AMUR Takes on ‘Less Is More’ and Sustainability Seriously
New York City brand — AMUR — leads the design industry with a playful aesthetic, simultaneously protecting nature.
Born in New York City from a concept and philosophy that great style does not have to come at the expense of our environment, AMUR – A Mindful Use of Resources — leads the design industry with a playful aesthetic balancing beauty and good intentions.
Known for feminine silhouettes, floral prints, and bold colors, AMUR strives to combine two things – the reflection of the world around us and the expression of our individual selves. More than just fashion, the New York label is a lifestyle, drawing inspiration from the designs of William Morris to the artwork of Paul Klee and Claude Monet, and even to Bali in the 1970s and architect Luis Barragan. Founded by Mitchell Hops, CEO of JS Group, the inspiration for these sustainable game-changers boils down to what is speaking to the AMUR team during a particular moment in time. Taking heed of those inspirations, AMUR’s favorite trend right now: sustainability. “We aim for sustainability to be the new normal. There are so many ways to approach it and every aspect has an equally important role in the bigger picture of making fashion in a better way.”
Since the launch of the brand’s first collection in Spring 2017, AMUR has followed a solid approach to design: focusing on fabric, “All materials are sourced with an eye toward environmental good, whether organic and natural fabrics, reclaimed fibers that conserve material resources, or trims made by artisan collectives in the developing world. While it’s an evolving process, one we’re continually striving to improve, each piece in the collection embodies a singular philosophy: that mindful living will always be in style. It’s an approach that’s woven into our very name. AMUR believes nature is the ultimate luxury. The interplay between creativity and the environment is essential to the brand’s worldview.”
From Brides to Vogue to Marie Claire, and almost every high-profile fashion magazine on the shelves, the AMUR founder’s journey to luxury sustainability branched from personal experiences, in turn, leading to making better choices for the brand and the customer. Opting for eco-friendly beauty products – cue Kourtney Kardashian – the everyday AMUR customer is incorporating environmentally-friendly efforts into their day-to-day lives, changing the types of food they eat and buying more sustainable clothes. “Working in the fashion industry made us aware that the small changes made in our personal lives could have a much larger impact if better practices were implemented in our work lives,” shared the label.
Launching an eco-friendly brand has its challenges, “‘What style would this look good in?’ or ‘Is this fabric special enough?’ We have to dig deeper and ask things like ‘Where is the content of this fabric sourced from?’ and ‘Can this be developed organically or with regenerated yarns?’– information about our materials that usually would have gone unquestioned. Because of these extra obstacles, there is also an additional challenge of finding fabrics that are special enough and add something new to the collection.”
Looking to the future, the AMUR Pre-Fall 2019 collection drew inspiration from the works of Mexican architect and engineer, Luis Barragan. “The bold pops of colors that can be found in Casa Luis Barragan located in Mexico City, obviously translated in our color block looks from the season and mixed in a more feminine way in our signature print pieces. Something to also note about this collection is we explored the use of viscose in a bigger way.” Introducing new categories of knitwear, outwear, and tailored pieces, AMUR continues to keep the environment in mind, “The viscose fiber we use is always sustainably sourced and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified from either the Austrian company, Lenzing, or the German company Enka. This type of viscose broadens the types of materials we are able to use, and therefore, also broadens the type of product we are able to offer.”
Looking forward to upcoming AMUR collections, the team continues to keep the customer at the forefront asking: “What coat does she have in her closet? What kind of suit is she wearing?”
