How an On-the-Rise Swedish Label Turned 2 Vintage Lace Tablecloths Into an Exclusive Earth Day Dress for Vogue

If we all lived by the motto once put forth by Sinead O’Connor—“I do not want what I haven’t got”—there might not be a need for Earth Day at all. But a make-do-and-mend philosophy is a difficult one to follow, especially in fashion, where newness and scarcity are holy grails. Happily, the industry has begun to register the impact of its activities on the environment and a new generation of creatives is taking up eco causes. Among them are two recent graduates of Beckmans College of Design, Josephine Bergqvist and Livia Schück, who founded Rave Review in Stockholm less than a year ago.

Not yet available at retail (though personal orders can be made), Rave Review has been worn by Swedish celebrities (Cherrie, Seinabo Sey, and Tove Styrke) and influencers like the shaved-headed model-blogger Cajsa Wessberg. Now, Vogue readers are treated to an exclusive design the duo created for the site for Earth Day.

“We love home textiles—they’re the heart of what we do,” says Bergqvist, who walked us through she and Schück’s process. “We decided quite early that we wanted to work with lace tablecloths,” says Bergqvist as she explains the codesigners’ process. “We used them for the autumn/winter collection and wanted to explore them more, so we took this opportunity to do it.” Two vintage pieces were sourced with the help Birgitta Gardner, owner of a local vintage shop, Old Touch. The challenge was to transform them, “so you couldn’t really see that they are tablecloths.” A decision was made to dye them green, the color of the environmental movement. Next, the draping started, with Bergqvist and Schück taking alternating turns playing with the fabric and fit. After this, drawings were made and the dress was fabricated. It was a totally collaborative process (generally, they discuss ideas and then divide and conquer) that resulted in a gem of a dress.

How an On-the-Rise Swedish Label Turned Two Vintage Lace Tablecloths into an Exclusive Earth Day Dress for Vogue

Bergqvist and Schück landed on their concept over a couple of beers less than a year ago. Having worked in the industry, the pair were struck by how saturated the market is and thought the only way to do something new was to be sustainable. Green thinking was a major topic of discussion at their alma mater, and it’s culturally important in Scandinavia as well. (Swedes are known for their love of nature.) At the start, the codesigners thought they would deconstruct existing garments, but soon they focused on repurposing home textiles for fashion. Not only was the contrast more interesting to the women, but they fell in love with the fabrics themselves. “They are so nice to work with and it feels more new to do, than to redesign, [existing] fashions, even though I really like that too,” observes Bergqvist. They seem to have struck gold with this formula. Demand for what they do exceeds supply. The pair are committed to keeping the brand small and exclusive so they can stay true to their concept, and are focusing on finding ways to scale as they field requests and plan how to release their first offering at retail. We can’t wait. ​