LONDON ENTREPRENEUR WORKS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SELFRIDGES TO TURN FABRIC OFFCUTS INTO SUSTAINABLE FASHION STATIONERY
London Entrepreneur, Nishant Parekh founder of KAPDAA has teamed up with four celebrated designers to create a stylish collection of fabric notebooks to be sold exclusively via Selfridges.
Working with Fyodor Golan, Halston Heritage, Orlebar Brown and ISSA, each limited edition book has been ethically created using exclusive fabric offcuts from the designers’ collections.
With four distinctive materials selected per designer and just 25 of each design to be available to the public, the 400 luxury notebooks are expected to become a highly sought-after fashion accessory with the offcuts of the collection now in store.
The collaboration aims to demonstrate some of the creative ways in which KAPDAA believes the global fashion industry could look to minimise waste each season whilst creating bespoke desirable products.
KAPDAA’s founder, Nishant Parekh, said; “KAPDAA means cloth in Hindi and our whole ethos is to give new life to waste material. Essentially, we look to provide a creative way to re-purpose otherwise discarded offcuts. Turning stylish scraps into bespoke stationery struck us as a sustainable way to extend the catwalk’s reach and showcase the creativity of Fashion designers. For our distinctive selection of notebooks to be commissioned and sold in London’s leading department store is an honour and a demonstration of Selfridges commitment to championing industry brands that are developing sustainable fashion solutions.”
The collaboration came about after KAPDAA was introduced to Selfridges by Alex McIntosh from the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at London College of Fashion. Speaking about this project; “KAPDAA is a great example of the kind of creative Entrepreneurship we need to see more of in fashion and beyond; thinking collaboratively and imaginatively about how the waste from one industry can be used to create a unique and desirable product in another. It’s been a pleasure to mentor them and to help facilitate this partnership with Selfridges.”
True to the offcut company’s Indian roots, each individually crafted 100-page notebook uses traditional book binding & hand screen printing techniques to add to its sophisticated appeal. The notebooks also encapsulate the designers’ meticulous fashion concepts throughout.
As part of this, every bookmark further mirrors some of the distinctive characteristics and materials of the fashionwear artists’ collections. For Orlebar Brown, the notebook repurposes the waist elastic common across its swimwear, while Halston Heritage has donated black velvet as a marker. ISSA’s design, meanwhile, uses the black leather trimmings featured across its dresses whilst Fyodor Golan’s vibrant fabric choice incorporates three different ribbons per notebook to complement the design.
Speaking of their involvement, Jamie O’Hare from ISSA London said: “We were lucky enough to attend the Alannah Weston talk where she spoke with great passion about sustainability at this year’s BFC Fashion Forum. She was hugely inspiring and when the opportunity arose to work with KAPDAA and Selfridges on this project we were delighted. We are very proud to be involved.”
Daniella Vega, Head of sustainability at Selfridges, added: “In today’s throwaway society we believe it’s important to help counter the perception that fashion is disposable. Part of the Selfridges experience comes from assuring our customers that we have strong environmental and ethical standards. We’re therefore delighted to be involved in such a sustainable initiative and hope that the support of such high-profile designers will draw attention to the practical potential that adapting leftover fabric offers the fashion industry.”
The exclusive collection of just 100 A5 handcrafted notebooks per designer is now sold at Selfridges’ stationery department, as well as via their website: www.selfridges.com
Retailing at £19.99, and from each notebook sold a percentage will be donated by KAPDAA to four charities close to the designers’ hearts.
