Atelier Awash

Atelier Awash is a sustainable menswear fashion label founded in Berlin in 2007 by two Italians, Davide Grazioli and Mauro Pavesi. The collection is based on the concept of classic and timeless garments, inspired by contemporary cultural explorers, a trait the partners both embody. Each item within the collection reflects a relaxed and elegant approach to fashion, mirroring the aesthetic background of artist and designer Davide Grazioli, as well as being influenced by his trips around the globe, from Japan to Africa.

An internationally renowned artist, Grazioli works with diverse media, including painting, sculpture, photography, video and embroidery, with sustainability and the environment a central focus for his artwork, as well as his collection. Pavesi and Grazioli share a background in Marketing and Communication, while Pavesi also worked for the United Nations in Africa.

The story of Atelier Awash’s beginnings includes long journeys in Africa in search of the right partners, be them a remote cotton mill or a garment factory. During the days and weeks spent traveling, the two were accompanied by the constant soundtrack of loud rock music, now the theme of the brand.  Each garment carries the title of one of the many songs listened to on their trips, with the entire collection entitled “Living on the Edge,” referring not only Aerosmith’s song of the same name, but also to the imperiled environmental balance they seek to support with their environmentally friendly label, Atelier Awash.

Atelier Awash produces a fully organic men’s wear collection from Africa using biodynamic organic fabric from Egypt, with production in Ethiopia.  In 2010 they achieved membership in MADE BY, the Dutch organisation that boasts some of the most important sustainable fashion labels around the globe.

Since the very first exploratory trip to Africa, Atelier Awash achieved its first goal; to create the first completely African, organic, fair trade supply chain, with GOTS certified fabrics. In Cairo and Addis Ababa, Grazioli and Pavesi work with small factories with good working conditions, ensuring their compliance through frequent visits, sometimes on a daily basis for months at a time. Through determination and tenacity, managing to ensure their factories achieved greater production capability while raising their production standards.  Banuq have struggled to support and protect regional heritage on an artisanal level, by promoting the production of hand-woven and vegetable-dyed silk and cotton scarves made in partnership with a small Ethiopian farm that works with underprivileged women.

With the latest collection, Atelier Awash is producing a limited edition collection produced in Italy using organic Italian fabrics and GOTS certified vegetable dyes, supporting the endangered Italian family owned manufacturing industry through their production choice.

Website: www.atelierawash.com

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