RSS
Home
Garden of 'Edun' pops up in San Francisco
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
A couple of weeks ago, I attended an opening of the first-ever pop up store for Edun at Azaelea in Hayes Valley. Yeah, I know I am late on this post, but I am still in awe after speaking to the stunning Ali Hewson - she and her hubby started the label. You might know him. He's from Dublin (Ireland, not the city in the East Bay), he's constantly wearing cool tinted glasses, he's very philanthropic and he was part of a small band called U2. Yeah, her husband is Bono. But I prefer to not call her "Mrs. Bono" - she is just as socially minded and fancy as her other half.
All photos by Adam Sjoberg (www.looseluggage.com)
Appropriate for the event, I wore my black pair of Edun jeans. Okay, I admit it - I was trying to brown nose just a tiny bit when meeting Hewson. But I have no shame in that. I have had the jeans for about a year and they are a personal favorite.
The thing about Edun (besides being one of the most socially conscious fashion labels) is that it's one of those brands that you spot on a rack, hanging discreetly at various boutiques and department stores. This pop up store (which runs until Nov. 17) is an opportunity to see everything all of Edun at once.
"We just wanted to do a pop up store because we don’t have any retail stores of our own," says Hewson. "For us to be able to show the collection in its entirety and get a reaction to the entire collection rather than just single pieces."
The Fall/Winter 2008 collection entitled "Nocturne" evokes the 18th century night-centric music of Chopin and Mozart. It's relaxed, dark and has a stylistic vampire appeal that would suit the aesthetic of the Cullen family (that was for all you "Twilight" fans out there).
The "Nocturne" collection for men and women
Hewson donned a twilight-hued blouse (Edun, of course) that had a romantic charm, but still leaned toward the menacing appeal of the night. Even though the outfits speak for themselves in term of style, it’s the backstory behind the label that makes it even more meaningful. Instead of trying to explain it – let’s just get the info straight from Hewson:
"The whole purpose of Edun is to work sustainably in Africa, India and Peru,” explains Hewson. “Those communities have people who have lost jobs because companies have moved to other countries for 20 cents less a T-shirt. We feel it’s important to stay in those communities and build up trade there because at the end of the day, trade is going to do more than aid. Aid is really important, but a lot of people have this image of Africa as a begging bowl but it’s not. It’s a really sexy, magical place full of really entrepreneurial people who want to provide healthcare for their own children; want to provide education; want to provide on their own. They want to work. They’ve just been dealt a very unfair hand. This is a way of trying to balance that and do business on this continent – and still make a profit.”
I don’t think I need to add to that.
Ali Hewson (center) poses with Edun shoppers
Even though there are no stand alone store fronts for Edun, Hewson says that she hopes to open those soon starting in New York and then spreading across the nation, including San Francisco.
“San Francisco is always starting trends and not following them,” gleams Hewson. “The fashion speaks for itself.”
Again, I don’t think I need to add to that.
Related Articles:
Comments
