Who is Sofia Ilmonen, the winner of the first eco-responsible fashion prize at the Hyères festival?

A committed fashion

Born in Finland, it was in England that Sofia Ilmonen begins her designer training.Student at the London College of Fashion, she forms in several houses, from Thomas Tait to Maarten van der Horst via Minna and Alexander McQueen in whom she will officiate three years.She finally returned to Finland in 2018 to join the University of Aalto where she follows a MA in Fashion Design and Textiles.

But its committed fashion dates back much earlier.Between 2009 and 2011, she distinguished herself in particular at Cow Vintage, a British vintage brand where she occupies the position of design director.His mission ?Imagine new pieces from too damaged creations to be sold as what.An influence that resurfaces strongly a few years later when it launches solo with a line made up of parts in organic matter, enhanced with details made from tissue falls.As for the dyes, they are 100% natural, a process to which the designer always uses today."The fashion industry is undoubtedly one of the most polluting in the world," she explains to this subject.As a designer, I have the feeling that it is my duty to rethink the practices to which we use.Eco-responsibility is a subject that has been close to my heart for a long time and I think that the future of fashion is a global change in the system, where strategic innovations create opportunities to develop much healthier and responsible ways to work.»»

A collection of highly popular end of studies

It is thanks to her end -of -studies collection that Sofia Ilmonen stands out.During the Näytös 21 show organized by the University of Aalto, she won the Marimekko Award as well as the Prix du Finnish Textiles and Fashion, which promotes the local textile industry.

Qui est Sofia Ilmonen, la gagnante du premier prix de mode éco-responsable du Festival de Hyères ?

Le concept de sa collection baptisée « Same Same But Different»» ? Une garde-robe 100% modulable et personnalisable, qui permet à sa propriétaire d’adapter le design à sa morphologie et ses envies.Composed of several identical fabric squares, held together by 3D printed double -sided buttons, the outfits can be mounted, dismantled and reassembled to the envy."The silhouettes of all the parts in the collection are created by the folding and assembly of these squares, recently explained the designer on her Instagram account.The modules are assembled to each other thanks to a system of pimples and curls which allows you to modify the room endlessly or to transform it completely without having to sew a single point forever.The blocks of the garment remain the same, but the shape can become completely different thanks to the movement of a single button.»» Une ligne hautement innovante, mise au point sur deux ans et dont l’esthétique est inspirée des vêtements amovibles des XVII et XVIIIème siècles.A line, too, which explores fashionable contradictions: "It is a series of experiments and accident jewels that led me to invent this concept.One of my basic ideas at the start of the creation process was the way in which the responsible fashion concept may seem contradictory since fashion is doomed to change while eco-responsibility draws its roots in longevity andstability.Starting from this observation, my motivation to create a modular concept was to offer a more conscious alternative in order to anticipate the changing needs and tastes of customers over time, in the least materialist way possible.»»

It is this collection that the designer also presented during the 36th edition of the Hyères Festival and which earned her to win the Prize in the Eco-Responsible Mercedes-Benz collection.The key, a scholarship of € 20,000."Sofia Ilmonen was unanimously won by Mercedes-Benz Sustainability Prize," said the jury in a press release.His work uses materials sourced in a responsible manner and often dyed plants in order to obtain the richest nuances.Its concept based on fabric squares minimizes falls and therefore the waste of materials while its approach to design reduces the need for sizing and allows clothes to transform themselves.»» Et la créatrice ne compte pas s'arrêter en si bon chemin.With this recognition, she intends to base her mark by 2022."My plan is to continue my way on the modular segment and to perfect the concept.The next collection will use the same fabric modules but in a completely unprecedented way.»»

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Hyères increasingly green

However, if this is the first time that the Hyères festival has given the price of the Eco-Responsible Mercedes-Benz collection, it was not the first time that the institution has highlighted Green fashion.In 2018, the Franco-Belgian brand Ester Manas, also known for its unique and modular creations which adapt in a clever way to the morphology of those who wear them had already won the Galeries Lafayette Prize.A springboard which had allowed him to make himself known to the general public and to market his collection, called Big Again, in the stores of the brand.