ITALIAN BRAND AGOGIC IS BRINGING SUSTAINABILITY TO THE GREAT OUTDOORS. FROM SLEEK RAINCOATS TO CLASSY BOMBER JACKETS, THE FOCUS IS IN START-OF-THE-ART ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE MATERIALS AND A LESS-IS-MORE APPROACH. WE SPOKE TO FOUNDER SALOME WILSON ABOUT HER PATH.
WARDROBE CRISIS: Benvenuta Salome! Please introduce yourself.
SALOME WILSON: “Ciao! I’m Salome. I’m actually I’m English but live in Bologna, Italy. Having been a designer for brands such as The North Face, I left to start Agogic in 2019. My goal is to help clean up the environment through fashion.
WARDROBE CRISIS: Through sustainability?
“Well, I find the term sustainability, although recognisable, quite difficult - and I prefer ‘values’ or ‘ethics’. For me, it’s an all-encompassing way of thinking. We need to think differently about how we consume. My ethos can be summed up by our brand name, Agogic, which comes from the name of the harmonious and long-lasting musical Agogic note.”
WARDROBE CRISIS: Why outerwear? Was it about the gap in the market, because we haven’t seen much in the way of sustainable outerwear from a fashion, or a sleek, city-appropriate perspective. Or we hadn’t until this month with the Gucci x North Face collab. It tended to be more segmented, right? Like, outdoor / adventure gear such as Patagonia, or toxic waterproofing and cheap macs for town…
SALOME: “I definitely identified a need for people who want style, technical protection, and versatility that is crafted in a different way to other performance clothing. The idea for Agogic came from my life in the city and dealing with changeable weather. We work with a high quality Italian partner that - along with our high quality materials - that ensures our garments will really last after daily use.”
WARDROBE CRISIS: It’s quite a tight range, just a few designs?
SALOME: “Yes, just four pieces. They are designed to be timeless, versatile, modular, layer-able, and packable. It’s more about working with different fabrications for us, and always considering durability, performance and quality in terms of how we can have a reduced effect on the environment, rather than making lots of different styles.”
WARDROBE CRISIS: Tell us about the materials.
“Our Women’s Trench and the Women’s Parka are made from 80% Seaqual Yarn - a waterproof, breathable polymer containing 10% upcycled plastic from plastic marine litter and 90% post-consumer PET from domestic use.
The Women’s Bomber is made of nylon and Primaloft, both from leftover stock from our producer in Italy. Primaloft is a synthetic microfiber thermal insulation fabric developed by the United States Army in the 1980s. It is 100% polyester. In 2010, Primaloft was named the first branded insulation manufacturer to obtain Bluesign’s system partner status for environmental impact.
“The Fleece Jacket is made of Polartec Power Air. Polartec Power Air is a brand new knit dual-surface construction that encapsulates air to retain warmth and reduce microfiber shedding (5x less than other premium mid-layer fabrics, preventing loose microfibers from shedding out into the environment). Polartec Power Air is designed to be highly pilling resistant. Thanks to its innovative fabric construction encasing internal yarns, by creating individual air pockets it ensures high body warmth while being super light. In 2021 we are introducing a new chemical-free material.
WARDROBE CRISIS: What made you decide to start your own business?
SALOME: “You cannot change things from inside the machine. You are just feeding it. You either leave your heart outside the door, or take the door. And that’s what I did!”
WARDROBE CRISIS: What about the future? Where do you see your brand headed?
SALOME: “I want to have achieved my vision for Agogic as a brand with longevity and circularity: that people cherish their pieces and build them into their wardrobes, turning to us for servicing, buy-back and resell. I’d like to offer a new way to use and consume performance clothing. I also aim to achieve strong relationships with our partners to develop materials and new standards of production.”
TO WIN AN AGOGIC JACKET, CHECK OUT OUR INSTAGRAM PAGE FOR THE COMPETITION WE ARE RUNNING FROM FEBRUARY 1-FEBRUARY 7, 2021.
Connect with the brand on Instagram @agogic__ and find out more at www.agogic.it
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