Narciso Rodriguez and Bottletop awarded GCC Brandmark

Eco Age, the ethical brand consultancy founded by Livia Firth, has awarded American designer Narcisco Rodiguez the Green Carpet Challenge Brandmark for his (Heart) Bottletop Collection. The collection, which comprises of bags made using uses deforestation-free leather from the Amazon and recycled aluminium

pull tabs in ateliers in Salvia de Bahia in Brazil, is the latest line to be awarded the coveted GCC Brandmark.

“I am delighted to be able to give this collection the GCC Brandmark as it clearly displays that a marriage of ethics and aesthetics is possible,” praised Firth. “By connecting sustainable materials and design with real people in the supply chain, Bottletop’s unique business model and atelier has provided indigent women in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil with high-level skills training, employment and self-worth.”

The award is given in recognition of ethical and social benchmarks, which fuse ethics and aesthetics, while being a guarantor of sustainable style. Previous recipients have included Italian fashion house Gucci for its GCC handbag collection and Chopard’s Green Carpet high jewellery collection.

Commenting on the honour, Bottletop Fashion Company’s founders, Cameron Saul and Oliver Wayman, said: “We are honoured to have been awarded the GCC Brandmark for our work with Narciso Rodriguez on this project and look forward to pushing the boundaries further, both in terms of the quality of our designs and the supply chain that sits behind them.”

GCC Brandmark awarded to Narciso Rodiguez (Heart) Bottletop collection

The Narciso Rodiguez (Heart) Bottletop collection launched with two signature bag styles for spring 2014 - the ‘Candice’ day bag named after supermodel Candice Swanepoel, the face of the collaboration, and the ‘Jessica’ clutch in honour of actress Jessica Alba who influenced the partnership.

For Autumn/Winter 2014, two new styles will be added to the collection named after Luisa and Claudia, two members of the team from the Bottletop atelier who have pioneered the development of ‘Tranca Mistura,’ the distinct signature braiding technique that blends upcycled metal with leather in Bottletop designs.

Proceeds from the sale of the exclusive collection will support young people in Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Brazil and the United Kingdom with health education through the Bottletop Foundation. The partnership is supported by Pepsi and is sold in Harrods, Jeffrey in the US, Holt Renfrew in Canada and Mares in Brazil.

The Bottletop Foundation was launched in 2002 by Cameron Saul and his father Roger, founder of British luxury fashion brand Mulberry, as a way to promote sustainable and ethical fashion, while celebrating true craftsmanship with a timeless ‘created by hand’ aesthetic. In 2012, along with co-director Oliver Wayman they went onto found The Bottletop Fashion Company, which funds the Foundation by using contemporary art and music to raise funds and awareness for education projects that tackle delicate teenage health issues such as HIV/AIDS, drug abuse and teenage pregnancy.

Images: Narciso Rodiguez (Heart) Bottletop collection