Angela Fabel could have found a more suitable place for her fashion label’s workshop and shop than Garnstrasse in Babelsberg’s weaving district All Fab Ethical can not find. The 51-year-old brings crafts and fashion back here.
On the shelves in her workshop, bed linen and tablecloths made of damask are neatly stacked within easy reach. And higher up, thick wool and brightly patterned quilts.
Each of our items is unique because it is made from textiles with a history of their own – and not from newly produced yard goods.
Angela fableAll Fab Ethical
The used finds made of natural materials such as cotton, silk or wool are the basis for the clothes that the fashion designer designs, has sewn and sells here. She does not process fabrics with polyester. The idea behind their label is to create something new out of the old. “I want to show that and how sustainability can work in fashion,” explains the entrepreneur. It’s called upcycling.
This has an additional benefit for the future wearer of All Fab Ethical clothing. “Each of our pieces is unique, because it was made from textiles with their own past life – and not from newly produced yard goods,” adds Fabel.
The idea for this has matured over the years for the native of Bremen. After her studies, she managed entire collections for a Hamburg fashion company. She has traveled a lot to the manufacturing countries, seen the production facilities, had to learn that the textile companies for fast fashion are the same as those for high-priced brands.
In addition, she was confronted with the terrible working conditions in which the women work, saw them standing barefoot in the paint and had to watch the dye residue being poured into the rivers.
Only, could she of all people have done something about it on her own? Making fashion used to mean creating four collections for each season. One has taken care of one’s belongings, says Fabel. Today there is something new every week, 100 percent polyester, poorly made, dirt cheap. Clothing has become disposable.
In order to no longer have a long-distance relationship with her current husband, Fabel went to Berlin and worked as a freelancer. This also involved a lot of travel. After the birth of her two children, she had to and wanted to stop working in her profession. A five-year stay in Dubai followed, where her husband worked.
The first parts were created in the kitchen
After returning to Germany, the designer really wanted to do something creative again. “I’ve seen that fast fashion hasn’t gotten any better. But I also noticed that things are changing, that there is a counter-movement towards sustainable fashion,” says Fabel.
Fabel started the blog All Fab Ethical with a friend. Here the two listed sustainable brands, named shops where you can buy sustainable fashion. They also gave tips on how to take care of clothes and fix small mistakes.
The more she dealt with the topic of sustainability, the more her desire to create her own clothes grew. She imagined making something of good quality that is also sustainable. “It quickly became clear to me that I could only upcycle with something that was already there,” she explains about the new start. At home on the kitchen table, she designed and sewed children’s dresses, hats and bags. The response convinced her.
Cooperation with the city mission
Upcycling, as Fabel likes to explain, is not second-hand or reworking old items of clothing. Instead, she looks for old fabrics for her fashion. The bed linen and tablecloths mentioned at the beginning are particularly suitable because they are large areas of fabric that can be easily processed.
One of their sources for such treasures is the textile port in Berlin. He is part of the city mission that collects for the needy. Anything that doesn’t fit or doesn’t find a buyer becomes rubbish and ends up here. There are quite high-quality materials among them. Angela Fabel makes a targeted selection in the textile port, for example for summer clothing. But she is also inspired by special discoveries. Such was the case with a quilt with an unusual, wonderful pattern.
In the next few weeks, All Fab Ethical will launch its first summer collection with around 50 items. As a finger exercise, the entrepreneur designed and made a yoga collection of shirts and hoodies. “It was important to me to try out the entire process from the first sketch to the technical drawing and the pattern to the sewing in Berlin and hanging it on the hanger.”
Wrapped, not buttoned
Otherwise, she took a very classic approach, wondering what the trend will be in 2024 and choosing colors and fabrics accordingly. She checks each piece for its suitability for everyday use. Can I ride a bike or climb stairs with it? What shoes could go with it? Each piece is available in two sizes, between 34 and 38 or from size 40. The wrap technique and oversized shoulders make it possible for the dress or blouse to fit wearers with sizes in between.
Fabel explains that pricing for the first collection has not yet been completed. At the moment she is the whole company alone, she does everything herself except for the tailoring. In the calculation, however, she must include the fact that this will not remain the case. And of course she wants to pay well for the tailoring, from which she expects very good quality.
