Eco-Friendly Fashion

Renegade, Indie Fashion Designer Joann Berman Crafts Sustainably

Story by Josie GulliksenPhotos by Tomonori Iwata and courtesy of Joann BermanIt’s obvious that music – especially rock, punk and hip hop, have been influences in New York fashion designer Joann Berman’s collections since her start in the 1970s. Since the beginning, sustainability has been a major factor in her work. Berman is known for her use of recycled and “upcycles” fabrics found from second-hand stores to create her neon-heavy and outlandish print designs.Always pledging to remain sustainable from the beginning of her career to the end, Berman’s work has been featured in The New York Times, Women’s Wear Daily and Italian Vogue. An Ecco Domani semi-finalist in 2011, the folks at Treehugger crowned her “The Reigning Queen of Reconstruction.”But celebrities have loved her for years, probably because of her eco-conscious designs. In the 1990s she was designing for giants of the music industry including the King of Pop Michael Jackson, hip-hop raunch queens Salt ‘n’ Pepa, rapper Heavy D and hip hop legend and fashion designer P. Diddy. In the 2000s, her work caught the attention of pop diva Rihanna whose wardrobe is heavily influenced by those outlandish and flashy fabrics so loved by Berman.Her success didn’t come easy though. After completing her studies at St. Martins Art School in London in the early 2000s, she returned to New York in 2006 to launch her two labels Boiy Krazi and Joann Berman only to see her store burn down two months after the opening. She moved her shop to Williamsburg and was there until the 2009 stock market crash forced her to shut down. Once again, she picked herself back up, this time relocating to Brooklyn at her current Fun Facxtory Loft.Here, fashionistas and eco-friendly shoppers flock to check out her clothing and furniture collections. In her ballet line, Berman reinvents the tutu creating tutu dresses splashed with black lace, bold colors and buttons to enhance the bust area. Her vintage furniture line gets sprinkles of neon through fabric coverings on sofas and throw pillows, while feathers are cleverly used as lampshade décor. And always the rocker, she pays homage to music covering a vintage French arm chair with a Mick Jagger likeness. The Stones lead singer makes an appearance on one of her “God and Angel” line dresses as well.Her garments are 99% reconstructed; made with donated materials, used garments from vintage and second hand stores, faux fur, and 1-2% reserved for new zippers, thread, and other findings. A perfect example of this is her Black Dress, a piece that although tough to decipher, is impossible to ignore. It’s made of black and white checks, sequins and small metallic cones, a puffy sleeve for one arm and sleeveless for the other, to create a rock, punk-inspired piece.In her Love Burnz Spring 2012 collection, the mixture of patterns and colors is dizzying which along with the hippy-inspired The Last Flower collection, reflects Berman’s feminine side.Oranges, reds, all shades of pink, greens, blues, yellows – these are all in Berman’s color palette and present throughout her various fashion lines. Her “dare to go there” attitude is reflective in all her pieces and most likely why celebrities are attracted to her work. It’s original, combining throwback styles with rock ‘n’ roll/punk attitude colors and patterns. She is an envelope pusher of extremes in the fashion world with decades of success to show for it.