I’m so excited to tell you guys about my most recent fashion collaboration with GNANA Studio, an ethical and cruelty-free fashion brand who specialise in manufacturing womenswear using natural fabrics.
As you already know, I love vegan fashion but also sustainable, ethical fashion, as you may have read from my articles here and here. So when you decide to ditch fast fashion and start investing in more sustainable, ethical companies, you
So when Gnana reached out for me to try some of their pieces I couldn’t resist! Today it’s all about GNANA Studio and I hope you check our their website as they have truly beautiful pieces.
About GNANA STUDIO
Their mission is to create timeless pieces with consideration for people and the planet. I’m in love already! Just browsing their website leaves me feeling all calm and tranquil, with a desire to get outside in nature (not to mention wanting to buy everything). The aesthetic is simple and classic with a high-end feel. They are a relatively new brand, launching in 2016 by fashion designer Floriana Sandu. The word Gnana is Sanskrit for conscience, awareness, or higher knowledge which is the perfect description for this brand.
The pieces are limited edition, they currently produce on-demand in an effort to
A touch of heritage
In addition to all this, they also upcycle traditional Romanian hand-woven fabrics with the aim of promoting their unique cultural heritage whilst reducing their environmental impact.
I love this nod to their heritage. Romania has a rich culture of relying on the use of natural resources. If you visit my youtube channel you may have seen a video I posted a couple of months ago – Breakfast With Evolve Beauty This is one of my favourite cruelty-free beauty brands. The founder was inspired by her Romanian Grandmother who taught her all about natural medicine and the benefits it holds for our bodies and our environment. Additionally, I am thrilled to say one of my favourite handbag brands Alixane makes their handbags in Romania – it’s an interesting story about the founder wanting to save a leather goods manufacturer which was about to shut down. So Romania has surprised me super positively when it comes to maintaining craftmanship and cherishing these wonderful techniques for clothing manufacturing.
About the fabrics
As you would expect with an ethical and sustainable fashion brand, they work exclusively with natural fabrics such as hemp, linen, and cotton sourcing locally and making use of deadstock that would otherwise end up in landfills. Additionally, they have eliminated plastic from their packaging, choosing recycled cardboard boxes instead. They don’t use any polyester, micro fibre or nylon and all of their cotton is up-cycled or recycled from dead stocks and antique markets. Pretty cool. The entire range is completely vegan and cruelty-free by omitting the use of leather, suede or fur.
Getting back to the brand, founder, Floriana Sandu has recently been appointed Country Coordinator for Fashion Romania – a global movement that calls for a fair, safe, clean and transparent fashion industry. With over ten years of experience working in all different facets of the fashion industry, she has brought a mindful approach to each stage of production. With an increasing number of companies greenwashing it’s easy for the well-intended ethical consumer to be confused. Now more than ever do we need brands like Gnana who operate with integrity and have passionate, knowledgable people making the right decisions about each stage of production. GNANA Studio ticks all the right (green) boxes so you can feel certain this a brand to trust and support.
What I am Wearing
Femininity and freedom are at the heart of their design. The individual pieces are so versatile they can work in multiple scenarios. I found this to be true with the Fanda Dress which I styled with my trusty By Blanch sandals for a dressier, smarter look. However, I can see myself dressing this down with some white trainers for a laid-back day look. It will work perfectly with my new Beflamboyant trainers that I am wearing with the Kumburi Shirt as well, or even with a leopard print, it’s such a versatile piece! It’s the ideal dress for those hot, sticky days (and we have plenty of these in London!) when you just want to throw on something cool without giving it too much thought, or even during winter with a chunky jumper on top. The romantic ruffles and this deep red colour really made me feel like a true Spaniard! This Fanda Dress is made out of smooth Viscose Gauze
The Kumburi Shirt is equally light and breezy and I can just see myself living in this all summer long, with jeans, trousers or skirts. You may have seen from the daily outfits I post on my Instagram stories I’m a big fan of a trusty plain, white shirt. After my recent house move, I found comfort in simplicity by returning to basics with regards to my outfits, relying heavily on the trusty combination of jeans and a white shirt. The Kumburi shirt is set to be heavily rotated in my summer wardrobe. There is something so chic and simple about this one. What I love about this one is the cropped knotted shirt cut, and it has been locally woven with 100% viscose for a small carbon print. It features front buttons closure, a convertible wide collar and short-drop shoulder sleeves.
Quick note: the clothing pieces above are vegan but not all of them are. However everything has been produced under high ethical standards and sustainable regulations.
I WAS WEARING
Outfit 1: Kumburi Shirt, Be Flamboyant Trainers, The Lovely Things Bag, old jeans
Outfit 2: Fanda Dress + By Blanch Sandals
And you? Have you ever heard about Gnana?
Which one is your favourite piece?
You like any of these items, Gnana have been super generous and you can use the code ‘GREENMCXGN’ to get 15% off!
Hope you enjoyed this article and I will be back around here very shortly.
With love,
This is a paid partnership with Gnana Studio.
Photography by Alexa Mitiner and Alessia Chinazzo.
