On the Rise: Adeera’s Victorian-Inspired Looks Are Made to Order

Recently, a less glamorous side of the fashion industry has come into the spotlight: the horrendous environmental impact of fast fashion. Friends Shannon Hall and Emma Reynolds shared a passion for sustainability, and with Hall’s background in fashion design and Reynolds’s in marketing, they were the ideal founders for local sustainable retailer Adeera in 2018. But the pair struggled to find earth-friendly brands that fit their personal style. So, they realized: if they wanted it done right, they’d have to design it themselves… and make it to order.

Adeera—now a label of its own—launched its first limited-edition capsule collection last year. The 100-percent mulberry silk wares were inspired by the softness (and the power) of Victorian-era fashion. “Even when we are going through difficult times, there is still beauty in everything, and we want our pieces to be a reminder of that,” says Hall. Difficult times in mind, they went for more wearable pieces (pants included) in Adeera’s second collection, and incorporated more casual materials, like wool and cotton. Think pandemic fashion, but elevated.

Just like the first collection, the second is designed by Hall and made-to-order in East Vancouver, meaning they don’t create unnecessary waste by overproducing their inventory. “We wanted to build something that was a solution to the issues that surround the industry, rather than contribute to them,” says Reynolds.

Adeera’s first collection is all neutrals, but Emma Reynolds (left) and Shannon Hall are introducing colour in the second—think deep red, champagne and seafoam green.