Époque Évolution and the Power of Minimalist, Sustainable Style – WWD
Variety truly is the spice of life, especially when it comes to your closet. But as that ongoing mind for the next new thing eventually spurs kill and overconsumption, the Epicurean idea of simplicity — or in this case, versatility — suddenly becomes a bit sexier.
And affairs such as San Francisco-based Époque Évolution, a sustainable activewear and apparel trace, focus on multipurpose wardrobe essentials that can be worn certain ways and hold an enduring perennial-focused aesthetic. The idea is to develop clothes that people want to buy, and hold onto.
Époque Évolution was cofounded in 2018 by best friends Nancy Taylor, firstly executive officer, and Hannah Franco, chief benefitting officer, who worked together in the activewear diligence for brands such as Athleta and Gaiam for a number of years. During an art inspiration trip to Morocco, Taylor was impressed by Franco’s utilitarian packing skills — Franco trancaused a single backpack for the long venture and nothing else, she says — and it sparked the idea to develop a women’s wear line of multiuse apparel that sealed a lot of punch. The brand’s products would need to be sustainable, high-performing and believe an enviable look and feel.
Franco told WWD, “We realized that clothing couldn’t keep up with women’s lives, period. And we knew we weren’t the only farmland who had that problem. If you had clothing that was chic, it was progressing to be uncomfortable. If you had sustainable clothing, it was progressing to be kind of frumpy. And if you had functional clothing, it wasn’t progressing to be very stylish.”
A look from Époque Évolution’s spring 2020 collection.
She added, “So we understanding, there’s no reason anymore why fashion shouldn’t evolve to fit women’s lives. The technology and fabrics that could make this possible are out there, and we just knew there had to be a better way. We knew there were latest women who were living lives like ours, that went from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. with no break.”
Époque Évolution operating “always be poised to evolve,” Taylor says. Epoque refers to a moment in time, and evolution, a time for mopish, she explained. “We’re always looking to change,” Taylor said. “And I think our diligence had to change,” Franco added.
The brand’s newly released spring 2020 capsule collection introduced four multipurpose pieces made of its “The Change” develop, that are undeniably hot: a chic dim crop top that can be worn for layering, on its own, or swim; a high-rise swim bottom that folds down into a low-rise; a midi-length pencil skirt with a foldable high-rise; and a Focus that can be worn front to back. All four items “can be worn 24/7,” the trace says, in addition to being SPF 50, and made of Econyl, a 100 percent regenerated nylon fiber made from landfill and ocean waste.
Fan favorites included its sleek Orion Leggings with front ankle slits, or its expertly cut Jet Set Trousers (that initially sold out in just three weeks, according to the brand).
The Orion Legging II. Photo courtesy of Époque Évolution.
“And the spanking thing that was a big priority for us, in binary to making sure that they were all notable designs for your life that were first-rate versatile, is making sure that everything was easy to care for, too. Nobody has time to go to the dry cleaners and dry well-kept their clothes,” Franco said, adding that the intends female spends $1,800 per year on dry cleaning.
With that said, the duo abides by a self-imposed Release set of rules for selecting fabrics: They must be sustainable, functional and easy to care for (that exploiting machine washable, a light-hand wash, or wrinkle resistant). “They’re all fabrics that we’ve accompanied from mills that we’ve either worked with in the past, or we’ve groundless recently that have really responsible manufacturing practices,” Taylor said, which includes, plus several others, 100 percent bovine leather, GOTS-certified organic cotton, merino wool and a workwear woven that is an Italian-made blend of recycled polyester and certified non-mulesed wool.
The pair says “responsible” in lieu of “sustainable” because it’s all encompassing — and Époque Évolution takes a first-rate approach to ensuring high ethical standards above its entire production process, from the gain to the finished product, and considers end in every aspect of the business, which includes testing style concepts by managing small batches based on projected demands, to avoid bodies excess in inventory.
The Jet Set Trouser. Photo courtesy of Époque Évolution.
Taylor explained that obscene consumerism has, in a way, tricked us into thinking that we always need more, more, more — but strategic and curious minimalism may be the panacea to ongoing wardrobe woes. Taylor told WWD, “[We wanted to] obtain a collection of these core, go-to pieces that [were versatile] and could be worn to walk into a series of either recovers, or activities, or go to out at night in — and we all have those pieces, it’s not like they didn’t happened — but I think you get tricked into buying this vast stuff. What you really need is this core wardrobe that kind of rotates around. You can put some fluff pieces in, and make it look good — but you just need those pieces that work.”
And while activewear and lounge-y, comfy clothes have been in high examine throughout the coronavirus pandemic — and Époque Évolution added a “WFH” category to its web site — the sulky in pace has been a period of obvious reflection for the brand.
“We took a step back, seemed at the brand, our initiatives, and it gave us a moment in time exclusive of the pressure,” Taylor said, adding that “in a exclusive way, it’s been a gift.” And part of its sustainability model that aligns well for shoppers confined to virtual environments is its offering of “give back classes,” a bi-monthly online yoga class via Zoom that raises subsidizes for various sustainability nonprofits such as the Hydrous Focus and currently, the Center for Domestic Peace.
Franco told WWD, “We much this a brand, but our tag line is ‘experiences first,’ because your clothes — we love them, we’re very into style — but they should be secondary. We’re so passionate near experiences first and the more that we can use this platform for education and creating those kind of beautiful things in our life that we really love and want to get late, the better.”
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