There is no greater delight than discovering another person with shared, deep, likeminded interests and – even better – living in the same city as myself.
When I first stumbled upon Perth sustainable fashion designer Brooke Da Cruz, I was immediately drawn to her unique, feminine designs. Aesthetically, I see Brooke’s pieces as clean and structured, with a sprinkle of French-femme. Her collections are high quality; designed with love and made using the utmost ethical and sustainable practices.
In early April 2019, I visited Brooke’s home for a cup of tea and a chat about ethical fashion and her hopes and dreams for her latest collection. I spent a good hour touching the pieces she had lined up for me and admiring the natural fibres she works with (mainly tencel, hemp, linen and Ahimsa peace silk).
After I asked Brooke where she stored the rest of her pieces, she laughed and told me that I was looking at pretty much everything! Brooke has a true ‘quality over quantity’ mindset, which certainly goes hand in hand with her passion for sustainable design.
Ethics + Sustainability
Brooke’s label has an extraordinarily rare, holistic focus on sustainability. She works closely with two garment manufacturing facilities in India, both of which are certified fair trade. The fabric she uses is sourced directly from the mills in India with the main supplier a carbon-neutral facility. These textiles are either hand woven or woven by solar-powered looms and dyed with GOTS (global organic textile standard) certified dyes.
Talking to Brooke, it was clear that she is so proud of the work of her manufacturers. She is incredibly honest and open about her supply chain as well as her thoughts on sustainable design – a rare trait in the fashion industry and one that I profoundly admire.
“It is impossible to be 100% sustainable as a fashion business – creating any product and shipping it somewhere means leaving a footprint.”
Brooke Da Cruz
Ajna by Brooke Da Cruz
Brooke Da Cruz’s third and latest collection, Ajna, is available for pre-order now until the beginning of May 2019.
Many of the pieces in her new collection feature adjustable tie backs for the perfect fit, which I think is genius. A monochrome palette is a large part of the timeless aesthetic of Brooke’s new collection, also allowing for incredibly easy mixing and matching. However, pops of red, nudes, and pinks add more elegance and individuality to this collection. I particularly fell head-over-heels for the pink, floral print, custom designed by Joanna Green (textile and print designer for some big names like Tom Ford and Alexander McQueen!).
When it comes to sustainable selling, Brooke has hit the mark with her crowdfunding, pre-order campaign. This ensures that the items in her latest collection are made-to-order, so every piece has a home before it is even made. You can check out Brooke Da Cruz’s pre-order campaign, as well as more information about her designs and the people who have made this collection come to life on UpEffect here.
If you’re not in need of any new pieces just yet, you can do what I did to support Brooke’s new collection and become a Brooke Da Cruz VIP insider.
This VIP membership (available here) will only be on offer until the beginning of May and includes:
- A lifetime VIP discount
- VIP invites to all Brooke Da Cruz events
- First to preview new collections
- First dibs on limited edition items and one-off pieces
- Opportunity to host Brooke Da Cruz styling nights/sessions with your friends and family or one-on-one sessions
- + much more goodness to come!
I’m so excited to be part of the small group of Brooke Da Cruz’s VIP members and I wish Brooke all the best with her new collection. I can’t wait to follow her journey and to see what the future holds!