One to Watch: The Twentyten's Debut Collection Was Inspired by Landfill Sunsets

"We are all responsible for everything," says David J. Krause, one third of the design team behind indie-fave label, The Twentyten. Krause met fellow designers Jeff Dodd and Nina Zilka while attending the Pratt Institute's fashion design program. "When we started working together we realized we had similar beliefs," Krause explains. "Fashion can be avant-garde, wearable, and responsibly made. Most American fashion designers don't have these combined traits."

Named after the year they were "liberated" -- i.e., graduated -- from school, The Twentyten's latest collection takes inspiration from "sunsets over desert landfills." Sounds rather icky, but happily the results are anything but.

Easy separates combined with unusual layering techniques give the line an urban-warrior appeal, while the designers' commitment to using environmentally friendly fabrics will delight the eco-conscious customer. Organic cotton, bamboo and soy materials all feature prominently in the fall collection. "We also created a digital print of trash we collected from the Brooklyn Navy Yard and reclaimed plastic bags as a decorative treatment," explains Jeff, who had previously designed windows for Ralph Lauren before pursuing a degree in fashion.

Impressively, the team has already found its way into six high-end boutiques -- an unusual achievement for a brand in its first year of life. "We have been working on expanding The Twentyten online shop," which Nina explains will feature exclusive pieces and prints down the line. Fingers crossed that a few of those Navy Yard garbage-print pieces find their way into the online boutique. Talk about a conversation starter.

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