Eva Riu, Rebelroot's designer has been interviewed by style and the start-up. Check the interview:
Many of us dream of being rebels at some point in our lives. A rebel breaks the rules, follows their own lead, and is always cool. Maybe in high school, maybe in college, or maybe even now. But for many of us the reality is we can’t be rebels in our daily lives. So enter Barcelona based clothing brand RebelRoot to give you a little bit of rebel. The core if the one-year-old company is sustainability and ethical production, but that does not mean that style has been sacrificed. In fact, the edgy clothing pieces will have you channeling your inner bad-ass as soon as you put them on. I caught up with Eva over email about what her brand stands for, her inspiration, how she rebels in her daily life, and how they help protect the knowledge of artisans.
What’s the concept behind RebelRoot?RebelRoot is a new clothing and accessories brand, created in Barcelona for men and women. We have based all our work on Ethical Fashion, ensuring that our production and design chain respects and defends human rights and protects the environment. We have these principles in mind for everything, from production processes all the way to every fabric we work with.
What was your inspiration for the collection and what’s your process?
I usually listen to something on the radio that inspires me. During the creation of my last collection, I was captivated by “Colony Collapse”, a song by Filastine, who is a Barcelona’s based musician. I start by putting together all the ideas and concepts that I have with all the materials and fabric options at my disposal. After that I do a lot of sketching. For our collection we did hundreds of sketches. Once I have a clear idea of the designs, I meet with my artisans and work to make some samples. As soon as I get the samples I decide which ones will go into production.
On our website you can check the artisan who made each piece. Working with fair trade their standard of living has improved and they can now afford to save. Their work is appreciated and their name recognized.
Previous to RebelRoot you had a clothing line called the The Mystic Onion. Was that line based on, ethical fashion? If not, why did you transition to sustainable fashion with RebelRoot?The Mystic Onion was a locally made brand. But I decided to take one more step, so I created RebelRoot. I am not only interested in how something is made, but also in the fabrics. I like to increase the capacity and wellbeing of the people and communities behind fashion.
Where is your clothing produced?The clothing is produced all around the world depending on the product. The pieces made outside Europe have World Fair Trade Certification. Check this brief comparison between Fair Trade certified and standard producers.
What are the handcrafting techniques that you use?Some of the fabrics are hand printed by Batik artisans in Indonesia. Made in Indonesia under very high standards of Fair Trade. The jewelry is made by our artisans with wood and glass beads techniques.
The editorial is very interesting- plants growing from people’s body parts, what is the idea behind it? The name ‘RebelRoot’ is what inspired this concept. We all have a ‘Rebel Root’ inside of us that can come out. That, I imagined as a plant that grows inside of us, and comes out as leaves. It’s something that we grow; Rebels dreaming in a sustainable world.
What does the name RebelRoot mean?We always envisioned ourselves as a company that would create products with a very strong foundation on values and techniques. That said, we wanted to do so whilst elevating the design and established looks that most times other fair-trade companies use. We thought we could apply a much more modern, casual and elegant style to our products, but still have them evoke their origins, techniques and artisans behind them. A foundation as a root, and a rebel as a style equals RebelRoot.
Do you rebel in your daily life? If so, how?Nowadays we can buy many things, it’s easy and cheap. I try to think in every product that I buy. We still have the power of choosing, so we can be a conscious consumer.
What is the “protection of knowledge” concept?It is key for us to support hand crafting throughout all aspects of our production chain. This ensures the future of the communities that collaborate with Rebel Root as well as allows them to make their own cultures known. We use traditional hand crafting techniques, on designs made in Barcelona.♥
For more on Rebel Root and their commitment to ethical fashion click here.
English
Español