Chuck founded fashion label Delano Collection in 2003 after noticing a void in the "green design" movement. Over the past two years, he has searched for new materials and designed a collection of pieces that will, in part, make up Delano Collection’s initial product offering. He works with Jina Lee.
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Tell me about your range? Where did the idea come from?
We are currently working on several projects for release over the next 18-24 months. All of the pieces fall into the apparel, fashion accessories, furniture and homeware categories. We are officially launching our first brand, Sage by Delano Collection, this month.
Sage is a sustainable women’s clothing line that features sophisticated, classically tailored pieces.
Jina and I tend to work in a very materials-based fashion. We find a cool material and brainstorm about everything we could possibly make. These initial materials often lead into exploring new materials. It’s all a part of the process. I’ve been fixated on bamboo and soy for quite some time. The possibilities of those two materials are mind-boggling.
Our current project under the Sage brand is a women’s winter coat made of 100% organic wool and lined with bamboo. The development of this piece initially began with an exploration of polar fleece. After doing some research, we realized polar fleece didn’t satisfy our sustainable and aesthetic requirements. This then led to our interest in organic wool.
We found that no one was making a felted organic wool fabric, but along the way I met some great people at Vermont Organic Fiber Company. They were interested in the project so we developed the fabric together over the course of several months.
Do you think there’s real demand for eco-concious clothing today?
Absolutely, but eco-fashion is still very much a niche market. The demand is constantly growing, but with global sales last year of $250 million for organic apparel, we clearly have a long way to go.
I hope that in the future we can move away from delineating between what I call "dirty products" and environmentally sustainable alternatives. We won’t make any real progress until every product, and our concept of good design, is a culmination of aesthetics, function AND responsible design/production.
That is why we started Delano Collection – to provide beautiful, functional and sustainable products to what we see as an under-served yet limitless market.
What do you think of other brands efforts, say Nike with its Considered range?
There are so many great companies out there doing great work; Mio, Loyale Clothing, Stewart + Brown and Adapt Design, to name a few.
It is exciting to see a company like Nike jump into the ring. Most of the Considered line is focused on reducing materials and promoting manufacturing and energy efficiency. Noble goals, but I’d like to see them use naturally tanned leathers, and integrate the practices into their other product lines.
Nike does deserve serious respect, though, for being the world’s largest buyer of organic cotton.
What do you think of American Apparel?
I LOVE AA. My wardrobe is basically an American Apparel catalogue. Dov Charney has it figured out, great product, American-made and socially responsible.
What trends do you see in eco-concious brands?
They are finally starting to treat themselves as brands, which means an intense attention to image and design. I also think that eco-conscious brands are focusing on producing a product that will also appeal to the mainstream consumer. The granola days are gone; the next generation of sustainable products will be both desirable and responsible.
Our byline is, "Living Well Clean." and to me that is all anyone can ask for.
Thank You
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