By Kristen Daly

 

This week we proudly welcome a new chapter of our consciously designed in-house label, Amalie by Showpo. After first introducing Amalie in January, we check in with Showpo CEO Jane Lu and Senior Designer Anne-Marie Chimarios about this exciting step forward in our sustainability journey.

 

This season, with summer on our minds, we imagine Amalie chasing sun-drenched days in Europe. She is seeking the vacay of her dreams, full of soul-refreshing swims in luminous lakes and oceans, adventures down cobblestone streets and long, luxurious al fresco lunches.

Photographed in Como, Italy, the new range evokes an unfolding journey. It's a fitting motif for a label designed to push some of Showpo's key goals forward with each new release.

"Amalie by Showpo is geared towards more sustainable fashion. It's made with natural fabrics with a clear conscience of reducing our carbon footprint," CEO Jane Lu shares.

"Amalie was the first step of our sustainability journey, along with more sustainable packaging, such as moving to recycled plastics and cardboard for our swing tags and polymailers."

"Sustainability is a really important pillar in our strategy for corporate social responsibility, along with ethical sourcing, philanthropy and diversity. We want to be proud of the impact we're making on the community."

As with the first two Amalie by Showpo releases, the natural fabric heroed in this range is a lightweight, durable linen.

"The Amalie collection's core fabric is linen, which is a natural, plant-based, lower-impact fibre. It comes from the flax plant, which can grow in poor soil conditions and consumes far less water than cotton, so it's considered to be a sustainable material - even when it's not organically grown," Jane tells us.

Overall, plant-based fibres like linen use fewer resources like water, energy, pesticides and fertilisers compared to other types of man-made or natural fabrics.

Senior Designer Anne-Marie Chimarios adds that in addition to working with linen for this new season, we have also focused on tencel, another preferred fibre. For upcoming Amalie ranges, we are also looking at fabric blends of linen and hemp.

"We also use digital print, which is a more eco-friendly way of printing - it uses less water and allows no wastage," she shares. "And we’re looking into natural dyeing techniques using plants, vegetables and fruits, which is super cool."

For Anne-Marie and her team, it’s a joy to pair these beautiful natural fabrics with other considered design elements like cuts, colour palettes and featured prints.

Featuring bold shapes, warm colours and floral prints that feel like a destination, this season’s range of tops, pants, two piece sets and more reflect a desire to rediscover and explore.

"The range was designed in the middle of covid last year, so it was the daydream of better days to come, when we would be free to travel to live la dolce vita," she shares. 

Amalie this season is an "effortless traveller, uber feminine and with a bit of military cool," she says. "The prints are elevated and fun, but always feminine, and the shapes bring the drama - big sleeves, attention to detail, it’s a vibe!"

Available in sizes up to 20, the Amalie label is designed to capture a number of our values, including size diversity. But the key value anchoring this range is our goal to be kinder on the planet.

In line with this latest release, the team has also put together a new Conscious Edit of styles - both our own and from brand partners - made from natural and other preferred fabrics.

"The fashion industry’s high impact on the environment is more widely recognised in this day and age, with consumers demanding more sustainable and eco-conscious options," Jane says.

"We want to demonstrate our awareness of this issue and how seriously we take it by evolving our fashion to better showcase our values."

This consciously made, holiday-ready new range is available to browse exclusively at Showpo.com.

Shop Amalie by Showpo here.