MOCIUN (mo-shun) AT DEVIDOLL

According to her bio Caitlin Mociun, (designer/founder of eponymous clothing label, Mociun), "...continues to explore the realms of all things fantastic from her one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment". One would expect no less from a designer who consistently produces collections, centered around intriguing and mesmerizing prints, that seem to stem simply from her observation of the world around her...as filtered, of course, by her imagination. My favourite (so far) has to be AW07's 'Judas and the Chocolate Grinder' print. Here it is on the hemp & yak unisex button-up

By the way, Judas is Caitlin's cat, and I recently met them both in the aforementioned Brooklyn abode...

CM and SV
Photographer: UCCH, aged just barely 4 yrs, harasser of (hiding) Judas
March 2008, Brooklyn, NYC

Anyway, its not just the signature Mociun prints that are cool - the designs and use of colour have much to say for themselves. Her dresses

Mesh Back Dress
hemp/organic cotton Doily print
Spring Summer 08
at devidoll from April

The cult-favourite tie-front dress
here in hemp & yak
but re-incarnated across collections...


Tulip skirt tie-front dress
hemp & tencel zigzag print
Spring Summer 08
at devidoll from April

her uni-sex tees and other versatile tops

Pocket Smock
hemp & tencel zigzag print
handmade wood buttons
Shorts
hemp & tencel in navy
Spring Summer 08
at devidoll from April

Button up dress/tunic
hemp & tencel in teal menagerie print
Spring Summer 08
at devidoll from April

jeans

Jeans organic cotton denim
Spring Summer 08
at devidoll from April

Men's slim jeans
hemp & organic cotton
Sometime late 2008

and paper -bag waist shorts

Paper bag shorts
hemp & tencel zigzag print
Spring Summer 08
at devidoll from April

....all of these are original, different but also 'right-here-right-now' chic -- a rare combination.

Mociun's clothes appeal regardless of fabric but nothing like icing on the cake: hemp & yak, silk & hemp, organic cotton & hemp with silk featured heavily in AW07; in Spring/Summer 08 we'll have hemp & tencel as well as bamboo and further on, later this year, expect hemp/wool blends.

All good things to those who wait.

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

photo: Dan Lecca

dress: Halston

When Donatella Versace shows a low cut evening gown made of hemp to kick off New York fashion week you know eco-fashion is on the up and up. On Thursday the great and the good of fashion attended the FutureFashion show organised by Earth Pledge and (the recently greenified) Barney's. 28 big swinging designers (including Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Versace, Bottega Veneta) each contributed outfits created from sustainable fabrics.

Shalom Harlow (an old fav of ours) and Elletra Wiedemann explain what's the point and why the awareness matters. Read more details of the show itself here.

Though DeviDoll is still pondering how effective this interest from the bigwigs will actually be for ethical fashion and also, very importantly, what their interest will mean for the small (er) designers who have been working at this for years with no attention and much struggle, we are very happy with the publicity given to alternative fabrics (ingeo, bamboo, hemp and lyocell among others). High time.