Dreamy nostalgia core meets sustainable slow fashion.

Words by Kate South

Photo by wwolnyphotography

Fast fashion has consumed streetwear. Most clothes we buy have been unethically made with non-decomposable materials and end up in landfills to languish for eternity. When you can bulk buy ready-to-wear pieces by the kilo, what is fashion’s answer to the ever-diminishing shelf life of clothes?

Let us introduce you to Tonni Kye, who is championing slow fashion with her demi-couture eponymous brand specialising in sustainable knitwear. Kye’s focus on craftsmanship and sustainable textile practices demonstrate her conscientiousness in creating slow fashion pieces. Few processes of creation are more labour intensive than hand-knitted garments, and as part of her process materials are either entirely handmade or sourced from dead stockpiles, with her first collection featuring wool yarns ethically sourced from Peru. These were then organically dyed using environmentally friendly methods to create the ethereal, pastel colour palettes featured in her collections. No – waste accessories like leg warmers were created from the remaining materials. Sorry Velma, but there’s not a shapeless polo neck in sight in her chic collection of dreamy, wearable pieces.

Kye’s experimental, gender-fluid pieces feature tactile silhouettes. These intertextually manifest the brand’s artisanal approach, embodying their slow-fashion aesthetic while creating a dreamlike vision of nostalgic street style. These gentle silhouettes have proved flattering on gender non-conforming bodies such as 2024 Eurovision winner Nemo, who recently wore pieces from her collection. Nemo is a fitting model for such expressive and colourful pieces with a femme aesthetic, and their ability to perform comfortably in “THE ARMOURER” is a testament to the mission of the designer; to create wearable pieces of art. The garments, which are crafted with elasticated finishings, have the capacity for inclusive sizing, and I look forward to seeing her exhibit looks on models with more diverse dress sizes in the future.

It is clear music has a big influence on the designer. The brand explores elements of surrealism that lends itself to the “dream-pop” aesthetic. I found the MySpace-esque feature of Melanie Martinez’s “Tunnel Vision” in the brand’s Instagram bio spoke to the conceptual nature of the brand, and the importance of storytelling to the designer. The song describes entering a portal to the fantasy world, inviting the customer into the designer’s universe: a world with feminine aesthetics, references to folklore, and nature. The most recent collection, “Sailor and Maiden”, takes this further as each post is accompanied by a dreamy pop song to communicate the folk influence of the design.

The brand aims to establish its presence in European mainland countries such as Portugal and Spain from next year. Given the nautical themes in her work so far it is unsurprising she is inspired by the rich marine cultures of the Iberian Peninsula. Having already featured in the Amsterdam based fashion magazine Selin for their January 2024 issue whilst producing her graduate collection, Tonni Kye is already taking steps to secure her place in the continental artisanal streetwear scene.

I look forward to seeing her AW 25/26 collection. After all, wool flourishes in fall. A rising star of the demi-couture scene, Tonni Kye is certainly worthy of a place on your fashion feed.

Tonni Kye is currently seeking collaborations within styling, design, and content creation related to commercial luxury magazines and fashion couture houses.

Photos by wwolnyphotography poppytesterphotos nocturnaphotography and mninissa