Ethical clothing line Má + Lin launches in Islington
Juliette Fevre
Má + Lin has roots in French and Chinese cultures. - Credit: Yue Jiang
Having launched her organic clothing line six months ago, a fashion designer has launched her new company’s first collection.
Islington-based Yue Jiang established Má + Lin, her linen-made, Paris inspired, brand determined to make a difference having experienced the ‘highly negative’ environmental impact of fashion.
Working in Paris and London for ten years for JW Anderson and Yves Salomon, Yue said she was struck by the wastage happening throughout the production process.
“We bought raw materials for each collection, and we always overbought fabrics,” she said.
“They were never used because the next season, the fashion has changed.”
In the end, those stocks were destroyed. “It’s heartbreaking,” she added.
The brand is pitched at an independent woman, with an elegant, minimal style. - Credit: Yue Jiang
“I’ve never been a person who wanted to create a business,” she said. But the emergency of the situation led her to create her “ideal, sustainable, eco-friendly wardrobe”.
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Having studied in ESMOD Paris, a prestigious fashion school, Yue is inspired by French codes of fashion.
Her work experiences enhanced her taste for the culture: “French is in detail, she said, for example, it is the wooden buttons in the back or the Col Claudine.”
From her studies in Shanghai, she kept her expertise in textiles. ‘Má’ and ‘lin’ are Chinese and French words for linen. “Malin” in French means smart, clever.
The first collection is 100 per cent made of organic Belgium linen. “[It’s] the most sustainable fabric because it is very durable. You can wear it for years,” Yue said.
She said: “It’s a thermo-regulated fabric. As most people think linen is made for summer, it adjusts to the temperature, so it can be worn in winter. And linen is biodegradable, so by the end of its cycle, it doesn’t end up in a landfill.”
Má + Lin hopes to reach customers who are mindful of the environment and aware of the drifts of fast fashion.
“I see the Má + Lin woman as an independent woman, with an elegant, minimal style,” Yue said.
Autumn has set the tones of a first collection of beiges, ochre and green tops to be found on https://www.ma-lin.uk.
The Islington pop up showroom can be seen on appointment by sending an email to hello@ma-lin.uk
