Lauren Trickey is a woman after my own heart. She's the creative mind behind Geelong based label, Lauren & Angie, and she's a passionate sustainability advocate.
Lauren launched her label in 2013 while studying fashion design, and after an end of year collection based around sustainability and eco-friendly concepts, her big idea was born.
The Lauren & Angie aesthetic is a carefree and comfortable one; simple, everyday pieces in organic cotton, linen and other natural fibres make for the perfect wardrobe staples. Lauren hand-crafts each Lauren & Angie piece herself in Geelong too, so there's no factories and no mass production - just simple clothes made with lots of love.
Lauren stepped away from the cutting table recently to share a little more about her love of linen and all things sustainability...
Why do you love linen and cotton?
There are so many things I Iove about linen and cotton! Firstly because they are natural, I probably favour linen over cotton as it is a lot more sustainable to produce. Both fibres are easy to work with, from cutting to sewing, and there aren't too many struggles I have with sewing them. They are soft fabrics and feel nice when you're wearing them, and they're both breathable fabrics. Linen looks lovely on everyone, it is such a versatile fibre and can be made into so many different garment types. I also like knowing that when the garment has come to the end of its life, and there is no more repairing or altering left to keep it going, that it will just breakdown and return to where it came from.
Your latest range, Summer Romance, features garments named after flowers. Can you share a little more about your love of flora?
I have always loved flowers. If I didn't make clothes, I would probably have done floristry, and sometimes I still think about doing it! Because of my love for flowers and gardens, I will often use the names of flowers for collection pieces. I try to pick summer flowers for summer and winter ones for winter. Naming pieces after flowers for me brings my two loves together and also brings the connection of caring for the environment and sustainable fashion together too.
You've introduced a new fabrication with the Upcycled Denim Skirt. What inspired you to start exploring upcycling and recycling in this range?
I have done this before, many moons ago. The first time I did, it was for my final collection at TAFE. My collection was based on sustainable fashion, and I wanted to do a pair of denim shorts. It was actually my teacher who first suggested to me to use old pairs of jeans to recreate the shorts. I used this practice again in one of my earlier collections as a denim jacket. This summer I decided to try it as a skirt. I like the idea of using up resources we already have available to us rather than using 'new' all the time. It is a bit of fun going around to different op-shops to find jeans to use, pulling them apart and putting them back together as something new. I do get some funny looks when I buy several pairs of the largest size jeans I can find!
The Dahlia Jacket is a wardrobe staple, and you've just released version two. Why is it such a staple?
I think the Dahlia Jacket is a staple as it's so easy to wear. There isn't anything complicated about it, it goes casually with jeans and can be worn dressed up with a beautiful dress to a wedding. Linen, as most people know, is a gorgeous fabric to wear too; it's light, breathable and perfect for summer.
You have to pack a bag and you don't know where you're going. Which three staple items would you pack from your latest range?
I would firstly pack the Dandelion Dress, it's an easy throw on, comfortable to wear and can be taken from day to night with a simple shoe change. Then I would pop in the White Hydrangea Singlet which is a classic style, and you can't go wrong with a white singlet. Lastly, the Dahlia Jacket just in case it's a little chilly wherever I am going, but hopefully, it's a warm place!
Build the perfect linen capsule wardrobe and shop the Lauren & Angie range here.
The Fashion Advocate x
