Eccomi

'eccomi' – Here I am.

The core concept of the eccomi project was to create a scalable and repeatable fabric, suitable for haute couture. This is the first time that such a fabric has been created for commercial use. The key area of research addressed by this project is to take sustainable production methods, especially natural dyeing, into the 21st century.

The eccomi project is a case study, with the aim of displaying our fabric and design techniques.  We wanted to use the dress as a vehicle to demonstrate the sustainable practices at the core of our business. 

This dress puts our naturally dyed fabric front and centre, while also allowing us to showcase the diverse aspects of our work: embroidery, hand dyeing and printing. 

After rigorous research, we developed a pioneering naturally dyed silk yarn. It was important for the success of this project that the dyeing be compatible with available production practices.  

The fabric we have evolved is two-tone taffeta, made of unbleached silk yarn. The weft has been dyed with a natural dye, using a hank dyeing process. The fabric was woven for us by a UK company with an established tradition and heritage as silk weavers, and is suitable for use in couture. 

We chose to use golden rod and nettle to create the colour applied to the yarn. The sash and the bodice were over dyed, again using natural dyes. The sash uses a combination of eco printing and embroidery. The embroidery utilises silk floss that has been naturally coloured.  

As eccomi evolved, we investigated every aspect of creating a garment, from sewing thread, to lining and interlining, with the aim of keeping each part of the production as sustainable and transparent as we could. Given what is currently available for the design process, we have stayed as true to this ambition as feasibly possible.