Mr. Larkin: Eco and Chic
Fashionable eco lines are on the rise, as evidenced by Mr. Larkin, an exciting new addition to this growing category.
The San Francisco–based label launched in October at the D&A Green Market in Los Angeles. Designer Casey Larkin said the response was overwhelming. Boutiques including Feature, Whispers, H. Lorenzo and Maxine in the Los Angeles area and Clary Sage Organics in San Francisco all picked up the line for Spring ’09. The collection will also be sold on the Internet at the eco-online boutique Beklina (www.beklina.com).
Mr. Larkin combines an organic aesthetic with eco- friendly fabrics and fashion-forward architectural shapes. “I’m really inspired by architecture and architectural clothing, but I find that sometimes it’s extremely hard to wear,” the designer said. “So I wanted to put a feminine touch to it.”
The designer has a specific muse in mind: her friend Candice, who loves vintage shopping, going out at night and balancing work with an active lifestyle. “She’s forward, she’s always looking for the next new shape and thing, and she likes to be original. She doesn’t want to have what every other person has,” Larkin explained.
The designer said the collection’s individual look was inspired by her move from the trendy Los Angeles scene to San Francisco, where there is more emphasis on originality. She created a mixture of salable, easy-to-wear pieces, such as off-the-shoulder knit tops and stirrup leggings, and more avant-garde fashion pieces, such as a jumper made with inverted pleats that create an exaggerated silhouette and a shrunken blazer that juxtaposes her oversize bottoms.
The Spring ’09 collection was inspired by the world of the vintage circus.
The line has a vintage-meets-modern look, with 1930s and ’40s silhouettes and clean, modern shapes. A blouse has a classic, simply cut flutter sleeve, a long gown is made with a feminine 1930s silhouette, and embellishments are made from recycled vintage findings.
Larkin incorporated vintage bugle beads into neck pieces and used vintage metal paillettes for embellishments.
In addition, nearly all her fabrics are environmentally sustainable. The collection includes organic cottons, silk, bamboo and a soybean/cashmere blend. The designer likes to experiment with new fabrics and searches out new fabric resources. She included Cupro—a fiber that is a cotton byproduct. She also uses milk fiber, a milk byproduct that has antibacterial properties, a silky, gauze-like hand and a beautiful drape.
Larkin also utilizes natural dyes made from berries, seeds and leaves and biodegradable seed paper hangtags that grow delphiniums when planted. “I try not to have too much waste,” Larkin said. Wholesale price points range from $38 for an organic cotton tee to $362 for a milk-fiber gown embellished with paillettes.
For more information, contact Larkin at sales@mrlarkin.net. —N. Jayne Seward
