EDUN Launches Africa-Inspired ‘Grow To Sew’ Line
EDUN “Grow to Sew” Party at Barneys New York
Proving that global consciousness is cool, ethical fashion company
EDUN held its “Grow to Sew” womenswear launch event at Barneys New York last night, complete with a DJ spinning afro-beats, designers customizing tees and African wine and beer on tap.
The word of the evening for the label established by designer Ali Hewson and rocker Bono was, of course, the second largest continent on earth. Timely, considering the commencement of the World Cup in South Africa next week.
“The collection is inspired by Africa and Edun is very oriented in Africa,” Julie Gilhart, Barneys New York Fashion Director, told me. “At Barneys we really gravitate to things that are conscious but also have a lot of style.”
Julie Gilhart and Ali Hewson
Since 2005, EDUN has proved it puts its money where its mouth is 100 percent of proceeds from the sale of “Grow to Sew” benefits the Conservation Cotton Initiative in Uganda, an organic farming program created by EDUN and the Wildlife Conservation Society that aims to build sustainable farming communities. Pretty impressive.
Barneys is all for global awareness, but they’re not picking up any crunchy label off the street. “We’re a high-end luxury store, so there aren’t that many things that can fit into our criteria,” Gilhart continued. “But we’ve been carrying EDUN since the beginning. They put a lot of energy into taking everything they’ve learned and really going for it from the business aspect of it and the design aspect of it.”
EDUN “Grow to Sew” T-Shirts at Barneys New York
EDUN Spring Collection at Barneys New York
The “Grow to Sew” collection is created exclusively in Africa, and features bold graphic designs inspired by the continent. It retails for around $60, and is available on EDUN’s website and at Barney’s New York now, sold alongside the brand’s Spring 2010 collection.
