The Canvas NYC Celebrate Sustainable Fashion Design From Estonia

In Europe, Estonian fashion design is being put on the map for their commitment to sustainable fashion. Look at fashion designers like Xenia Joost, who makes garments inspired by the Nordic Sea, which are made from excess textiles from the hospitality sector, and Reet Aus, who has crafted over 150,000 shirts from textile industry leftovers—saving over 30,000 kilos of fabric from going to waste.

For those who can’t make it up to the Baltic Sea, there is The Canvas NYC Flagship in the Westfield World Trade Center in New York City.

For New York Fashion Week, The Canvas Flagship and The Canvas 3.0 digital art gallery is hosting a week-long popup of sustainable design from Estonia in partnership with the Estonian Design House. By showcasing the fashion community from Estonia, there are 17 brands that were chosen this year, which are being showcased until September 14.

They include ​Lent Sius, a sustainable jewelry and clothing brand made in Estonia, which creates “a more environmentally friendly alternative to modern everyday jewelry and clothing,” according to the brand founder Kairi Lentsius. They upcycle metal, wood and military textiles (like tents) into products.

It also includes brands like Iris Janvier, a high fashion brand specializing in women’s fashion, coats and accessories, glass jewelry by ​Kalli Sein, and Egg brand by ​Laura Saks, which incorporates eggshells into handmade jewelry.

Expect to find pieces from Killud, which makes items from unusual found objects, and ​HYTI, a glass company founded by Anne-Liis Leht. There are pieces from Luks by Sandra Luks, which upcycles jeans into high fashion garments, as well as ​footwear brand Juhan Soomets.

The Canvas is also showing Estonian brands like ​August, ​Karlotta, ​leather handbag company Piret Loog, ​Sile Luik, ​Igor Volkov, ​Tarmo Luisk and ​Kairi Lentsius.

The goal is to showcase the best of sustainable designers from Estonia, whether its accessories, jewelry, menswear or womenswear. “This is the cream of the crop, Estonia’s rising designers,” said Devin Gilmartin, CEO and co-founder of The Canvas. “We hope this is the start of a long collaboration and a template for other private-public partnerships to follow.”

The selection of designers was curated by Estonian fashion executive Marilin Tammsaar, who helped lead the collaboration. “The event offers a unique opportunity to highlight a person-to-person connection, while creating a sustainable world,” she said.

The Canvas NYC is known for transforming vacant spaces, like storefronts, into marketplaces for independent creators who work in ethical fashion. So far, The Canvas NYC has two stores and a gallery space in New York City and represents over 100 brands and designers from over 40 countries.

This collaboration with Estonia is the beginning of a series that the flagship will launch with other countries in the future, highlighting sustainable fashion from across the world in the heart of New York City. Their primary goal is to support ethical fashion brands whose business models align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

The Estonian Design House recently collaborated with the NYC Design festival this past spring. According to Ilona Gurjanova, CEO of the Estonian Design House, it sparked interest in growing an audience for Estonian design here in the US.

“Collaborating with The Canvas is a great honor and challenge,” she said. “Producing sustainably is not just talk, but action. Only this way can we together help save the world’s living environment and delight design enthusiasts with innovative and circular products.”