Best of Vancouver 2019: Zero-waste Ash and Grove designer shares her eco best before Vancouver Fashion Week

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      Asha Singh comes by her dedication to zero-waste fashion honestly.

      The youngest daughter of a seamstress, the Fijian-born, Vancouver-based designer started sewing dolls as a small child, later making all her own clothes—almost always from the remnants left over from her mom’s projects.

      “In Grade 4 I was stitching my own [school] uniforms,” she tells the Straight over the phone.

      Today, her appreciation for rescued fabric pairs with wildly creative ways of using those remnants in her hand-sewn slow-fashion line Ash and Grove, which shows at Vancouver Fashion Week on Tuesday (October 8) at David Lam Hall (50 East Pender Street). All of her fabrics are sourced from Vancouver retailers to support her community’s businesses and to reduce her carbon footprint.

      In the spring 2020 collection that she’ll be debuting, look for her signature dramatic mix of salvaged denim with meticulously sewn tulle ruffles. She says she’s drawn inspiration from the zodiac signs for each of the 12 looks.

      Singh finds inventive ways to deconstruct and reimagine jeans, often blending different hues of indigo and incorporating original pockets or zippers. One of her most dramatic fall looks pairs denim “legs” in panels around a skirt with a frothy frill. In another, a pocketed jacket is cut and sewn to become the off-the-shoulder bodice to puffy tulle sleeves and a layered tulle skirt.

      In past collections, Singh’s artistry has expanded to include hand-painted elements. Every creation is a one-of-a-kind conversation piece.

      It goes without saying this is labour-intensive stuff. “One outfit for this collection took me the whole month of August,” she says with a laugh. “Each garment has a story to tell.”

       

      Below are some of her ethical and eco-spirited picks.

      Favourite fabric source

      Our Social Fabric

      270–1275 Venables Street

      The nonprofit, volunteer-run textile recycling initiative collects textile donations, mostly from the movie industry and from factories, usually with the fabric still on the bolts. It holds sales to the public at its address once or twice a month. Think coat-weight wools, fleece, home-décor fabrics, vintage prints, technical fabrics, knitting yarn, and Vogue patterns. (The next sale is on October 10, from 2 to 8 p.m. The store is also open to the public during the Eastside Culture Crawl from November 14 to 17.) “It’s not just for fabric,” Singh notes, “but for notions, zippers, bags—everything’s so cheap!”

      Best shopping ’hood’

      Main Street

      “They have unique style and there are a lot of vintage stores I like.” Singh gives shout outs to style-savvy consignment and accessories shop Front & Company (3772 Main Street), and Smoking Lily (3634 Main Street), the Victoria-born brand known for unique handcrafted silk-screened apparel and homeware.

      Best vintage

      Singh’s pick is her mom’s closet. “Those ’70s saris and those prints!”

      Best way to make an eco impact with fashion

      “Buy slow fashion! I would go to artisan fairs or you can get something made at your tailor. Ditch the fast fashion and go thrift shopping. Donate your clothes and shop local. And you should be really mindful of what you have. Do you really want to spend money on that? You don’t know how it was sourced or how many child labourers were used to make it.”

      Favourite local accessories designer

      Singh tags HEX Metals and Minerals, a local handcrafted jewellery line that melds imperfect stones with minimalist arrangements. The collection breaks free of binary gender categories and promotes the visibility of queer and trans people of colour.

      Best fashion splurge

      “A vintage denim jacket! I love denim.”

      Best place to get fashion inspo

      “I love Europe and I travel a lot there and do a lot of people-watching. Everywhere you go they have a unique style of dressing—especially the people in Madrid; it’s kind of a cocky way of dressing. But also I get inspiration from flowers, how all the colours go together, and from wallpaper, architecture… All of that. “But I don’t want to follow the trends. I want my own style.”

      Vancouver Fashion Week takes place from Monday to next Sunday (October 7 to 13) at David Lam Hall.

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