Aelis Fall 2024 Couture: Sustainability is the Way Forward
Thanks to Sofia Crociani partnership with Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
For fashion to move forwards in an ever changing landscape whereby sustainability is entering the conversation as to what fashion should be, houses should be moving towards ethical production processes.
Creative director of Aelis, Sofia Crociani, understands this all too well. For her 2024 Fall Couture collection, she created a new opalescent finish for her fabrics in partnership with Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Within this collection, choices range from signature gowns you know and love to a dark academia aesthetic bound to take the industry by storm.
The black velvet used was sourced through her ongoing partnership with the Paris Opera Ballet, while the collaboration with Hong Kong Polytechnic University offered a new method of spraying gold and silver nanoparticles on vegan BioSilk. This created a pearlescent finish that recalls butterfly wings in a season where the insect is a popular addition. The process is chemical and water-free, with biodegradable bonafides, something that is hoped will be picked up within the industry by many other designers.
Gowns still had raw hems, visible stitching and accents of up-cycled jewelry, adding to the ethical process Crociani should receive more praise for. Is this the bare minimum? Yes. But in an industry that largely lacks this effort to both create pieces to love that lead the way towards sustainability, it is something to admire her for.
She did not stop there, however. Found feathers were used for her avian accouterments to make it a cruelty-free collection. European BioSilk was sent to Hong Kong for the treatment, to ensure it met the GOTS-certification standard she requires for her pieces.
Velvet looks were also made from up-cycled costumes from the opera that were adorned with Victorian puff sleeves, bustled skirts and sashes that draped across the body for a dark academia aesthetic. In an era where the period drama - think Netflix’s Bridgerton, HBO’s The Gilded Age, and Apple TV’s The Buccaneers - is becoming more popular amongst audiences, it is choices such as these that make sense for consumers.
Another touching aspect of the collection was felt when Crociani revealed that she leaves the performers’ tags inside the upcycled garments. “Those kinds of dresses have a special story. They have an incredible background, and they can tell us something new.”
Lovely does not feel strong enough a word to apply to this Fall 2024 collection, so we will leave you to discover a suitable adjective similar.
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