Sustainable September: Gaâla

Fashion : Love

17 September 2020

We don't need to hark on about why we should all be thinking more sustainably – there's enough news about the climate crisis to clearly tell us that – but even for the best of us, we still need a nudge in the environmentally friendly direction to make the changes that'll better our planet.

In this day and age, a reusable coffee cup is no longer your get-out-of-jail-free-card for acting sustainably in other areas of your life. Now more than ever, we need to be putting our green thinking caps on and addressing how we can buy more sustainably with the clothes we wear, the beauty we put on our skin and the ornaments we place in our homes. So, this September, we're doing exactly that.

Our new 'Sustainable September' series will be highlighting the best sustainably-minded products and brands that range over fashion, beauty and homeware, everyday throughout the month, showing that there are earth-affable options that you can opt for. Today, we're looking up and coming Parisian brand, Gaâla, and their drive to combat fashions waste problem by using deadstock fabric.

What happen’s when you combine Parisian aesthetic with the finest Belarusian craftsmanship? Well it results in; Gaâla. A beautifully bespoke sustainable brand that focuses on creating timeless pieces that transcend trends. Founded by husband and wife duo, Kelly de Gaâlon and Alexander Zhalezka, Gaâla creates clothes for the lifestyles of today whilst still being relevant for future generations to come. With this in mind, they only make with existing materials, utilising offcuts and by-products to create their collections – proving that sustainability is a trend that will always be in style.

Despite it's ominous name, deadstock and the repurposing of it, is essential within fashion if the industry wants to strive to becoming more sustainable. Gaâla only uses deadstock – a.k.a. Fabrics that are no longer useful in production and have been discarded – for their collections, repurposing handpicked cotton, viscose and wool fabrics that are leftover by Italian fashion houses. With the quantities of certain materials being natural limited, the brand is equally restricted in how many garments they can make with it, making these garments just a few-of-a-kind.

The idea of using these fabrics as opposed to new fabric rolls, is an essential aspect to the brand thanks to Kelly's own mother, who would hand-sew clothing for her and her sibling, and when pieces needed fixing, would adjust already existing pieces. However, upon entering the professional world she, “found it difficult to find high quality yet accessibly priced clothing in classic and vintage silhouettes”. By using surplus fabrics, Gaâla is able to use some of the world’s finest silks and cottons to create unique pieces and sell them at a reasonable price.

As well as being the earth-friendly addition to your wardrobe, we are obsessed with the Brigitte Bardot’s 60’s aesthetic that runs throughout their line, allowing us to fully embody the Parisian lifestyle we have always wanted, but sustainably.

Shop Gaâla's latest collection here.