Tagged Conscious with Punk Spice on its Instagram account, FRED RICH is an upcycled fashion brand handmade in Cape Town. Most garments are one-of-a-kind and each is a slow fashion statement, made with love to detail and to the environment. Fred Rich supports seamstresses and beaders in and around Cape Town, some of whom choose to work from home to enable caring for children and / or grandchildren. Designs are upcycled from secondhand and vintage fabrics and garments. FRED RICH connected recently with the Pretoria-based organisation, Clothes to Good. Fred Rich was a finalist in the Twyg Sustainable Fashion Awards – the  Nicholas Coutts Artisanal Fashion Award category presented by V&A Waterfront – last year.

Fred Rich recently showed at the SA Menswear Week in Cape Town. We caught up with creative director Dinka Fredrich.

What is the story behind your recent collection?

This collection passes over from day to night, from playful to composed, from naive to mature. This one was made on a more personal note: growing up. With every look we moved towards adulthood and how I was seeing the world through my eyes. Together with the inspiration of Jordyn Khyra Alford, our assistant, we created something magical from the fabrics and garments we had available.

The joyful looks with bright colours and super naive, indicate how blind-sighted we are growing up, not questioning anything. Other looks reflect the time of exploring, of different paths, curiosity and of finally finding myself at that time (teenager). Then, after being more aware of my life and that I’ve got a voice, I became interested in politics in my late teenage years. The punk scene inspired me, which is reflected by the tartan fabrics and the more mature silhouettes. Finally, I express my comfort in chosen materials (wide and a lot of fabric used). I wear these kinds of fabrics very often on a daily basis (denim and vegan leather – this pleather was made from pineapples).

We’ve never worked with so many partners before! Our partners all do good, each in their own way:

• Empress of Heels who make pineapple leather shoes
• Bang Bang Vintage Market, a secondhand retailer
• Seconds 4 Good who support disabled people in creating their own business through re- and upcycling
• PETA: we are (still) PETA approved vegan
• Glitter Alchemy, a secondhand retailer
• Fashion Revolution South Africa

Why is it important to you to be trans-seasonal rather than follow trends and seasons?

It’s very important! South Africa’s climate offers the option of wearing trans-seasonal garments! You can wear a winter cardigan on a cold summer night and a summer dress on a warm winter day. But there is another reason: if a garment is special to you, you don’t care about the season, even year. I have noticed that over the last few years fashion has changed for the good. Trans-seasonal has become interesting to a lot of designers, not just those who call themselves sustainable. A more conscious future is one step closer to a greener planet.

Who is the Fred Rich customer?

Our customer likes to dress up and be responsible at the same time. Our customer has a voice, is rebellious, speaks up when necessary and wants to make a statement. They enjoy being creative with their garments and like to make a lasting impression. It is important to me that this impression is green. My customers enjoy life without forgetting their responsibility to this planet. Some of our pieces are available at Bang Bang Vintage Market. Custom orders and collection pieces may be viewed and discussed by appointment in our studio.

What are you referencing with your “Mom, it’s not a phase” jacket?

From a young age I questioned a lot of things. I come from a fairly conservative family, went to a private Catholic school and I often felt that I couldn’t keep up with what was demanded of me. I started rebelling against anything that felt unfair and wrong – not only to me, but also to others. I was defending somebody in need, I was supportive and just always there if I felt I could help. The sentence “Mom, it’s not a phase“ reminds me of the time I became a vegetarian, as I used it very often during this time. I wasn’t taken seriously with my decisions as a young adult, even though I chose a more conscious life. I had to stand up for myself on a daily basis. Today, I’m grateful for the learning. I wouldn’t want to change anything about my upbringing and I love my parents regardless of how misunderstood I felt back then.

What role does sustainability play in your design process?

Sustainability is key to my work. If I couldn’t try to be as sustainable as possible, I would rather not be a fashion designer. I realised this when I was working at a fast fashion company for experience. I promised myself that I would never go back into fast fashion. I would rather change my profession.

From sourcing material to finishing a garment, we focus on one factor: upcycling. We mostly use vintage garments and fabrics and source only the highest quality (mostly natural fibres). I’m aware that this will guarantee another long lifespan of our garment. We also don’t throw off-cuts away. Our next collection will include pieces made from off cuts only. There’s been a time where we focused on vegan fabrics only, but we realised that our upcycled wool coat last longer and are better quality. As we recycle vintage wool, we feel confident about this decision. We are not using new animal fibres.

What innovative solutions do you apply in your practice?

The sourcing part can be draining, as we count on what is available. We tackled this issue by finding good suppliers, but there’s never a guarantee for good quality.

Our beaders work with sequins on most of our garments – we’re constantly on the lookout to find a way of sourcing sustainable sequins, but haven’t been successful yet. That’s also why we try to make our garments durable and to have a special Fred Rich look. This means that regardless of what’s trendy at the moment, our garments offer something timeless that will be worn and appreciated for a long time.

With her team Jordyn Khyra Alford, Muneeba Adonis, Aziza Aanhiuzen

At the moment our team is small – we would love to grow and work with a CMT, but it’s too expensive. It is also too complicated for them if we bring 50 coats for upcycling rather than 50 meters of fabric. I’m hopeful that the perspective will change in the future.

There was a time when I saw our way of working and sourcing as a limitation – I’m embracing it now and it actually makes me a lot more creative in my approach to design.

• Images: Chanelle Sillifant and SDR Photos
• Find out more about Fred Rich here