Eco Fashion Designer Titania Inglis: Future Perfect Wearability for Urbanistas
The first time I saw Titania Inglis’ designs was last Summer at an eco fashion party at the Brooklyn Textile Art Center. She had a few pieces on a rack for sale, and I snagged a deep-V backed grey almost-seersucker sleeveless blouse. It was made of the lightest organic cotton and when I wore it to The Greenshows paired with my boyfriend’s jeans, and wooden-soled heels, I felt totally grown up, but comfortably so. I caught Titania’s recent show at the new Guilded showroom and the newest collection was just as exciting as those first few pieces I saw on that rack in Brooklyn.
String Theory — Titania Inglis FW11 from titania inglis on Vimeo.
The video for Titania’s Autumn/Winter 2011 line which played at her show at Guilded.
Naturally I wanted to know more about Titiana – and where she gets her inspiration for her future-perfect designs. Turns out that cotton blouse I so love is made with one of her favorite fabrics – a Japanese Organic Cotton – to design with: “The fabrics have a crisp, clean look that complements the geometric lines of my clothing perfectly, and their quality is unrivaled. I’m looking forward to working with Brooklyn’s Textile Arts Center on the dyeing for my next collection: they’re starting to grow a garden of dye plants, so although the fabric is sourced from abroad, the colors will be hyper-local,” says Titania.
As far as inspiration, she told me, “In creating each collection, I try to follow the industrial designer Dieter Rams’ maxim: “Less, but better.” For F/W 11, the cutouts and construction represent a paring down to make the line ever more minimal. For example, I draped the Funnel Skirt in a single pattern piece, then did the same with the Shift Dress and Slash Back Top (with the addition of sleeves). The Cutaway Jacket I created by literally cutting away the back of last season’s Wrap Jacket and replacing it with a removable pleated panel, which also has the benefit of creating several different looks within a single jacket.”
“For the fabrics, I balanced out the spareness of the lines with rich, mossy color and black-and-white patterns inspired by a trip to Iceland, where I fell in love with the craggy, magical landscape and the cozy, welcoming textures of the traditional clothing and architecture,” says Titania.
The designer, Titania Inglis
Titania describes the woman who wears her designs as “…an independent thinker who dresses to suit herself… a confident woman who doesn’t need to flaunt her sexiness, she’s curating a wardrobe over time, filling it with high-quality pieces she loves and that take her from day to night in her busy life.” Well no wonder I’m so in love with her collections! 🙂
“Sustainability is integral to the design and production process underlying my line, but to the wearer, what’s important is that she can throw a piece on in the morning and look stunning in it all day, effortlessly,” says Titania.
Do you love fashion and notice all the growing Eco-friendly fashion trends? Learn more about fashion design and start creating your own.
Starre Vartan
Starre Vartan is founder and editor-in-chief of Eco-Chick.com and the author of the Eco-Chick Guide to Life. She's also a freelance science and environment writer who has published in National Geographic, CNN, Scientific American, Mental Floss, Pacific Standard, the NRDC, and many more. She lives on an island in Puget Sound with her partner and black cat. She was a geologist in her first career, and still picks up rocks wherever she goes.
