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I suppose what marks my identity as a fashion writer matches the same pattern on my heart and soul: hardwired duality, sensitivity and a bit of edge blended with the unconventional.
I am a Gemini to a T, grew up a tomboy who loved hip hop and later developed other sides of self that preferred groovy lovestep and cute floral onesies, heavy jazz accompanied by layers of black lace and somehow by the same token: anything eco made with consciousness at its forefront like the style equivalent of a Cat Powers concert in the woods—I’m all for re-invention and diversity and that’s why life on the West Coast loves me. Today I adore all from vintage, hipsters, hippies, gritty urban influences and a touch of Euro sophisticé sometimes, anything goes but always outfits with a story, and a bit of question to them. On the world’s runways I’m drawn to Balmain, Roberto Cavalli, LAMB; in Vancouver, nothing for me beats the accessories of Divina Denuevo.
Divina Denuevo at Eco Fashion Week
I and the rest of the world discovered this relatively new local brand last fall when they rocked Vancouver’s Eco Fashion Week runway and the designing couple of Victoria Ronco and Dave Kelly have gone completely spotlight-saturated since. The name literally translates from Spanish into “Divine Again” and the product encompasses everything that I’m drawn to as a person and a purchaser: sustainability, style, and a story.
The handcrafted Divina Denuevo clutches, wallets, belts, bags, iPhone cases and cuffs are all made with love in Victoria and Dave’s small studio in the Pacific Northwest, but the hardware and reclaimed leather used to create the extravagant and ethereal accessories come from all over the world. Recently a blogger friend of mine at Van City Pretty had a beautiful clutch custom-made for her sister for Christmas and its hardware consists of a vintage key found in an abandoned warehouse from the 1800s.
Divina Denuevo : Beauty in Imperfections
The two “search high and low for antique and vintage hardware, keys and adornments, in an effort to upcycle something old that was otherwise destined for the landfill” out of a love for individuality, everything old world and an eco-conscious lifestyle. I got the chance to get to know the designers at Eco Fashion Week where I was part of the Media & Public Relations team and they were showing on the runway alongside eco-superstar designer Jeff Garner of Prophetik from Nashville, TN. I was blown away not only by the beauty of and care put into the creation of their products, but by their preservation of history and the integrity of their materials; they allow for “imperfections” in leather to map the construction of their designs and take great care to utilize every material scrap that crosses their path—this penchant for environmentalism never squandering the sheer chicness of their designs. For hardware, Victoria and Dave both travel and ship all sorts of metal pieces from the world over—anything beautiful that can be “saved”, reclaimed and turned into something beautiful and useful again.
Divina Denuevo Designs Tell a Story
“The whole idea behind our line is that you’re carrying a piece of the past – like a time machine,” Victoria told Haus of Hybrid in a recent interview. “Every item has a story, unique and arguably what makes the piece enchanting. We struggled to come up with a way to convey the story: at shows it was easy, we could simply tell someone – “the key on that purse came from a shipwreck.” and dive into how we found the key and where it’s been; but when we started to sell in stores [we started to put] a label inside that tells you a little bit about the hardware that’s adorning your piece. Some, we know the story of, and they’ll say something like “The antique key on this bag came from a shipwreck off the coast of France in the late 1800’s” – others, which we don’t know much about, will simply say “This antique hardware was rescued from a landfill.”
This is the nature of upcycling; a relatively new leg of fashion that dips through DIY’ing, loops around thrifting and comes back again through the new consciousness that marks the 2012 era. Divina Denuevo are at the forefront of this movement, and are proof that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
(This woman’s treasure too!)
Visit Divina Denuevo for a full catalogue.
Natachasteven
April 30, 2012
There is a great website, therefore delighted I came across this!