321 Earth Day Event on Lucky

loomstate's new 321 collection: put that thing on, flip it and reverse it

1:30 PM, APRIL 20 2012

BY ELANA FISHMAN

Last night, we joined designers Rogan Gregory and Scott Mackinlay Hanh of Loomstate for the launch of their ultra-reversible 321 line. But wait—doesn't"reversible" just mean "can be worn two ways?" Well, that's what I thought—until I chatted up Rogan himself to learn more. Turns out, the innovative collection had deceptively simple beginnings.

"From a design perspective, I started out by thinking about what I could do with one single fabric. Everything in this collection is made from Tencel, which comes from wood pulp, and all the chemicals used in production are biodegradable—so it's completely sustainable. Of course, when you work with just one fabric, you've got to use a little creativity."

That creativity came in the form of Loomstate's new twist (literally) on reversibility—a discovery so forward-thinking that Rogan and Scott had it patented. "It makes it possible to wear one garment about eight different ways," explained Rogan, demonstrating the technique on a nearby mannequin. It was pretty dizzying to watch (though that might have been the evening's margaritas talking), but I soon mastered the concept. Here's how it works: each piece is in the 321 line is double-layered, with each layer dyed a different complementary color. Those two layers can be individually flipped around to create various looks—and additionally, the entire dress or tank can be turned inside out. Think of it as a wearable Rubik's Cube.

The 321 capsule includes dresses, a tee, a tank and a cardigan, and ranges from about $118 to $228. Considering how many different ways each of the silky-soft Tencel pieces can be worn, that's an earth-friendly bargain if ever we heard of one. Shop the pieces in the slideshow below, and check out the Akan dress in action in the video tutorial.

Photo: David X Prutting/BFAnyc.com. And yes, that's Winona Ryder posing along with Rogan and Scott. Fangirl moment.

Watch the video tutorial at Loomstate.org & check out the article at Lucky!