In the midst of fashion month, it’s easy to forget that most of the industry exists outside the media circus, far from the photographers’ scrums and preening street style stars. In an industry that demands more, faster, and with greater frequency, some designers are taking another route. New York City’s Natalia Allen is among them, and while there are others offering alternatives to trend-chasing via versatile, durable minimalism, few are executing quite like Allen — after all, her clothes are assembled by a robot. Her label offers a compelling vision of how all our clothing may one day be made: human-designed, machine-assembled, cruelty-free and of superior, sustainable textiles. We spoke with Allen about her process, her affinity for quiet minimalism, and how her connection with nature informs her work. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. 

Your business operates a little differently from most fashion labels. Can you give us an overview of how it works?

So, I started a collection for women, and one of the unique aspects of the collection is that everything is designed and made in the U.S.A., seamlessly, using a robot. So, we’ve taken the fashion supply chain, which, traditionally, hops between several continents and we’ve put it all together into one step.

The zero-waste process, as I like to describe it, starts with a program that replaces a traditional pattern, and then we add materials and the machine reads the program and makes the entire garment stitch-by-stitch until its complete. I think what also sets the brand apart is that in an industry where fashion is about trends and things going out of date really quickly we’re developing products that are classic but modern, that have longevity, that are versatile, that are a staple of your wardrobe. We’re building clothes almost from an industrial design or a product design standpoint as opposed to traditional fashion.

When you say “made by a robot,” is this a machine that you’ve designed? Is it software that you’ve created?

It’s not a process I created, it’s a process that I’ve studied and adapted so that I can utilize it for the types of garments that I make. A “robot” is a machine that’s computerized. It’s not a humanoid, it’s not a human-like machine, but these machines give me amazing flexibility and versatility, and also the ability to build something ethically. To know that there’s no sweatshop labour involved, to know that we’re using the best materials as effectively and efficiently as possible, to be able to control the design and have such precision, down to the last stitch — that’s something that’s pretty unique.

So, what does your team look like, then?

It’s a small business. I have help with finance, operations, digital, and a couple people in manufacturing working as a programmer and as a technician. A passionate team of people wearing multiple hats, striving for excellence.

Tell me a bit about the genesis of your company. I imagine a lot of your classmates at Parsons left intending to be the next Alexander Wang, and you took a different path — what was the impetus behind it?

I think the path started in college when I decided to minor in social sciences as well as explore wearable technology. So, back in 2005, I was a part of several early-stage wearable tech collaboratives where we integrated electronics into garments. I had early exposure to the discipline of fusing fashion and technology, and that really piqued my interest. I graduated as Designer of the Year, which gave me significant press exposure. My first job was working as a design innovator, a consultant for multinationals such as Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, and Dupont.

From there, I had exposure to the supply chain, which is something that many fashion designers don’t have exposure to. Many of us are in ateliers, design studios, offices. We’re normally behind a computer or illustrating, but we’re not a part of the supply chain that actually makes the clothes that we design.

That supply chain’s done a really good job of keeping it all separate.

Yes, a very good job of being opaque. So, because I was working as a consultant and my responsibility was to take ideas to market, to commercialize concepts, I had to go out and source the factories, source the textile mills, and it was in that process of collaborating with factories and developing manufacturing techniques or collaborating with textile mills to develop new types of fabrics and dye processes that I was able to fully witness and understand the waste, the toxicity, and, frankly, the exploitation of people at every stage. So, that became an incentive for me to apply my creativity and use the technologies I studied to create a better product and process.

The aesthetics of your line are very sleek, very minimal, but that doesn’t necessarily appeal to any customer. Do you have any interest in creating something that’s more responsive to trends, more pattern- or print-based?

When I launched, I introduced six pieces in all black. It was a very focused capsule collection. From that beginning, I explored the brand’s story, which is one of simplicity. I compare the brand to a quiet voice in a loud room. The industry is accelerating at a pace that, in my opinion, is unsustainable. The increasingly fast pace is one of the major factors fueling worker exploitation. The Rana Plaza tragedy was caused in part by businesses that gave increasingly unreasonable deadlines for larger volumes of product. Not necessarily paying more, not giving more time, but having higher demands. And the justification for the behavior is that people want faster, cheaper fashion. So, with my work, I have a different point of view. I believe that there are people who appreciate simplicity, quality, things done a bit more carefully, and things that are built for longevity.

I feel like this sort of consumer behavior has become so engrained — my younger brother is 19 and I wonder if he’d even remember not being able to go to H&M and getting a pair of jeans for ten bucks. Do you think it’s possible to change, on a large scale, the way we interact with our clothing? Or is it more about developing processes like the ones you’re developing that respond to that pattern of behavior?

I definitely think the brand is part of a movement of people whose values have shifted from excess to paring down, not just of your closet but of your life in general, a valuing of experiences and an appreciation of artisanship and quality. With my work, I don’t seek to change people. Instead, I offer something to people that have reached the conclusion that they want better, to give them the option of better.

I’d say my customers are definitely fashionable in the sense that they’re stylish, but they’re looking for things that enhance and simplify their life rather than make their life more complicated. I think menswear is becoming more trend-centric, but womenswear is much more erratic. It’s in, it’s out. It’s long, it’s short. It’s baggy, it’s tight. It’s dark, it’s bright. The styles change with almost no regard for what actually makes women look and feel beautiful. The options make it difficult to manage a wardrobe. Pieces are often hard to wear and don’t work well or together from season to season. And when you find a great style worth keeping it’s made obsolete.

Have you always been attracted to this sort of quiet minimalism? Or was that something that developed later on, when you were studying fashion?

My thesis collection from Parsons was sleek and minimal and very focused. I think that aesthetic was enhanced by my experience in the fashion industry in general, and realizing that, really, there’s so much chaos and there’s normally an aversion to discipline. Now there are minimalist designs but I find that very few have what we offer in terms of sustainability and innovation. And these values are very much a part of our generation and a part of society at large.

How many items is your line comprised of?

Twelve items.

And they’re all dresses at this point?

Exactly. I’m working on a group of separates. And, of course, I’ll continue to expand the collection, but I’ll do so in a way that’s very thoughtful and will resonate with the clientele. That’s still part of the brand’s DNA — I don’t go out and chase trends, I really explore and develop ideas. I think it’s a model that’s much closer to the tech world. For example, iteration, analyzing information and taking feedback. Instead of making designs and products obsolete every season I build upon them so that every season, every collection, they get better and better and better.

What sorts of fabrics are you predominantly working with?

The core collection is a combination of a viscose with Elite. Viscose is a cellulosic fibre. This one is from a closed-loop process, so we’re able to minimize the amount of chemical and waste. It also happens to be certified by OKEO-TEX, which is a global standard and certification that proves the materials are free of banned substances such as carcinogenic azo-dyes.

What’s the benefit of working these versus a regular cotton, besides that their OKEO-TEX certified?

In addition to their certifications, I love that they’re easy to wash and easy to wear. In this way, the simplicity or versatility extends into how the garment performs, not just how the garment looks. My designs can be machine-washed, which is virtually unheard of in the world of contemporary designer fashion. They’re also very easy to pack, they fold down like a t-shirt but break open into a full look that’s office-appropriate or evening-appropriate. They’re very comfortable. They breath well and feel incredibly soft.

Who’s your primary customer? Is it a tight demographic, or are you finding it’s people from all over the spectrum?

When I launched, we were selling primarily in New York and San Francisco. Then we were picked up by various media outlets — including Oprah, that was one of our big press hits — and that brought a significant amount of traffic to the site. We sold out in 24 hours then converted the site over to pre-order. That’s where I was able to gather the broadest swath of data, and I could see that we’re shipping to roughly 30 states and about 20% of the business is international, which is really interesting.

The actual woman who’s shopping the collection has started her career, she’s a woman with a busy lifestyle who appreciates the beauty, simplicity, and versatility of the line. Once she finds her size, she can buy the sleeveless, the short-sleeve, the long-sleeve, the black, the red, and have a piece that is a staple in her wardrobe. A dress to wear on her vacation to Italy or under her lab coat. She’s seeks out pieces that are more reflective of her values and address her lifestyle needs.

I’ve received pressure to introduce loud items in order be in the press, but my point of view is that if the client wants simplicity, continuity, and a focused point of view, why create noise? There are currents in the industry that push people to stuff for attention, and many retailers push designers to pump out collections faster and faster — and, sure, there’s a market for that. But, on the other hand, there are great number of stylish women that would prefer things to be done intelligently, at an accessible price point, and in good quality. Add an exceptional story or ethical practices and there’s plenty to be inspired by.

What are you working on right now that’s really exciting you?

I’m working on some interesting product developments in Japan. Experimenting with colors. We have a handful of colors in the line, but they’re primarily neutrals. The plan is to offer some of the core styles in an array of beautiful colors.

I’m also working on separates, as I mentioned, which is a natural extension of the brand, to introduce layering pieces that allow more flexibility in how you dress. I’ll stop there in terms of what’s behind the scenes.

In researching for this interview, I learned that you’re a big surfer — is that a hobby that impacts your creative process?

Absolutely. I reflect a lot on the scope of my work and the impact of my work, and that happens best in nature. I find the sea to be humbling. I love paddling out, looking out at the horizon, and acknowledging how beautiful it is in and of itself. Whatever I make is going to be insignificant by comparison, but if I can do something that reflects that beauty, I’ve done okay as a designer.

Check out Natalia Allen on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. 

Q&A by Adam Wray, Curator of FashionREDEF. You can follow Adam on REDEF and Twitter (@FashionREDEF, @terminal_avenue), or reach him at adam.wray@redefgroup.com