Fashionably Conscious: Inheels Second Anniversary Party

The fashion industry has in recent years looked at the public's changing attitude to the environment and the methods by which garments are produced. This is exemplified by ethical fashion that epitomizes an approach to the design where the sourcing and creation of garments maximize the benefits to both the people and the environment while mitigating negative effects.

Many socially conscious designers have embraced this new paradigm in their productions, to create labels that are both environmentally and socially friendly. Inheels, born initially in London but launched in Tokyo in 2012, is a womenswear label that boldly illustrates this ethical fashion.

Inheels was born from a desire to create an ethical fashion label that was cool and fashion savvy—to create items that were not just making an environmental statement, but most importantly, were covetable by fashionable Tokyo women. Since its launch, Inheels has received vast press coverage, a testament to the interest and importance of the movement.

Inheels materials are selected after a great deal of research and a careful process of selection. Production practices are monitored to ensure that the producers are working in positive conditions. To this end, Inheels works with Fair Trade factories in India and Nepal, as well as creating jobs and empowering communities by working with smaller producer groups.

Inheels emphasizes the use of sustainable materials, including Tencel which is 100 percent biodegradable, alongside organic cotton. This collection featured their first conceptual line of accessories named “Can’t See,” a pointed criticism to the often invisible nature of the supply chain in the fashion industry. Accessories were also rendered in beautiful recycled acrylic to create bracelets, necklaces and earrings.

The Inheels Second Anniversary party was held at Atelier R, one of the designer’s most-favored locations in the heart of Shibuya. It was a chance for buyers, friends and allies to see the newly debuted collection.

Speaking on the occasion was the designer Oscar Carvallo himself, who summed up his aesthetic approach beyond the issue of ethics by saying, “Fashion is art, and art is fashionable.”