Slip into a silk garment- your posture changes, your mood shifts and just like that, you feel elevated, empowered and totally luxurious. Helena Quinn is a LA-based line of environmentally-conscious silk garments co-founded by designer Andrea Racey and exec Steph Liu. Their mission: Make fine silk accessible to everyone while staying kind to the planet.
Their sexy menswear-inspired pj’s are hand-produced from silk fibers found in nature, don’t use fossil fuel energy and are 100% recyclable. Their organic dyed silk kimonos and slips are made from biodegradable material that absorb dye quickly, so it doesn’t require multiple dye baths, making it kinder to the planet. Clearly, it doesn’t get any better.
If you’re as inspired as we are by the uptick in chic sustainable fashion brands, you’ll love this peek into designer Racey’s world…
Currently wearing: Rag and Bone Black High Rise skinny jeans, Everlane backless black mules, Helena Quinn short sleeved blue and white silk striped button down shirt, Le Specs Hey Macarena Sunnies in tortoiseshell, slate grey Prada bag from The Real Real (I get every bag from The Real Real now—sustainable and good for the wallet).
My style in three words: Minimal, tailored, edited, relaxed (sorry that’s four but I can only edit my closet).
Recent inspirations: Katie Holmes, Zendaya, Jennifer Aniston (circa the 2020 SAG Awards).
Most essential accessory: Confidence!
My style icons: Giovanna Battaglia Engelbert, Lauren Santo Domingo, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, Grace Coddington.
Go-to uniform + signature look: I wear a version of ‘what I’m currently wearing’ every day, and it’s made my life so much simpler! I am ALL for a personal uniform.
Fave natural materials: Silk!! Many people don’t know this about silk, but it is one of the most eco-friendly fabrics available. It’s made of two natural proteins: sericin and fibroin, making it biodegradable and recyclable. Silk is often woven by hand (but not always, so double check sources), so it does not emit the same amount of fossil fuel energy into the environment that the production of synthetic fabrics do. The natural fibers also allow it to dye very quickly, so it doesn’t require multiple dye baths, making it kinder to the planet. And to go one step further, our Helena Quinn silks are printed and dyed using organic dyes!
My mission: To create peace, joy, and stillness within myself, which is hopefully infused into what I create and, in turn, into others.
Style trend I’m most excited about: People who don’t give a sh*t about design trends and dress for themselves.
Trend I’m excited to see go: People who give too many sh*ts about design trends and dress for other people.
Fave sustainable brands/designer: Everlane, Re/Done, Seed, Parachute
Mara Beauty, Kora Organics, Sakara Life, and Fleur Marche.
Fave sustainable Resources: The Chalkboard, How You Glow
Something in my closet I’ll own forever: The first dress I ever designed and sewed. It’s horrific, but I love it. Every time I look at it I think about the journey from that point until now, and smile.
Current Mantra: Be open to the ideas the universe presents to you and follow them.
Everything is happening around me and I am truly taken care of.
