’ll continue developing accessories and also a diffusion line on the alongside my main collection.” As for plans further into the future, “I’ve fantasised about a small range of products such as lampshades and vases.” Clearly a designer with plenty of ideas, Van Rees is certainly one to watch.

For more information and to find stockists, see Hellen Van Rees’ website.

Hellen Van Rees’ show at London Fashion Week