Free flow
The new S/S 2020 collection by sustainable fashion maven, Bav Tailor
The afternoon I step into the Milan-based studio of Bav Tailor, the city is drenched in a sun-filled August quietness that conceals the indomitable creative spirit that has been upending the luxury sustainable fashion world in recent seasons.
A conscious British designer who spent her early childhood living across continents and raised in London, Tailor has been honing an innovative design vision that pays homage to her Indian heritage. Her eponymous brand of womenswear is the culmination of a rich personal journey that brought Tailor in close contact with the luxury fashion industry, within which she worked for almost two decades. In 2015, the beginnings of the sustainable luxury world of BAV TAiLOR were formed, and each collection since has been characterised by clean-cut geometric silhouettes, the finest in natural and recycled materials, and an underlying design approach inspired by eastern philosophies.
Her mantra? Respect your body and your sphere.
“Bav Tailor is an expression of immense respect for our body through clothes that are gentle on our being, while respecting our immediate sphere and wider circles by respecting as far as possible our planet, our natural home,” she says.
The rails in her studio are laden with garments from her latest S/S 2020 collection entitled Vikasa, which celebrates the infinite cycle of life that evolves through birth and growth. My eye is drawn to the origami techniques, 3D geometrical volumes, and freely flowing lines of each piece – elements that harmonise together into an expression of nature’s innate rhythms.
To live sustainably today has become a necessity – it is no longer a question of ‘should we?’ but rather, ‘how should we?’
Combining the excellence of Made in Italy craftsmanship with cutting-edge sustainable materials, the diversity of eco-conscious fabrics that this latest collection incorporates is astounding. From creamy cotton woven with extracts of rose petals, to an experimental ‘Elephant Ear Leaf’ jumpsuit, Tailor is championing an entirely new form of sustainable luxury in fashion. It comes as no surprise that at the latest edition of Who Is On Next? – a competition run by Vogue Italia in collaboration with Altaroma – BAV TAiLOR caught the eye of fashion doyenne Suzy Menkes.
“I wish for my clothes to place the wearer at ease so that they naturally feel themselves. More often than not, clothes transform us into a different person from what we genuinely are. Rather, I strive to achieve the opposite – to create clothes that bring to light what we naturally hold within.” As Tailor prepares to showcase her latest collection at the upcoming editions of fashion week in Paris and Milan, she shares her firm belief that when it comes to upholding a more sustainable way of living, every piece of the puzzle – no matter how small – is important. “To live sustainably today has become a necessity – it is no longer a question of ‘should we?’ but rather, ‘how should we?’. As long as we all continue to take small steps forward across every part of our lives, an existence lived in symbiosis with nature shall become ever-closer a reality.”
