Inspirations from an Italian sustainable fashion advocate.

Image by Igor Termenon

Silvia Stella Osella is the Italian advocate of sustainable fashion and one of the most influential young Italians in the world of fashion design.

Driven by her passion all over Europe working for major textile companies, she now works with important fashion and interior design brands and she is always looking for new sources of inspiration. All this is underpinned by a strong sustainable philosophy and a great connection with nature.

Currently, Silvia embodies the profession of Textile and Surface Designer and Trend and Colour Consultant working for many brands and running her own consulting studio in Milan.

Through the following interview we had the honour to investigate her sustainable journey and experience it with her.

Welcome Silvia Stella Osella, tell us a little about yourself, how did you come to be a Textile and Surface Designer, as well as a Trend and Colour Consultant?

“I did not know exactly what way to follow right at the beginning, I followed my intuitions and my experiences brought me here. After focusing my studies in the field of textile design and working for some of the most important textile companies in Europe I opened my own surface design and consultancy studio in Milan. Here I design patterns and custom prints and assist brands in taking shape through colour and trend consultancies. Furthermore, I am currently collaborating with international fashion brands such as Inditex - Zara, Adidas, Mango and many more, from big fashion houses to smaller independent and fully sustainable brands. Design, textiles, colours combined with the theme of sustainability are all part of my everyday life.”

What are your sources of inspiration?

“I do not have a single source, it is more a process of inspiration. The key answer is "lots of research". Whether it is research into different design platforms or into the latest trends and developments. It’s vital for me to follow the development throughout the years of trends which are currently being analyzed: it is a path of continuous work, almost like a flow of ideas that never stops.”

On instagram you call yourself a sustainable fashion advocate, what is the reason for this title?

“I first got involved in the sustainable fashion world in 2013, when I founded one of the first conscious clothing start-ups in Europe, with a fully transparent and traceable supply chain. At that time, however, Europe, and more specifically Italy, was not yet ready to tackle the sustainable theme: yet, we managed to design a capsule collection for YOOX and be featured on Vogue Talents. I wanted to bring something interesting, accessible and in line with my aesthetic and vision to the market. Although my experience with the project ended a few years later, since then, my commitment to sustainable fashion has taken on more and more importance. I work with independent sustainable brands or large international groups, with whom I try to raise awareness on a daily basis for a transition towards a more conscious approach to design and production.”

Do you think the fashion market has changed since 2013 in a sustainable way?

“Absolutely yes, there has been a real evolution. A few years ago, sustainability did not have such a strong voice, but now it is gaining more and more ground within the fashion industry. There has been a boom in brands focusing on sustainability and making it their core business. I hope they manage to rewrite a new fashion chapter. Traceability and transparency are becoming focal points for verifying whether a brand is truly sustainable and true communication of this can get an important message across.”

What sustainability advice would you give to the emerging brands of the moment, but also to those who have been in the market for longer, dare I say it, the big players?

“Sustainability is certainly a theme that is making its way more and more into the world of fashion and many emerging brands have realized this. I would advise emerging brands to operate in an increasingly transparent and traceable way to communicate a truly sustainable process. It is possible to combine ethics and aesthetics and that can be the real engine for a sustainable fashion revolution. This is also true for the big players in the sector, as they will certainly find it more difficult to convert all their processes to sustainable ones; they came into being at a time when sustainability was unheard of and focused more on aesthetic design. Now, as I said, combining the two aspects would be the ideal solution.”

Do you think our Sustainable Brand Platform can provide benefits in the fashion industry?

“Yes, I think it is very useful for consumers who do not know where to turn to find out whether a brand is really sustainable. Sustainable Brand Platform can make a real difference in this market by acting as a transparency tool to effectively evaluate the work done by brands and direct those who still need help to really understand the concept of sustainability.”

So, do you have you any projects in the near future?

“Yes, something is brewing, but, unfortunately, I cannot give any spoilers, let's just say they will be big projects.”

Tthis article has been written by SBP creative team.

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