The brand aiming to encourage more sustainable, conscious and circular ways of creating and consuming fashion across the world

Rosette Ale, founder and designer of revival london dived head first into building a sustainable but stylish brand. After studying mathematics at university she revisited her creative side. With the help of short courses and YouTube tutorials, she honed her love and skill in fashion.

What started as a necessity to keep up with friends and trends, thrifting soon became Rosette’s fashion outlet. Blogging about her unique vintage finds and having to alter them to fit her both physically and personally, was the first step into Rosette’s sustainable fashion journey. With a strong purpose to prove dressing sustainably doesn’t have to be boring, revival london draws from the essence of the 90s/00s girl group era with a re-imagined modern twist. Making new clothes from old clothes is the brand’s stand out feature, meaning each piece feels unique and one of a kind. This element brings a touch of luxury to sustainable fashion through the process of creating limited edition pieces.

We sat down with the brand that’s helping turn the sea-of-beige industry into a personal style haven, to talk all things fashion, music and a sustainable lifestyle.

What made you start revival london? Did you always want to have a sustainable, slow fashion brand and where did the idea of reconstructing come from? I started revival as I felt there was a gap in the market in terms of sustainably-made clothing, which was also aesthetically pleasing and sexy! Everything I saw through my research of ethical, conscious and sustainable fashion was bland, neutral or just plain ugly. It’s as if there was an assumption out there that people who cared about the planet and were more conscious didn’t have vibrant personal styles. So yeah that was my mission and I wanted my brand to not only be stylish and contemporary but also create social and environmental change.

What’s the importance of being a sustainable brand to you? I think it’s essential. The state of the world right now is calling for all industries to operate in a more sustainable manner which doesn’t jeopardise the quality of life of future generations. That was made very clear to me six years ago when revival was being conceived through my environmental modules at university.

Where does the inspiration for the clothing designs come from? Mainly my obsession with the early 90s and 00’s. That was such an iconic era in fashion and I draw a lot of inspiration from the styling of RnB music videos and female girl groups. I envision my capsule collections on a music girl group often! I’ve also recently been drawing inspiration from my West African heritage and using some of the silhouettes in my designs which I love.

Where do you make the clothes and source the fabric you use? All my designs are made in London, either by myself or a local maker. I like to keep everything local and London-based as it means I have more visibility on the working environment of those involved with making my pieces. The discarded textiles I work with either come from community donations, a local textile sorting facility or local charity shops.

Where do you sell your clothes? revival is available online through our official website revivalldn.com and we sell our samples and archive pieces on Depop. We also offer clothing rental services via the ByRotation app which is a great way to experience our pieces without committing to a purchase.

What challenges have you found along the way that impact a sustainable brand specifically? Scaling has been a challenge as my production relies on the discarded textiles I am able to source. Sometimes I’m only able to source a very small number of jeans for example, so I can only make a few pieces of a style until I find more to work with. On the flip side, I struggled for a while to find a maker who understood the process of deconstruction and reconstruction or the idea of using an existing garment to create a new garment.

Are there any particular brands that have inspired you and the direction of revival london? Christopher Raeburn has been a huge inspiration along my journey, their level of creativity and commitment to sustainability is truly admirable.

What made you think about launching the blog alongside the brand? I always planned to have an educational side to my brand so that I could build a community that also felt empowered by knowledge not just drawn in with products. revival is more than just a fashion brand, it’s a lifestyle, movement and mindset.

What would you say to someone who is struggling to move into a more sustainable wardrobe? It depends what the struggle is but firstly, unsubscribe from all fast fashion email newsletters. Try to shop less; do you really need that new top? Could you buy it secondhand instead of brand new? Can you borrow something from a friend instead? Can you rent instead? Also, watch ‘The True Cost’ (Netflix).

If you could have anyone wear revival london, who would it be? Solange Knowles, she’s a revival muse for sure!