Mother of Pearl exclusive | John Lewis & Partners

‘CLASSICbutnever boring’

Building a sustainable wardrobe The Mother of Pearl way

Building a sustainable wardrobe the Mother of Pearl wayBuilding a sustainable wardrobe THE MOTHER OF PEARL WAY

Alison Taylor,-Fashion Editor

The second collection in our collaboration with Mother of Pearl is here. We talk to Amy Powney, its charismatic creative director, about why wardrobe classics are the way forward

‘I just want to make lovely things that will become wardrobe staples for everyone.’ As our second collaboration with luxury sustainable brand Mother of Pearl launches, creative director Amy Powney is being characteristically pragmatic about the collection, and fashion in general.

‘I put fashion to the back and just focus on the product and the woman. That’s become so much more interesting to me – dressing women in things they want to wear, done ethically and sustainably. I don’t know if it’s my northernness but I’m just not interested in the ridiculous anymore.’

Indeed, there’s absolutely nothing ridiculous about this latest collaboration – a carefully curated edit of key pieces that are central to every woman’s wardrobe – from the tan trench and beautifully cut trousers to the floral midi dress and perfect white shirt.

‘The things we picked, like the trench coat with the pleats at the back, they’re beautiful classics with uniqueness and a bit of a twist – pieces that elevate your look but still fit into your core wardrobe.’

For those unfamiliar with Mother of Pearl and the first collection, the London-based label is celebrated for its genuine sustainability credentials, which is all thanks to Amy’s passion, relentless curiosity and work ethic. Then there’s the cool-girl aesthetic – built on fluid tailoring, unique prints and distinctive detailing. Amy calls the look ‘serious fashion not to be worn too seriously,’ a style philosophy that is echoed throughout the collaboration.

‘Powney has a point of view that places a duty to the planet over a duty to generate newness’, says Karen Dacre, our fashion editor-at-large and former fashion editor of the Evening Standard. ‘It’s what makes her such an exciting addition to the British design world. Her ability to refresh and revise wardrobe classics such as the trench coat or the humble denim jacket with a design twist that is beautiful without becoming gimmicky is her great skill.’

And Mother of Pearl doesn’t just pay lip service to sustainability, it lives and breathes it. ‘The truth of it is, my honest belief is you shouldn’t have a business any other way’, says Amy. ‘Don’t we all want to protect the planet that we live on and everything that lives on it, including ourselves? Whether it’s in your personal life or work life, we all want to be making conscious decisions. If you are a company owner then you have a duty for the future of humanity and all the things that live here to do something about it.’

When Amy was awarded the coveted BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund in 2017, she set to work on No Frills (the name taken from a basics range at a now defunct northern supermarket), a core sustainable collection that forms the everyday Mother of Pearl wardrobe. She built it from organic and natural materials, with a transparent supply chain, putting social responsibility, respect to animals and low-environmental impact first and foremost. What she learned now permeates through her entire range.

‘We have worked very closely with Amy to ensure we have sourced the best fabrics and used the most ethical processes throughout’, says Partner and Senior Designer Emma Cullen. ‘Building on from what we have learned from the spring/summer launch we continue to use Tencel™ [derived from renewable wood sources that come from sustainably managed forests] in the range along with 100% organic cotton. And we’ve also introduced Eco Vero Viscose [a sustainable viscose] for prints and fluid shapes.’

New for autumn are comfortable, yet stylish basics, which are close to everyone’s sartorial hearts at the moment. ‘We understand that we all want to be in our comfies right now’, says Amy. ‘So we’ve designed sweatshirts with fancy puff sleeves and gold hardware. It’s giving you a chance to dress up when you can’t go out and basically saying, you don’t have to be boring to have classics.’ With that in mind, we asked Amy to talk us through some of the key pieces from the collection…

Dress, Mother of Pearl black tiered dress

‘I’m definitely a black dress person. The tiered black dress in this collection is so easy to wear, all year round. I’ll be wearing it with my chunky boots and a woolly cardigan this winter.’

‘We call this our Interflora print – our romantic florals! Again, it’s made from Tencel™ and I love it because it’s so versatile. Dress it up, dress it down – in winter with a boot and a polo neck underneath. In summer wear it with sliders.’

Dress, Mother of Pearl ECOVERO™ Winter Floral High Neck Dress

Dress, Mother of Pearl Organic Cotton Pleat Back Trench Coat

‘The trench is my ultimate piece. It’s more who I am – a jeans and jumper girl with a good coat. It’s so beautiful. The outer fabric is double-faced 100% organic cotton and the soft pleated back detail is Tencel™. Every girl needs a tan trench and the pleated back detail makes it feel really elevated and designer. For what it is, it’s such a good price point.’

‘This is quite an iconic Mother of Pearl shape. The print was designed exclusively for John Lewis but with a take on things we’ve done at Mother Of Pearl in the past. We’ve done the same painted line, but we did it in a stripe not a check.’

Dress, Mother of Pearl black tiered dress

Top, Moother or Pearl top; trousers Mother of Pearl Trousers

‘Black wide-leg trousers – everyone wants them in their wardrobe. The sailor front is a classic detail and the pearls are part of the brand’s identity and DNA. They’re an elevated example of a core piece of your wardrobe.’

‘We have a shirt in our main collection called the “party shirt” and this is taken from that. It’s basically an oversized men’s shirt, which is really good worn with skinny jeans, wide jeans, even tights and boots. It’s just a good all-rounder.’