Meet Dauphinette: the New York City-based brand that combines the softness of dried flowers with the punk rock-esque motif of chainmail. Take the image you just created in your mind, and imagine it featured in American Vogue. Now you can stop imagining and see the article here. Whether your chosen aesthetic is cottagecore or corporate chic, Dauphinette is a truly unique brand that has a wide appeal. Handcrafted by owner Olivia Cheng, items are made with dried flowers that are personally picked by Cheng’s mother and shipped from her family home’s backyard. If you are planning on taking a trip to NYC anytime soon, Dauphinette just opened their first brick and mortar store at 60 Bedford St, New York, NY 10014. But if you don’t want to travel all the way to upper SoHo for the experience, stop by the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s In America: A Lexicon of Fashion exhibit to view two gorgeous Dauphinette dresses displayed under the keyword “innocence”. Cheng is the youngest designer to be featured in the exhibition at just 23-years-old.
However, as young consumers become more ethically conscious, every brand is faced with the same question: “How are you promoting sustainability in your field?” Dauphinette does not escape this line of questioning, and boldly claims its support for the eco-wave surging through the fashion industry. Though because of its contribution of plastic waste in landfills, resin-work is usually a touchy subject for sustainability fanatics. The substance is also highly toxic to work with, as those implementing it need to wear industrial-strength face masks to escape the fumes. All of this was taken into careful consideration when Cheng was conceptualizing Dauphinette’s signature resin crafts, and she committed to a specially-made version of resin from Japan that claims a lower level of toxicity. While Cheng says this new variant is hard to source and triple the price of those sold by its competitors, Dauphinette is steadfast in its principles and commitment to sustainability, requiring that this be the only version of resin used in both its studio and by their manufacturing partners.
As a brand, Dauphinette creates whimsical and airy clothes that are often designed with organza and nature prints. Cheng navigated the newfound desire for dainty and nature-styled pieces in fashion among other designers such as Lirika Matoshi, with her iconic Strawberry Dress, and Selkie’s entire line of bouffant-esque gowns. With a generation of fashion lovers currently stuck indoors and on Zoom, attires fit for prancing in a field of daisies allow consumers to escape from reality and into the perfect daydream. As the “happiest brand on earth," Dauphinette marries kitsch and couture with ready-to-wear pieces that even hippies would die for, as well as one-of-a-kind organic accessories that are preserved eternally in non-toxic resin. Available to buy on Dauphinette’s website are jewelry pieces made from strawberries, pansies, rosebuds and even a peapod.
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