These designers took inspirations from childhoods in Russia and in Estonia to family and furry friends to create a unique collection they not only love, but the pieces also stand for a purpose for women to thrive.
Reck•Less
Reck•Less is a collection made from sustainable dead-stock fabrics, natural fibers— mostly cotton — and methods to create ethical fashion.
“I call my line, ‘out of the ordinary casual wear,’” said the designer, Kertu Palo.
Previously a design director at Carolina Herrera and a designer at J. Mendel, Palo was inspired to create versatile womenswear for all occasions: office, dinner out or on a leisurely weekend day with fun and standout details. The brand is small production, consisting of limited-edition releases and launched in June at Los Angeles Fashion Market Week.
“I think of all my pieces in my collection as friends that want to be in someone’s lives for a very long time,” Palo said.
The collection plays with two styles: the jumpsuit and the shirt dress, to be easy to style and layer. The shirt dress can be worn as a coat over the jumpsuit or a pair of your favorite jeans.
Fun details are added to create a story. One theme is mushrooms, a memory of her days of picking mushrooms with her parents when growing up in Estonia. An orange dot is Reck•Less’s defining branding motif, a symbol, and popping out in every piece.
“The orange dot popped into my mind. It just was born into my consciousness, naturally,” Palo explained. “It’s like days moving into the evenings and mornings born from the nights. It’s that reddish-orange. In the sunrises and sunsets. Both passionate and fierce.”
The paper used for business cards are made out of old T-shirts. Garment labels are organic cotton printed with vegetable ink. Brand tags are from sustainable straw paper and also printed with vegetable ink. For packing, Reck•Less selected recycled and biodegradable materials.
For embroideries, Palo works with a woman-led company in Mumbai, India. Hand embroidery is a tradition unique to men in India.
As the modern era evolves and men are inspired to work in technology, women have been learning the craft as an opportunity for a future as independent and professional, providing for their families.
Sheila Simone California
At the Label Array tradeshow in Los Angeles, Sheila Simone California debuted a collection of resort-style, comfy and chic clothing to take women from the beach to the pool, and dinner too. The collection of relaxed dresses is for women of all ages and shapes. Tops and bottoms feature prints of bright magenta florals, cobra animal, and bold solids in shades of pinks, purples, and blue.
Produced in California of material wrinkle-free rayon and viscose materials, the collection hides cellulite, is tummy-bulge covering, allowing women to feel great and make travel effortless.
“My mom — my mentor — is 96 and is still a fashionista,” Simone said of what inspired her collection. “She taught us how to sew when I was 6 years old. Today, my mom has Alzheimer’s, and whenever we talk about fashion, she perks back up. Because of her, 10% of all my proceeds are donated to Alzheimer’s research.”
sheilasimonecollection.com features direct-to-consumer pieces. Wholesale pieces are being offered exclusively to boutiques and retailers.
I Love Tyler Madison
I Love Tyler Madison is a collection of cool, modern bottoms. Designed by sisters, Charna Zucker and Jacqueline Harris, were inspired by growing up in their family manufacturing business to develop a line they want to wear.
Pants are designed to live your life in, with a variation of fabrics including nylon, and compression stretch for comfort and slimming. Pants are pull-on, button-free.
“We don’t want girls to stress over something as silly as the ‘top button challenge,’” Harris shared. “Every season, we create the line with the same goal in mind; to help our customer feel confident and comfortable in her outfit.”
This season, ILTM is showing an environmentally-friendly group called the “committed” collection. The fabrics don’t contain any harmful chemicals and were engineered in an eco-friendly facility; limiting energy, water and unsafe environment for people and in turn the planet.
The collection is named in honor of their rescue dogs, Tyler and Madison, who taught them about love and being adored. Animal rights activists and true devotees of canine rescue missions, I Love Tyler Madison supports the SPCA and ASPCA.
Inga Goodman
Born and raised in the small town of Smolensk, Russia during the Communist era when the demand for goods exceeded the supply, Inga Goodman witnessed a lack of diversity in everything, especially in the way people were dressed. Men wore the same color coats and boots reminiscent of the uniforms produced at the local factory.
Styling paper dolls and designing dolls’ clothes were Goodman’s favorite activities. She began sewing her own clothes at home at an early age, and years later, after a move to Los Angeles, she attended FIDM to turn her passion for fashion design to launch her career.
“With my first collection, I want to convey to women that our clothes need to have a personality, just like we do,” she shared. “Life is too short to wear boring clothes.”
With a mission to inspire women to get dressed again and run the world, Goodman’s contemporary collection of classic jackets, skirts and pants, in whites, blues, greens, and yellows are made with silhouettes of rich textures and bright, energetic prints.
Molly G
Molly G Handbags caught our attention at Brand Assembly in Los Angeles. The collection of bags is crafted with top-grade leathers and bold colors that feel buttery soft. All Molly G’s are crafted in Los Angeles.
Designer Molly Greig shared her story of spinning her childhood struggles into her handbag career, in a powerful open letter.
“I remember being given something to read in the sixth grade and having to write about what we’d read.” She recalled. “It took me forever because I had to read each word slowly and link them together. At the time, I was labeled slow and nonsensical. I felt trapped without a voice or words.”
However, she said, she discovered that she could show much better than she could tell.
“Using color shape, drawing, body movements, and facial expressions, I finally found a way to communicate through art,” Greig continued. “These handbags are part of the beautiful collage that existed in my head, now finally made tangible in the creation of this line of bags. I’m happy to give you something complete from my beautifully random mind.”
