bad habits | meet the designer

full looks. Bad Habits SS21
opposite
full look. Bad Habits SS21

Bad Habits is an up-and-coming brand out of London with a big mission: to create a more ethical way of living for its wearers. Incorporating sustainably-sourced fabrics into every one of its pieces, the label produces a wide range of timeless looks with a characteristically natural approach. Every piece made by Bad Habits is limited-run, preventing the label from creating substantial waste, and dyed using hues from plants and naturally occurring ingredients like Fustic trees, Chlorophyllin, Cutch and more. Through all of these production changes, they hope to break the many bad habits of the present-day fashion industry — one of the inspirations behind its name.

Schön! spoke with the Bad Habits founders to hear more about the brand and its SS21 collection.

You say your “goal is to provide the most ethical way of living.” What does that mean to you?

It means the world to us. So we start with manufacturing locally in London to control our carbon footprint, and then we hand-dye small capsule collections to minimise the waste. It’s minimalism for us, but minimalism doesn’t have to mean solid colours and basic styles; minimalism in our minds is concealed wardrobes with a special touch of nature.

Can you explain your dyeing process and how it differs from other dyeing techniques?

It’s quite unusual as it’s based on the mood. When dyeing, we set the energy in the studio and just let it take over. We sometimes use special instruments to give it more of an imprint and make it print-like. The difference of us dyeing is it’s more like a painting of a unique piece than random tie-dyeing; that’s how we would define it.

How did you first become motivated to create Bad Habits?

We have industry experience in this field and, for years, witnessed the irresponsible acts of fast fashion. Bad Habits is our return to Freedom, fleeing from the mass for individualistic change.

full look. Bad Habits SS21
opposite
full look. Bad Habits SS21

What inspired this SS21 collection?

This collection was inspired by unity, growth, and nature. There’s a sense of togetherness that we wanted to portray in every piece. There’s real power in accordance, and that resonates with us. We took those values and splattered them amongst the collection.

Why did you opt to make your clothing gender-neutral?

Gender Neutral is the future; why should everything be so limited? It’s more of our element and helps with sustainability. In our minds we’re asking, why should we have to choose? So we don’t and focus on what makes us feel good.

What is the design process for a Bad Habits piece?

We use 3 C’s: Comfort, Creative, and Cool. This ensures a “chill” and “feel good” mood to each piece while celebrating individuality. We create timeless pieces that will last forever. We’ve had jumpsuit prototypes for years and still wear them all the time. Our pieces are cool by default; no embellishment needed. Focusing on the dye effect is critical; it tells the story, and from there, it flows.