Bio

Silvia Acien Parrilla was the People’s Choice winner of the Redress Design Award 2024. She holds a BA in Fashion Design with Knitwear from Central Saint Martins, UAL, UK.

“My garments are living entities, intertwined with the synergy between designers and farmers—an alliance closer and more significant than commonly perceived.” – Silvia Acien Parrilla

redress Design Award Collection

Silvia’s Redress Design Award collection, ‘REGENERATIVE FOLKLORE’, honours the designer’s organic farmer parents and cultural heritage with organic fibres and traditional Spanish materials like dry branches. The collection focuses on regeneration through its use of biodegradable plant-based, organically certified fibres such as pineapple, nettle, organic cotton, Tencel, banana, and esparto dry branches. Silvia also uses GOTS-certified and plant-based dyes from invasive species to simultaneously address biodiversity concerns. To mitigate waste, she also uses zero-waste patterning and adopts a made-to-order approach.

Q&A WITH THE DESIGNER

1. Who or what inspired you to pursue sustainable fashion, and inspired the creativity behind your Redress Design Award collection?

My parents, organic tomato farmers in southern Spain, were my first inspiration for sustainable fashion. If we care about what we eat, why not also about what we wear? Our skin absorbs fabric chemicals just like our bodies absorb food nutrients. My parents’ respect for nature and coexistence with native biodiversity influenced my creative process.

This collection is inspired by my roots — the traditions of my grandparents, and the ancestral techniques my grandmother taught me before her passing. Flowers, representing life, feature prominently, with crochet carnations blooming out of the body in intricate textures and tight dresses. This collection addresses animal liberation, emphasising how humans exploit animals for their benefit. My designs merge these inspirations, creating a dialogue between tradition, nature, and the regeneration of local ecosystems. This collection is inspired by the necessity for diverse species to coexist, highlighting their importance and advocating for their preservation.

2. What makes your Redress Design Award collection uniquely sustainable? (considering sustainable design techniques you have used in your collection, e.g. zero-waste, upcycling, reconstruction; or waste sources you have chosen)

My collection stands out not just for its conceptual significance, with birdcages around the body symbolising animal liberation, but also for the sustainable maerials used. The ‘Regenerative Folklore’ collection is fully biodegradable, crafted from organically certified plant-based fibres like pineapple, Himalayan nettle, organic cotton, Tencel, dry branches, and invasive species. The collection is dyed with invasive plants, free of chemicals, using strategic collection to prevent these species from overtaking native ecosystems.

Invasive species are repurposed to add value, and bacterial dyes are used, consuming six times less water than synthetic dyes. This innovative technique, developed less than seven years ago, revolutionises textile dyeing. Dry branches from the Spanish mountains replace plastic or wire for structure, utilising ancestral techniques taught by my grandmother. This collection uniquely blends tradition with innovation, biodesign, and sustainable practices, creating garments that respect and harmonise with local ecosystems.

3. What is your career dream or goal? How do you see yourself developing in sustainable fashion in the future?

My goal is to create a positive impact on local ecosystems, especially in Spain, where I am from. I aim to fuse science and food farming with fashion, finding ways to repurpose farming waste for clothing. Growing up with farmer parents, I understand the flaws and waste in the farming process and have many ideas to address them, including establishing a supply chain that regulates this process.

Creating pieces that embody these ethics and principles is crucial for me because it brings conversations about regenerating local ecosystems and sustainability to the public. These discussions often happen in privileged settings, inaccessible to many. Fashion allows me to convey the power of consumer choices in driving change. Clothes are a powerful medium for messages, and my goal is to show that respectful coexistence between humans and animals is possible, preventing animal extinction and reducing water waste.

4. As a sustainable fashion designer, what is one item you must always keep with you?

As a regenerative and sustainable fashion designer, my knitting machine and crochet hooks are indispensable. Creating my own fabrics using these tools allows me to explore various media, generating zero waste. The joy of sustainable design lies in crafting garments to precise measurements with no offcuts, relying solely on my energy and the friction of my hands, with no need for electricity. 

This manual process connects me deeply to my ancestors, to my origins, and to a simpler, slower-paced life. Each stitch teaches me the significance of small details, offering a profound perspective on life’s simplicity. Focusing on a single chain stitch while crocheting reveals our insignificance and how we truly need to find happiness and fulfilment through little things. This mindful creation process is not just about design; it's a homage to heritage, regeneration, and a celebration of the beauty in every detail.

5. Anything else you would like to share with us about you or your collection?

Creating this collection and connecting its concept with regenerative materials was challenging yet liberating as the pieces came together. My grandmother inspired me deeply; working with the ancestral techniques she taught me was a way to honour her memory. These methods, not found in books, represent the pure essence of female genealogy.

This collection arose from my profound need to highlight animal stories and their existence. It critiques humanity's perceived dominance over all living beings. The birdcages around the models symbolise this control, restricting movement. Midway through the catwalk, the birdcages open and close, symbolising the collapse of this control and the metaphor of animal liberation.

The greatest challenge was merging these ancestral techniques with science and innovation, blending memories with future projections to create a present that offers hope for all living beings on this planet.

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