Rachel Freire and Alexandra Groover launch their new accessories collaboration at Paris Fashion Week AW16.
The collection uses the innovative and sustainable new material Piñatex alongside remade leather items with nearly all styles offered in a leather or vegan option.
AGxRF is designed to compliment Alexandra's timeless flowing robes which are 100% zero waste as well as sustainably and locally sourced and manufactured.
AGxRF will be available for buyers and press alongside Alexandra Groover black label ANCESTRAL collection in Paris 3-9th March. More information after the cut
PRESS RELEASE. ALEXANDRA GROOVER - ANCESTRAL- AUTUMN/WINTER 2016
ANCESTRAL is a continuation of Groover’s exploration of the natural sciences and their relationship to the human condition. Initially inspired by her Scottish ancestry and her life in the UK, Groover has combined her clan history with her research on the ancient inhabitants of the UK, along with her experience living in modern Britannia.
ANCESTRAL begins with the Scottish Clan Graham, an ancient clan of Anglo-Norman origin. Learning that it was not until the 19th century that clans claimed their own tartans, Groover decided to create her own abstracted, modern interpretation of a tartan, using local fabric and resources. Groover’s abstracted tartan collection is a nod to the UK’s pagan origins and to the garments discovered in UK burial sites, such as the “bog bodies” which were very well preserved mummies discovered in peat bogs around Europe, including Ireland and Scotland.
Continuing along the lines of her previous collection ADAPTATION, Groover has delved deeper into the nomadic notion of conservation and reuse by incorporating both the positive and negative shapes cut from the fabric, making the ANCESTRAL collection 100% zero waste. Further emphasizing her focus on the utilization of local resources, each garment is made in London using 100% English-made organic cotton jersey and cotton fleece.
Groover is also pleased to announce the launch of AGXRF, a new accessories collaboration with leather innovator Rachel Freire. Beginning with Groover’s concern for the environmental impact of leather as a main design parameter, Freire has adapted her innovative leather skills into using both ethically sourced low-waste leather designs, as well as introducing a wonderful new vegan alternative to leather: Piñatex™, a textile made completely from pineapple fiber, which consists of the waste leftover from the pineapple harvest. Freire has designed a collection of minimally elegant, yet functional bags and accessories, incorporating hidden pagan-inspired sigils created to compliment Groover’s contemporary, yet primitively inspired collection. With a view to adapt leather products into a more ethical, yet equally beautiful alternative, Groover and Freire hope that this collection will encourage consumers to consider the greater effect that their purchasing choices have upon the environment and future generations to come.
After studying at Central St. Martins and RISD, and working in the studios of Alexander McQueen and Zandra Rhodes, Alexandra Groover launched her first collection for Autumn Winter 2009. With press from i-D, Dazed, Vogue.com, Harper’s Bazaar and Grey, and collaborations with cult bands SunnO))), Chelsea Wolfe and Bo Ningen, Groover has rapidly gained a strong following within the fashion, art and music industries.
With a BA Hons in Design for Performance from Central St. Martins, Rachel Freire is a designer who, along with launching her own collection in 2009, has worked as a leather specialist with designers such as Giles Deacon and Alexander McQueen. Seamlessly combining elements of future fashion and e-textiles with traditional craftsmanship, Freire’s work focuses on value attribution and sustainability, as well as innovative material collaborations. Additionally, she is designer and director at mi.mu gloves, a pioneering gestural interface which allows you to make music with your hands. Her work exists to tell stories, or to inspire them.
Paris appointments: press@alexandragroover.com