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SUSTAINABLE FASHION
Fashion,

a lever for

the ocean's

cause?

The ecological approach of designer

Runa Ray, who came to exhibit her new
collection, argues in favour of committed

and sustainable fashion, a vector for
profound change in defence of the ocean.

Her collection of dresses made from cyanobacteria,
the planet's primary oxygen producers, was astoni-
shing. Instead of plastic garments, she used organic
fabrics made from marine microorganisms. Indian
designer Runa Ray presented her 2023 collection at
the Yacht Club de Monaco during Monaco Ocean
Week. This time, the committed designer tackled
the issue of industrial printing and dyeing. Drawing
inspiration from the ancient art of Suminagashi, she
revisits the skills of floating inks, which date back to
the royal courts of 12th-century Japan. Her silk and
satin dresses, with their delicate patterns reminis-
cent of the curves of the waves, are in themselves
a statement about the ocean. Natural inks based on
plants and minerals, responsible use of water, circu-
lar economy for the supply of seaweed, "peace silk"
(non-violent for silkworms). With her new creations,
this "fashion ecologist" is once again going against
the grain of fast fashion and its irreversible pitfalls.
One of the dresses even represents the dream of an
ocean free of plastic and overfishing. What if fashion
became a means of action to educate and advocate
a change in environmental policy?

© Runa Ray