From Somewhere’s Perfect Little Black Dress

John O'Farrell and Amisha Ghadiali at the Yes Rally

Last week, just two days before the referendum we had our final rally that brought together a variety of supporters from different backgrounds including One Foot in the Grave actor Richard Wilson, Kriss Akabusi, In the Think of It writer Armando Iannucci, Eddie Izzard and politicians including Ed Miliband, Alan Johnson and Lord Paddy Ashdown. There were video messages of support from Billy Bragg, Josie Long, Stephen Fry, Tony Robinson and John Cleese. I walked out on stage with John O’Farrell, award winning novelist, and Spitting Image writer. It made me remember how my interest in politics started as a child, watching Spitting Image late at night with my parents. Although I have never voted for the same  political party twice, there are some figures in British Politics that are so iconic, and that I remember so clearly from my  childhood, that meeting is quite surreal. I didn’t know who else was speaking at the event until I arrived, and then suddenly I found myself sat around the table with some of the above, and Paddy Ashdown quoting Oscar Wilde and the like at us. I remember he said something to the tune of the Eugene Debs quote “When great changes occur in history, when great principles are involved, as a rule the majority are wrong. The minority are right.”

Amisha Ghadiali Speaking

The energy of the event was electric, as everyone that took to the floor captivated and inspired the audience.I felt that whatever the result of the referendum, that night I was in the middle of a moment of history.

Paddy Ashdown and Amisha Ghadiali

So what to wear? I thought this was the perfect moment for the little black dress. So I turned the the queen of upcycling, Orsola de Castro who set up From Somewhere with her partner Filippo Ricci in 1997. Their label came from a simple idea. What happens to all the waste fabric in the fashion industry? At the end of each production season there is often much fabric waste ie. offcuts, pre-consumer surplus, end of roll and damaged fabrics, and where does this normally end up? The bin, and then maybe a landfill or an incinerator. So Orsola had the idea to create beautiful clothing using these pieces of unwanted and discarded fabric. We are talking about high quality fabrics including cashmere, silk, and tweeds that From Somewhere rescue and upcycle into their stunning collections. This black dress is made from a variety of fabrics each bringing different textures that come together seamlessly into this perfect little black dress.

The Mixture of Fabrics in the Dress

The From Somewhere Little Black Dress

I love this video, it shows the energy of the From Somewhere label.

As well as creating the label, Orsola and Filippo are also the co-founders of Estethica, the ethical part of London Fashion Week, which will soon be celebrating its fifth birthday.

Visit their website where you can find more information about some of the exciting projects they are working on right now, such as the speedo collection (yes you guessed, gorgeous party dresses made from un sold swimming costumes!)

+ www.fromsomewhere.co.uk