PHOTOS: DANIELLE SMITH
DESIGNER LEZANNE VIVIERS KEEPS HER LABEL SURVIVING AND THRIVING
Summer springs eternal in the Viviers Studio’s fertile ground of creativity, up-cycling, activism, friendship and spirit of reinvention.
Step into the up-cycled sixties home-studio of designer Lezanne Viviers called the Lotus House. The modern mid-century monument in Westcliff that is home to the unique Viviers experience; one that offers a concept space, as well as a collaborative one.
“Downstairs is home to the factory side of things, where everything gets made, while upstairs is a space to interact with other collaborators and artists,” shares Lezanne Viviers.
Her clients celebrate individuality and invest in limited edition clothes the same way that you invest in art. As such, Viviers clothing is numbered in limited editions. They can also be made to measure.
“Aurora Lights, our latest collection, I think is perfect for the South African summer because it’s so colourful. I think, after two years of all of us really mourning COVID, mourning over consumption and all these things that are wrong with the world… We are coming to a point where there is optimism, and I think what a better way to express optimism than to use colour and the sun.” adds the designer and founder.
Theirs is an ethical and environmentally-friendly business that believes in offering more than fair wages, good working environments and a sustainable approach to their resources. The majority of their fabrics are sourced from warehouses that have been sitting with dead-stock from the 70’s that have old materials that were made with integrity and did not form part of the current fast-fashion movement.
For this year’s Plastic Free Mzansi they collaborated with Twyg, a sustainable local platform to bring light to the issue of single use disposable masks.
“I created a new textile to really bring the attention to people of how this plastic is polluting the environment but also using the strings of the masks to demonstrate how these masks are getting entangled with birds and ocean life,” shares Lezanne.
She adds, “I like to use beauty as a tool of activism. If you create something beautiful you draw people’s attention but actually the real issue that we’re dealing with and facing is that billions of these masks are suddenly polluting the streets, polluting landfills and our oceans.”
May we see the demand for businesses with an ethical and slow-fashion approach like this increase, and may Lezanne Viviers and her studio continue to soar.
