Down to EARTH

From massive puffers to smart garments, emerging designer Izzy Du shares what it means to be sustainable as a new independent label.

- KELLY KHUA

Chinese-Canadian designer Izzy Du may be a fresh face in the fashion industry, but she has already been making waves with the sustainable puffer pieces she creates at her eponymous label. Since graduating from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp last year, she has released her first runway collection, Provenance, and a ready-to-wear line titled Izzy Du/Lifeline.

Recognisable for their voluminous organic forms, Du’s pieces feature dramatic shapes and subtle detailing. As the designer puts it, the concept behind her first runway collection can be described as “totem beings in a pellucid world of magnificent landscapes and aerial beauty”. When set against clear skies and rocky terrain, her designs look all the more futuristic. The rawness of natural landscapes is, in fact, one of her biggest inspirations.

Playful as they are serious, Du’s garments have a lot of character. Throughout the process of establishing her label, she shares that she made it a point to place sustainability at the heart of her business.