Coverlette

Who are you? What’s your profession?Gideon Rubin, I’m A London based painter. Why are you interested in sustainability?I’m a bit like a hoarder so it helps I don’t throw anything away. much prefer re-using, to re-appropriate. i collect old photos, toys etc… For years I’ve been painting on little cardboards, I just cut up used boxes to small pieces and paint over them with gauche colours. I love the feeling of making something quite precious out of the most mundane, throw away stuff. And what made change your mind?
Age, and seeing where we at. it a very different perspective.. What has to change – in your opinion – to make this world a better place?People. I don’t think it about how long humanity lasts, its under what conditions, what kind of life we want to have. We have to find a way to work together, individually, as industries, countries – think and act on it globally but we are so far from it.Energy-crisis, war, covid, populism. Do you still watch the news? Much less then i used to, still read the papers but keeping to the headlines, i skim through the rest. I figured reading more news doesn’t help me understandanything better really…Who is your idol?So many artists, musicians, writers, poets that make life much more bearable. State of mind?’Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working’ Picasso.

Who are you?Jean-Pierre BraganzaWhat’s your profession?Fashion Designer (@Coverlette) zero-waste menswear brand.Why are you interested in sustainability?It’s just so sad and depressing to think that we could slip into self-destruction and lose so much of the beauty and diversity of life out of sheer laziness and greed. I hope that humanity is better than that and we can shift our behaviour and force corporations to behave differently in time.And what made change your mind?Over the last few decades fashion became something disposable, a completely pointless cycle of trends and status. The value and appreciation of design and craftsmanship was lost. Trying to bring back a tiny bit of that consideration is why I started the Coverlette brand. I could only bear to work with existing vintage pieces and textiles, working with the constraints of the utilitarian design of military garments, and bringing the incredible artistry of the hand-woven antique coverlets back to life by combining them.What has to change – in your opinion – to make this world a better place?Corporations have to be held responsible for the pollution and garbage that they create. Why do we allow them to create endless plastic packaging and toxins that invade the water and air? Anything that comes in plastic should have a heavy tax added, with all of the revenue going to clean up waterways.Energy-crisis, war, covid, populism. Do you still watch the news?Yes every morning. Probably not a healthy habit.Who is your idol?Henry Rollins and Maynard James KeenanState of mind?Comfortably numb.

Who are you? What is your profession?
I am Izzet Ers, a London based fashion designer and artist with a Turkish Jewish background. I just launched Imago (@imago.circle), an up-cycle fashion collective and am one half of The Sinistry, a contemporary art partnership with the artist Bert Gilbert (@thesinistry).Why are you interested in sustainability? And what made you change your mind?I have always had an interest in textiles and other materials from the past, as they all carry within them their own story. Through my work in the fashion industry over the last twenty years and witnessing the monstrous amount of overproduction and waste, I’ve come to the realisation that one’s creativity has to be the most precious feature in this kind of work as it’s the only thing in this life that comes from a truly inexhaustible source.What has to change – in your opinion – to make this world a better place?I feel that there is an over-valuation of growth in general, creating new things with new materials in a never ending and self-consuming cycle, and it’s time to break this. Energy-crisis, war, covid, populism. Do you still watch the news?I don’t watch the news but I keep informed in other ways.Who is your idol?Carl JungState of mind?One of the mantras from The Sinistry’s Game of Life Manifesto gives an answer to this:Be uncontainable yet sustainable!

Who are you?Jade McSorley, a sustainable fashion advocate and fashion futurist. What’s your profession?I am the co-founder of LOANHOOD, a fashion rental community supporting emerging designers, independent brands and just really cool wardrobes. I am also a model of 15 years and undergoing my PhD on digital fashion and sustainability at the University of Creative Arts. Why are you interested in sustainability?I guess working as model for so long and working for a lot of fast fashion brands allows you to see the industry from such a unique perspective. I could see the rise in production and the decrease in quality and soon found it didn’t sit well with me as a person in the industry promoting and selling more clothes. I got interested in sustainability as I wanted to find a way to love fashion but without the guilt associated with consuming in a world that is affected by climate change. I ended up going back to study my MA in Fashion Futures at London College of Fashion that explored the complexities of sustainability
within a fashion context. I found it both scary and uplifting as I came to see sustainability as an opportunity for fashion to reset, to be more creative, less impactful to our planet and more beneficial to people and communities. And that is what we strive to do at LOANHOODAnd what made change your mind?Same as aboveWhat has to change – in your opinion – to make this world a better place?I think, from a top-down approach, government needs to make some big changes if we are going to really speed up change. They understand and do too little and I worry they will act when it is too late. Many will argue it is already too late. But I also think it is important to never underestimate the power of the consumer. Instead of waiting for government to step in, there is so much that we can do as individuals and make different choices. If we as consumers speak up, industry and government will have to listen! So I would say to anyway who wants to go a buy a new outfit for a new week, first think about whether you need it, and then think about alternative ways in which you can get it – resale, rental, borrow from friends and family – there are so many amazing businesses out there are sustainably driven and as consumers we need to support them. Energy-crisis, war, covid, populism. Do you still watch the news?I think it is important to know what is going on in the world and affecting the people of our planet. However, I think, like most people, I find it hard to watch and stay positive throughout the day. I have stopped watching the news on the morning first-thing but I will keep aware of what’s going on through different media channels throughout the day. I don’t want to be ignorant to those that are going through such challenging times and I think more than ever we need to be there for each other. Who is your idol?Oh, there are many amazing people in the world who inspire me and keep me going. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a force to be reckoned with and I find her so be insightful, empathetic, and articulate in the way she addresses those in power. David Attenborough for reminding us about the beauty of nature. And Iris Apfel for reminding us about the fabulousness of fashion.State of mind?In flux! Sometimes I feel anxious about the world and where we are heading and then the next minute, I am full of positivity and feel like we can create change.

The Coverlette brand is one-of-a-kind clothing created in London from vintage garments + antique textiles. After running a ready-to-wear brand for 12 years in London, Jean-Pierre Braganza was tired of the cycle of seasonal wholesale fashion and needed to find a way to focus on his true passion; design. The lockdown of 2020 brought a new, enforced slowness, and at this point he discovered the incredible beauty of antique coverlets. Loomed in the 17th and 18th centuries by European settlers in North America, the stories of these people are often told through the images woven into the fabric. Finding a way to bring this incredible craftsmanship back to life turned into the Coverlette brand. Antiques that may have been packed in an attic have been transformed into a unique and meaningful piece, meant to be worn, loved and kept forever.