British Vogue January 2022

As a new year approaches… tradition has it that self-reflection and examination are, once again, front and centre in our thoughts. In many ways, 2021 passed in a blur. We began it in the middle of a strict lockdown, spent many months grounded, and then – thanks to the rollout of vaccines – saw the world open up again (though that world is, of course, one where shadows still remain). Can all this have really been during the past 12 months? After an especially fraught two-year start to this decade, I sense 2022 will dawn with a new pragmatism, one that will purvey in fashion and beyond. But here at Vogue, we are determined to ensure that pragmatism does not become a byword for caution; for shying away from bold choices…

COMPILED BY AMEL MUKHTAR. KAI AVENT-DELEON; SHARIF HAMZA; EKUA KING; CRAIG MCDEAN; KIX SUAREZ…

One glorious September afternoon, along the banks of the Seine, designer Gabriela Hearst held her first in-person show for Chloé. For it, she made the collection and presentation – spring/summer 2022 – as sustainable and inclusive as possible. How so? Guests were seated on cushions made of Chloé fabric remnants, atop benches of stacked bricks, constructed by Les Bâtisseuses, a network that trains women refugees. The clothes were conceived to be environmentally friendly, too. As Hearst believes “luxury fashion has become overly industrialised,” she introduced the Chloé Craft initiative: products handcrafted by independent artisans, such as the multicoloured sleeveless dress in recycled hand crocheted cashmere, or the white cashmere poncho with hand-painted blue stripes. Chloé’s staples, such as its signature tote bag, Nama sneakers and all of its denim, incorporated recycled…

As a model, London-born, South Africa-raised Poppy Okotcha would find comfort away from the runway via gardening. When she discovered that growing your own food can increase biodiversity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (“When you compost, carbon is held in the soil”), it inspired the 25-year-old to enrol in a Royal Horticultural Society course. After spending seven years walking for the likes of Chloé and Vivienne Westwood, she became an ecological grower, climate activist and forager full-time in 2016. Now, she’s part of Devon’s Transition Town Totnes, a community-led charity that aims to lessen both energy usage and environmental impact – which, she says, is “aligned with my climate-change values”. Between presenting Channel 4’s The Great Garden Revolution and volunteering on community plots, Okotcha has grown an edible and medicinal plot…

Experimental Ukrainian jewellery brand Nomis only uses laboratory-grown diamonds. Whether they’re scattered along pencil-length pins designed to skewer the earlobe, or clustered on “earovals” that encircle the ear and rest snug against the skull, all the diamonds in Nomis jewels are man-made. “We use lab-grown diamonds because it’s the logical choice,” says founder and creative director Alyona Kiperman. “They’re cheaper, but have the same characteristics as mined diamonds. We’re a new jewellery brand, and they just feel more modern.” The former model doesn’t like to say anything about sustainability. “It all feels like greenwashing. My work is fast-paced and about linking fantasy and reality.” It makes sense that Kiperman uses manufactured diamonds, as well as similarly sourced emeralds and sapphires. She’s selling design and, as with fashion, it’s all about…