Style Drama - Edward Quan
Green Embassy captivates with eco-couture fashions
By Edward Quan
Sep 25, 2014 - 3:28:14 PM

Natural silk dress eco-dyed with Eucalyptus leafs by Green Embassy – Photo: Simon Lau

Zuhal Kuvan-Mills of Green Embassy has always called herself “an artist that makes clothes,” and upon viewing her latest men’s and women’s S/S 15 collection at Vancouver Fashion Week a few days ago, she is going to have to get comfortable being referred to as a 'couture fashion designer.'

My first introduction to the eco-friendly Green Embassy line from Australia was last March at Vancouver Fashion Week F/W 14 show, where she featured 16 exquisite women's dresses. She returned last week with a dramatic runway show of 38 pieces, worthy of any established European fashion house.

"My fabrics become the messenger..."

Titled "Connected to the Land," she refers to each of her fashion collections as a series, like paintings on exhibit at the art museum.

Her new line showcased the use of natural silks dyed with Eucalyptus leaves from her own farm in Perth, Australia. With over 3800 species of Eucalyptus leaves, depending on the season when they are harvested, Zuhal Kuvan-Mills discovered that they transform her silks with different pigments - spring leaves bring green tones, where summer gives off light browns.

Merino / Alpaca long dress artwork dress, hand-made and embroidered with glass beads by Green Embassy – Photo: Simon Lau

“I want my fabrics to become a messenger to bring us back to the land,” stated Zuhal Kuvan-Mills. If you look more closely at her silk fabrics, you will see that she's selected leaves that had caterpillar bites or eggs used in her hand dyed process.

On the runway her pieces captivate like wearable sculptures that mirror natural forms such as, rocks, waterholes, earth and fragile leaf images.

Eco-minded couture line

With lighter fabrics such as silk and merino wool, she's brought glamour with her dresses as they caress a women’s body beautifully.

What a difference a season can make in the world of high fashion!  Zuhal Kuvan-Mills will now be presenting her garments at World Fashion Week Paris at the end of September.

She credits last spring's Vancouver Fashion Week and all the media coverage it attracts to what has catapulted her onto the world stage.

Credit goes to Green Embassy as they have taken a leadership role in creating a more sustainable lifestyle, organic agriculture and eco-fashion by using only the finest materials such as 100% certified organic Australian alpaca, merino, silk and other organic natural fibers.

Zuhal Kuvan-Mills is taking the fashion industry by storm, as an artist and a true couture fashion designer.

About the Author: Experienced luxury fashion buyer Edward Quan has worked with the most prestigious designer brands across Europe and America and shares his inspiration for effortless style on his website, StyleDrama.com. He has a passionate, yet intelligent way of describing his subject and has a keen eye for detail. He lives in Vancouver, Canada.