Miguel Androver and hessnatur a natural fit

Miguel Androver, one of the hottest designers to emerge in the last decade, views fashion as a medium for social messages. “My collections,” he once said, “attempt to open up the eyes of the people of our society.”

Miguel Androver

Now he’s designing for a brand with the same eye-opening, awareness-raising philosophy.

Hessnatur produces natural, earth-friendly clothing that is more attractive and luxurious than traditional bland, burlap-sacky natural apparel. The company uses 100% organic cotton and is working toward all materials being purely organic natural fibers.

Respectful of the environment and those involved in making the company’s clothing, hessnatur has received a Public Eye Award, which is presented annually at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Hessnatur was lauded for its leading social and environmental practices.

Androver came on board last year as creative director for the fall-winter 2009 collection. His first spring offering for the label will be available starting in March. Spanish-born Androver, winner of the CFDA Award for best new designer nearly a decade ago, infuses garments with the same unusual materials and unexpected volume that helped make him a standout from the beginning of his career.

Silk-cotton jumpsuit by Androver from spring-summer '10 collection, $150 at hessnatur.com starting March 1

Hessnatur CEO Wolf Luedge used Androver’s own words to explain what made the 44-year-old, self-taught talent attractive to the brand. “It is what he believes - ‘I can’t think about doing only fashion if it’s not related to something relevant’ - that makes him the perfect creative director for hessnatur, said Luedge. “He is, literally, a natural fit. He was the only decision we pursued for this new role, because his philosophy mirrors that of our company.”

Androver's double-layered silk georgette dress for fall-winter 2009-10, $268

Based in Germany but with international markets, hessnatur makes clothing for men, women, children, and babies. It was founded in 1976 by naturalist Heinz Hess when he couldn’t find organic clothing for his newborn son. As demand for his products grew, he initiated organic cotton-growing projects, first in Sekem, Egypt and then in Peru, Senegal, Turkey, and Burkina Faso.

Hess died in 2006, a year after hessnatur became the first German company to be certified by FairWear, a foundation that promotes fair labor conditions in the textile-production industry worldwide.