Winter Collection ’18 ’19

Soul Salon International Trade Show Winter Collection 18/19
21-22 January 2018 Westergasfabriek Amsterdam, the Netherland.

Starting 2018, this little project try to spread its wings to international audience, testing the water if you may say. A 2nd edition fashion trade show with sustainable, ecological, and fair trade fashion spirits.
It’s a long winter drive to the neighbor country. The forecast predicted heavy snowfall for that day, but luckily mother nature decided to change her mind. Gashouder itself is a round beautiful renovated building, often used as concert hall. I presume based on the round structure that it would give a spectacular visual and audio effect.
The first day last from 9:00 to 20:00. The audience came less than what we expected. But maybe that’s how most B2B trade show feels like. Only blogger, retailer, buyer, press, and other fashion professionals attended the show.

I saw a lot of amazing sustainable ideas that comes to life. Mostly are alternative materials for leather and wool, also upcycled waste materials.
For instance : how many vegan material can you think of that can be make to produce leather-like product out there? A lot. From mushroom (champignon), waste product of apple juice, tree bark, and you name it, they have it.
Recycled fish net, old jeans, promotional banner, old wood, silver jewelry, and more. Vegan leather, vegan wool, zero waste textile fabric, and other uncountable products.

DUA bags comes with new winter collection natural products, especialy from Yogyakarta. After some serious hunt sessions for winter-toned bags, we brought 5 sample bags.

First is the Agel tote bag in red. Agel (Sulawesian) a.k.a Gebang (Javanese) a.k.a Corypha utan) is the leaf of Gebang tree, a close relative of the Palmae family with the biggest leaf. It grows vastly in dry savannah area. The leafs only grow at the top of the tree and tends to dry out and fall down when it gets older.
After removing the leaf, they wash to remove the juice out of it, then dried out for days. Dried leaf is more flexible and flocked into “rope” like, and this rope is what we call “agel”. Afterwards people weave it into placemats, bags, containers, etc. A bag can take up to 1kg of leaf and 1-3 weeks of weaving, colouring, and finishing process.

The second one is a Raffia Round Backpack in dark brown, also available in dark red. Taken from Raffia Farinifera tree, a large palm tree grows leaves that can be stripped and dried to create raffia strands. Like jute or hemp twine, this is a natural fiber that can be woven like straw, tied like silk ribbons, or packed like foam. Plus it has the largest leaves of any palm tree. Raffia fibers are biodegradable, easy to handle, soft to touch, durable, and easily pliable.

Third bag is made out of combination between Rattan core and Raffia flap
Raffia flap : from Raffia Farinifera tree, a large palm tree grows the largest leaves of the family that can be stripped and dried to create raffia strands, are biodegradable, easy to handle, soft to touch, durable, and easily pliable.
Rattan core : from outer rattan skin. Rattan grows in tropical forest and now it’s being cultivated from plantation to sustain the high demand from the market. Rattan can grow up to 30 meter between other trees. Harvested, washed, and then smoked for a day to cure it into yellow-brownish colour. Finally after 2-3 days worth of equatorial sun drying, it is ready to use. Because of its flexibility and durability, we can make a durable and beautiful product out of it.

Fourth bag comes in 5 different colours, it’s a combination between woven panama grass and traditional tenun fabric. Beautiful backpacks with adjustable straps and front pocket.

Last but not least, the water hyacinth handbag, in a blinking and geometrical style. Made out of Eichhornia crassipes is free-floating, fastest growing, problematic invasive plant. Without control, it blocks sunshine onto water, and depletes oxygen; killing fish and other fresh water creatures. After washed, cutted, sun-dried, and then it’s ready to be woven.