Noir is a relatively new label founded by Copenhagen, Denmark native Peter Ingwersen and designed by Rikke Wienmann. The label has been burning up the runway with its hot looks, but Noir’s sexiness is based in sustainability. They are connected with Illuminati-II, a textile company that will launch in 2008. The company was created to brand, market and sell high-level, organic cotton fabrics and Noir is being built as the vessel. Their first collection, Spring 2006, contained 30% certified fabrics. This has been increased seasonally to 70% with their most recent collection. The certified fabrics range from silks to cottons to wools. The certification standards are either Oeko-Tex or EU Eco Label. Additionally, Illuminati II is a member of the United Nations Global Compact and supports ILO, The International Labour Organisation, ICC´s Business Charter for sustainable development and UN´s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Finally, the Noir foundation will contribute to secure the workers in Uganda and ensure that the needs for things such as wells and medicine are met.
Peter Ingwersen recently stated, “Illuminati II is created to prove that organic and ethical fabrics can be used in luxurious and sexy designs as proven in the Noir collection.”
Season after season the label continues to illustrate just that. Their recent show during London fashion Week was no exception. They closed the show with two stunning gowns, leaving little excuse for not going green on the red carpet. What came beforehand was perhaps their most ambitious collection yet. It had plenty of their signature “darkness”, but also included crisp white shirts and soft neutrals in plenty of wearable styles that continue to adhere to their inspiration of strong tailoring that is often a feminine interpretation of the masculine armoire.
Fall 2007 images courtesy style.com Top images are of Noir’s Fall 2006 Raven collection.
