Ecco Leather Supports Young Fashion Talents With 1 Granary Partnership

Tianwei Zhang
·3-min read

LONDON — London-based education and design platform 1 Granary has partnered with Ecco Leather, a design-led tannery under the footwear giant Ecco, to enable emerging designers to gain access to its cutting-edge workshops in the Netherlands.

Beginning this fall, designers including Knwls, Johanna Parv, Duran Lantink and Charlie Constantinou will be able to work hand in hand with Ecco’s in-house research and design teams to bring forward new innovations in leather production. Pieces developed from this partnership will be unveiled March 2025.

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Panos Mytaros, chief executive officer at Ecco, said this first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary knowledge-sharing program fosters “an environment that stimulates creativity in designers, bringing out the best in each individual.”

Olya Kuryshchuk, founder and editor in chief at 1 Granary, said a seamless collaboration between designers and manufacturers, where innovation and sustainability emerge from the process, is the way ahead for creative breakthroughs.

“Fashion today places aesthetics at its center, but aesthetics alone cannot drive innovation. We have reached a point of constant, superficial recycling of visual languages, rather than seeking new ways of creating. True innovation and the future of fashion can only emerge from the making process, where the development of new materials pushes the boundaries of creativity,” she explained.

Alexandre Arsenault, co-creative director at Knwls, agreed that brands must work directly with suppliers, particularly those who are passionate about their craft.

“This direct approach makes the creative process stronger. Such opportunities are invaluable, especially for emerging brands,” he added.

Designer Johanna Parv, who is set to make her London Fashion Week solo debut this September after showing with Fashion East for three seasons, said the partnership enables her to see the process of making leather from start to finish and to apply her point of view as a designer to it.

“Leather is definitely a luxury material, and it felt rewarding to work with it. It is key for emerging designers to understand where the materials we work with come from, how they are made and by whom; to know the story behind them and their source,” Parv added.

Since its inception in 2013, 1 Granary — which was born out of a Central Saint Martins student-led magazine — has become an active advocate via print, digital content, events, recruitment and brand development programs to drive positive change in the fashion industry and provide practical resources for the next generation of creative minds.

In April, 1 Granary launched an invitation-only virtual club with Tencel, connecting education with the industry on a practical level. Last year, it reached a partnership with The Bear Scouts, an international production and supply specialist that aims to provide access to technical innovations and implement sustainable solutions for young talents.

Through initiatives like fashion showroom support, individual mentoring and consulting, the platform has also assisted in the development of multiple fashion design businesses, including Chopova Lowena, Knwls, Ranra, Paolina Russo and Jordan Dalah.

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