MELBOURNE: A new trans-global womenswear label with a conscience promises to answer growing demand for on trend green clothing.
Sosume - the creation of local Melbourne entrepreneur Alex Trimmer and New York based designer Paulina Petkoski - will officially launch at the upcoming edition of Fashion Exposed, taking place in Sydney from March 8 to 10.
Trimmer said the label, which comprises around 20 pieces made from specially sourced fabrics, had already garnered interest from Sydney boutique From St. Xavier following recent exposure in Russh magazine.
"Sosume came about because ultimately I'm trying to show people that you don't have to sacrifice style to wear 'green' clothing," he said, adding the brand was positioned to target the middle market, with the most expensive item a dress priced $330.
He and partner Petkoski "took months of research to find mills that would provide us with the right fabric and were certified", he said.
The launch collection comprised a capsule range of simple trans-seasonal designs including well cut T-shirts, draped mini dresses, cuffed shorts and harem pants in a minimal palette of grey, black, cream and white.
Produced in Melbourne, the collection featured certified organic cotton and micro modal, a fabric made from the European beech tree which required only a tenth of the water used in cotton production, he said. Coming seasons would witness an expanding fabric selection including a soft tencel/cashmere/silk blend and certified organic wool.
Named for Trimmer's reaction - "So sue me" - when his first choice for a name was already taken, Sosume was born when Trimmer and Petkoski joined forces after a "random" encounter in a Brooklyn park while he was completing his Commerce degree New York.
"I have an idea about how I want the collections to look, but it's Paulina who has the technical and design skills to bring them to life," he said. It was hoped Petkovski's New York connections would see the brand launched in the US before long, he said, adding Sosume would launch a fully operational e-tail site this April, and did not rule out "bricks and mortar" retail presence in the long term.