NYLON - March 2008 - (Page 96) SEEING GREEN Jesse Kamm may be one of fashion’s most buzz-worthy up-andcoming talents, but what she really wants to talk about is recycling. “We’re taught to be such consumers,” says the designer, “but there are so many simple ways to cut down—grow some of your own food, switch out your bulbs to energy efficient ones; you can even fuel your car with vegetable oil.” Kamm practices what she preaches: She and her husband Lucas Brower, an environmental scientist, recently purchased land in Paqnama which they are developing into a sustainable sanctuary that will run on solar power and rainwater, entirely off the grid. While the rest of us may not have acres of unadulterated land with which to offset our polluting ways, Kamm offers a suggestion we can all obey: “Dress the way women did during the Depression era.” In other words, re-use your clothes—if you love something, wear it again, and again. As she points out: “No one needs 55 cotton dresses.” Trimming the excesses of life doesn’t mean having to sacrifice quality, and this approach underlies Kamm’s design philosophy. The Illinois-born former model offers printed tunics, silk vests, lady-like capelets and maxi-dresses with details so positively inspired that they come off more as modern heirlooms than anything you’d find off a rack. Moreover, Kamm limits her production to 50 garments per design, with each piece numbered in the series, like an artist’s print. Kamm designs all the textiles and personally silkscreens every item by hand in her L.A. studio, drawing upon nearly everything for creative stimulation: from the lace edges on handkerchiefs to toggle buttons found in a Parisian flea market, to dreary wallpaper patterns. Her wedding last April prompted her to emblazon designs based on her engagement ring, an antique key, and a family brooch onto the backs of silk vests and the front of tunics. “Fashion [has become] so impersonal,” explains the designer, who, season after season has showcased her eponymous label in creative and unforgettable ways. In lieu of a fashion show for Spring 2008, Kamm produced a short film enlisting the help of Hollywood ingénues Alison Lohman, and Marley and Samantha Shelton. L.A. Bloom features the girls literally bursting out of Technicolor flower buds alongside a belle époque soundtrack reminiscent of early cinema. “I don’t want to be a part of throw-away fashion,” she says. “I want to create pieces that are timeless.” Jesse Kamm is available at Madison in Los Angeles, Colette in Paris, and Ylli in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. stylist: charles manning. hair and makeup: rebecca plymate at see management using make up for ever model: jessica sjod at next model management. thanks to primary. tank and shorts by jesse kamm, hat by the village scandal. LOS ANGELES-BASED DESIGNER JESSE KAMM IS PASSIONATE ABOUT RECYCLING, AND SHE THINKS YOU SHOULD BE TOO. BY NATALIE TOREN. PHOTOGRAPHED BY FLORA HANITIJO
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