"Stop modern slavery", "Free the Uighurs – stop the genocide" and "Stop child labor". These are messages that have framed Louise Xin's fashion shows and contributed to the Swedish fashion designer gaining international attention over the past year.
On Tuesday, Louise Xin will organize a fashion show in the EU Parliament to raise the issue of forced labor in the fashion industry, together with the human rights organization Human rights watch.
"I think art and fashion can affect you in a way that politics can't. We all wear clothes and the question of how to get a fair supply chain is extremely important for the industry, says Louise Xin.
Last year, the European Commission put forward a proposal aimed at stopping products made through forced or child labour from being sold in the EU, so the issue is on the agenda.
Wants to change the fashion industry
Human rights and the environment are Louise Xin's core issues. She wants to change the fashion industry in a more sustainable direction, and tries to use leftover fabrics and second-hand materials as far as possible when creating her creations. Three years ago, in a small Tokyo apartment where she was trapped during the pandemic, the idea for her own couture brand, which does not sell but rents out clothes, was hatched.
"The way we produce and consume destroys the environment. It's incomprehensible to buy a couture dress that you wear once and then just hang into the closet," she said.
Louise Xin's dresses are often fluffy romantic and of the kimono type to fit several different kinds of bodies.
"I see myself more as an artist than a designer. When I create these dresses, I think I'm painting with fabrics instead of brushes and paint," she says. I don't actually sketch, I usually drape on dolls, it gets pretty experimental," she said.