Forget the filtered minimalism favored by so many fashion bloggers — the designer John Alexander Skelton's Instagram account is 2016's answer to a cabinet of curiosities. On it, he picks through history, piecing together inspirations that span space and time. In one sepia image, a gnarled man glances beyond the frame. One eye is closed, and his hand, blackened with industrial muck, holds a cigarette up to pursed lips. In another picture, male runners race across the monochrome frame toward a finish line. Among these unlabeled fragments of the past float present-day renderings of Skelton's own M.A. collection at Central Saint Martins in London. Shot on film, these images have the same ethereal character as the rest of the Instagram archive — the same quality found deep within Skelton's designs.
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That award-winning M.A. collection resurrected the findings of a "Mass-Observation" survey painstakingly carried out by a group of surrealist anthropologists in Bolton, England, in the 1930s. Weaving the ghosts of his research into his collection, Skelton committed to using solely handmade, sustainable, and recycled fabrics. Wools, cottons, hemps, and linens in neutral tones were hand-spun and hand-woven into turtlenecks, shirts, waistcoats, suits, coats, hats, and wide-legged, ankle-exposing trousers. Skelton even included a silky cravat.The collection may sound nostalgic, but Skelton, from Yorkshire, is becoming one of London's most exciting young designers. I gave him a call to talk fast fashion, carbon footprints, and where to buy sustainably produced clothes on the cheap.VICE: What was the main catalyst behind your decision to create a sustainable, eco-friendly, long-lasting collection?
John Alexander Skelton: I guess there were quite a number of reasons. The most prominent one, though, was that I worked with quite a large company before I started my M.A. The office received boxes and boxes of nothing clothing. I saw an incredible amount of waste. It kind of sickened me, in a way, to discover that. So that was a catalyst for me, a major point. Another thing was that I was interested in what the possibilities were with sustainable clothing, and also the restraints.How do you balance your commitment to sustainability with good design?
The sustainability part is just another facet of my work. Before my M.A. show and now, my outlook was, that was going to be taken as a given that it was sustainable. The design almost took precedence. It was very important that it was sustainable and it was fashion, because one of the issues that I had with sustainable fashion in the past was that it was sustainable but the fashion was massively lacking, which has led to people thinking that if it's sustainable, then it's not really fashionable, or it can't be fashion. And that's something I wanted to prove wrong.
John Alexander Skelton: I guess there were quite a number of reasons. The most prominent one, though, was that I worked with quite a large company before I started my M.A. The office received boxes and boxes of nothing clothing. I saw an incredible amount of waste. It kind of sickened me, in a way, to discover that. So that was a catalyst for me, a major point. Another thing was that I was interested in what the possibilities were with sustainable clothing, and also the restraints.How do you balance your commitment to sustainability with good design?
The sustainability part is just another facet of my work. Before my M.A. show and now, my outlook was, that was going to be taken as a given that it was sustainable. The design almost took precedence. It was very important that it was sustainable and it was fashion, because one of the issues that I had with sustainable fashion in the past was that it was sustainable but the fashion was massively lacking, which has led to people thinking that if it's sustainable, then it's not really fashionable, or it can't be fashion. And that's something I wanted to prove wrong.
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In what ways is your process environmentally friendly?
Well, my aim is to create clothing or fabric that is ultimately made in the UK, so that means from the raw material to the end product. A whole process.And how are you getting on with that?
Quite well in some respects. It's quite difficult in others, because some of the parts of the supply chain don't exist currently. So whilst there's certain fibers in the UK, there's not the spinners to make the actual yarn, so that's a very key element. That's something I'm working on now with a few of the suppliers quite closely, trying to find someone who would be able to do that for us in the UK.Bringing the entire process back to the UK allows you to limit the carbon footprint of the production process too.
Yes, the carbon footprint is drastically reduced. A piece of fabric might have gone around the world, then, when you buy the fabric, you send it to another country for it be made, and then it's distributed around the world. So by the time the customer has it in the shop, it could have been around the world like five times, which is insane.Also, a transparent supply chain would mean that designers were able to know exactly where the material of their product is made. A lot of it is very anonymous at the moment. If you order a fabric initially, you have no idea where the raw material would have come from, who processed it, where it was processed.
Well, my aim is to create clothing or fabric that is ultimately made in the UK, so that means from the raw material to the end product. A whole process.And how are you getting on with that?
Quite well in some respects. It's quite difficult in others, because some of the parts of the supply chain don't exist currently. So whilst there's certain fibers in the UK, there's not the spinners to make the actual yarn, so that's a very key element. That's something I'm working on now with a few of the suppliers quite closely, trying to find someone who would be able to do that for us in the UK.Bringing the entire process back to the UK allows you to limit the carbon footprint of the production process too.
Yes, the carbon footprint is drastically reduced. A piece of fabric might have gone around the world, then, when you buy the fabric, you send it to another country for it be made, and then it's distributed around the world. So by the time the customer has it in the shop, it could have been around the world like five times, which is insane.Also, a transparent supply chain would mean that designers were able to know exactly where the material of their product is made. A lot of it is very anonymous at the moment. If you order a fabric initially, you have no idea where the raw material would have come from, who processed it, where it was processed.
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What steps do you think big brands can take to become more sustainable?
I did a sustainability project with Nike, and that really opened my eyes. I think it should be taught so much earlier. It should be taught in primary school or in secondary school. It's not just fashion that needs to change; it's everything, basically. As soon as someone steps into a design school, if they want to be a designer, they have to realize that if they produce anything that isn't sustainable they're just adding to a problem. I think it would be actually easier for brands. I mean it's harder to change people's mindset; that's the hard part. In practice, though, it's so much easier for a big company, because of their resources and their money: They can afford any fabric. So it's just a matter of choice, really. It's just the same as not using fur, or not using leather, or anything like that.What about your own wardrobe? Do you buy, or make, your own clothes?
I buy and make. I guess I do buy a lot of predominately vintage clothes, and then I wear a lot of the clothes that I make as well. I go to a lot of markets. A lot of markets, but no specific ones. I travel to go to different ones. If I go to France, there's quite a few flea markets I go to, and wherever I am, I try to seek out something often in the most unexpected places; then you'll find the best stuff really. I'm a bit of a bargain hunter.Your clothes seem like they come from another time; your Instagram account has a kind of otherworldly aesthetic to it. Can you tell me a bit about your inspirations?
For my M.A. collection, the starting point was the survey in "Mass-Observation." The people who were principally doing the survey were all surrealists. They went to Bolton, and they based themselves there. There were mills, mines, all kinds of industrial work and at the time, the largest unemployment in England, which is why they decided to go there.Individuality was quite big one with the women in the town. They couldn't afford to buy hats every year, so they would have a base hat, and then, every year, they would go to haberdashers and they would dress their hat in different feathers. It was a very aspirational way of dressing, because they would do it in ode to the royalty of that time.That filtered through to me: wanting everything to be individual, have a story, and have a kind of soul. The materiality of my M.A. collection was influenced by the working class. I use raw and humble fabrics, but in the construction and the quality of the fibers, it's very laborious. So the last thing that is very important to me in my work is that the person who buys it treasures it and wants to keep it forever: That is sustainable in itself. What advice would you give to people who want to wear clothes that are sustainable and environmentally friendly but don't necessarily have a Vivienne Westwood–size budget?
Don't buy ten shirts and buy one! Or go buy vintage or go to a charity shop. My brother only buys from charity shops, and he has an incredible wardrobe. It has that stigma related to it. It's that kind of narrow-mindedness that needs to change.This article was paid for by Copenhagen Fashion Summit and was created independently from VICE's editorial staff.
I did a sustainability project with Nike, and that really opened my eyes. I think it should be taught so much earlier. It should be taught in primary school or in secondary school. It's not just fashion that needs to change; it's everything, basically. As soon as someone steps into a design school, if they want to be a designer, they have to realize that if they produce anything that isn't sustainable they're just adding to a problem. I think it would be actually easier for brands. I mean it's harder to change people's mindset; that's the hard part. In practice, though, it's so much easier for a big company, because of their resources and their money: They can afford any fabric. So it's just a matter of choice, really. It's just the same as not using fur, or not using leather, or anything like that.What about your own wardrobe? Do you buy, or make, your own clothes?
I buy and make. I guess I do buy a lot of predominately vintage clothes, and then I wear a lot of the clothes that I make as well. I go to a lot of markets. A lot of markets, but no specific ones. I travel to go to different ones. If I go to France, there's quite a few flea markets I go to, and wherever I am, I try to seek out something often in the most unexpected places; then you'll find the best stuff really. I'm a bit of a bargain hunter.Your clothes seem like they come from another time; your Instagram account has a kind of otherworldly aesthetic to it. Can you tell me a bit about your inspirations?
For my M.A. collection, the starting point was the survey in "Mass-Observation." The people who were principally doing the survey were all surrealists. They went to Bolton, and they based themselves there. There were mills, mines, all kinds of industrial work and at the time, the largest unemployment in England, which is why they decided to go there.Individuality was quite big one with the women in the town. They couldn't afford to buy hats every year, so they would have a base hat, and then, every year, they would go to haberdashers and they would dress their hat in different feathers. It was a very aspirational way of dressing, because they would do it in ode to the royalty of that time.That filtered through to me: wanting everything to be individual, have a story, and have a kind of soul. The materiality of my M.A. collection was influenced by the working class. I use raw and humble fabrics, but in the construction and the quality of the fibers, it's very laborious. So the last thing that is very important to me in my work is that the person who buys it treasures it and wants to keep it forever: That is sustainable in itself. What advice would you give to people who want to wear clothes that are sustainable and environmentally friendly but don't necessarily have a Vivienne Westwood–size budget?
Don't buy ten shirts and buy one! Or go buy vintage or go to a charity shop. My brother only buys from charity shops, and he has an incredible wardrobe. It has that stigma related to it. It's that kind of narrow-mindedness that needs to change.This article was paid for by Copenhagen Fashion Summit and was created independently from VICE's editorial staff.