Edun’s Sharon Wauchob Has Got the Beats for Spring
Sharon Wauchob has a lot on her plate. On Saturday, the Irish designer will send her spring 2013 womenswear collection for ethical fashion line Edun down the runway. She’s also preparing to show her eponymous line in Paris later this month. Oh, and did we mention she has a brand new baby daughter? “It’s a lot!” admits Wauchob. “But I had nine months to figure out how to make it work,” she laughs.
Of course, a little help doesn’t hurt. Edun was launched in 2005 by Bono and his wife, businesswoman and activist Ali Hewson, on the premise of initiating global change via a strong trade relationship with Africa. According to Wauchob, who was brought on as the label’s creative director in 2010, the celebs are not only philanthropic, but very hands-on. “Ali is here from the beginning to the end,” says Wauchob. In fact, Hewson was in the studio helping to put the finishing touches on the collection last night while Wauchob chatted with Interview.
The designer seemed in high spirits. And from what she’s shown us of the new Edun collection, she has good reason to be. The looks revolve around re-imagined tough girl signatures, like camo-prints and military garb, that have been softened with lingerie elements. Wauchob aims to push classics, like crisp white shirts, to the next level. And, if the Jack Kerouac quote from her inspiration board, which reads “Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don’t be sorry,” is any indication, the clothes will have a free-spirited edge.
When it comes to inspiration, Wauchob tells us that she need not look further than the brand’s mission. “There’s no other opportunity like this in fashion,” says the designer, noting that, before the birth of her daughter, she’d make frequent trips to Africa in connection with the label. By 2013, Edun aims to produce 40% of its collection in Africa and currently works in Kenya, Madagascar, Uganda, Tunisia and Morocco.
Through its forward-thinking aesthetic and an ethical outlook that applies not only to clothes, but to how we live, Edun strives to change the face of fashion. We can’t wait to see how Wauchob continues to shake up the runway on Saturday.
