A slow-fashion love story - from tree leaves to apparel

One year and a half is the process of creation of the print, made completely with natural materials – natural tree leaves on canvas of refined silk. This masterpiece of nature and human creativity becomes a dress of the sustainable slow fashion brand YOD from the European country Bulgaria.

“Tree leaves have pigments that last,” said Yana Dvoretska, the owner of the brand. “My technic is really time-consuming, but YOD garment could last forever if the person treats it gently”.

“I LOVE my job, I adore fashion history, I’m passionate about the creative process but I’m thrilled by the way the fashion industry works. For many years I felt guilty to be part of that machine, and I looked for something sustainable, and meaningful I could do with my hands and creative potential. Luckily, I found it. About a decade ago, I did experiment with some leaves, stepping on the traditional Bulgarian dyeing know-how. The result made me feel glad and I kept doing new tries.  I combined herbarium with foliage pigmentation ability to create documentary fingerprints of nature on fabrics.”

Yana Dvoretska is a university professor in the fashion department of NBU, Sofia, as well as a costume designer in some national opera theaters. Her brand is available on the platform ivanasen22.com as well as on Facebook www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057361393477