Sustainable Style: The planet-kind Cambridge label elevating sportswear

“Garments are a part of us, a reflection of who we are. When they match your personality it’s like you shine twice as bright.” Debora Rodriguez is the founder of Cambridge’s Enie Label, a made-to-measure and ready-to-wear brand known for both its planet-conscious practice and elevated sportswear aesthetic

Introduce us to Enie Label. It's a one-of-a-kind fashion brand, isn't it?
We make made-to-measure designs alongside select ready-to-wear lines. We love making unique ball gowns for special events and custom items to wear everyday.

How and when did the business begin? We know you were previously a professor in Buenos Aires, so what brought you and your career to this place and point?
Sustainability has long been an interest of mine. I have done a lot of research over the years, both for teaching back in the day and personal sourcing. So building Enie Label was a natural progression.
Working as head of design for a sports brand, I really got to experience the versatility of tech materials, but I knew the environmental impact of their production. When I discovered a unique mill in Italy producing sustainable, technical materials I knew long-lasting, sustainable clothing was possible and Enie was born in 2017.

The planet-conscious ethos runs through every aspect of manufacturing, doesn't it? Even your cutting/tailoring techniques are designed to minimise waste?
A large source of waste is the spare material – off-cuts – that accumulates from cutting patterns. We design our patterns to limit this wastage as much as possible. The reduced spare cuts that remain are used to make one-of-a-kind pieces or returned to the factory to be recycled into new yarns. Monitoring is a key part of reducing waste, so we tag every item with an NFC tag, allowing our customers to see the energy and carbon footprint accrued in making their item.

We know you've committed to both fair trading and living wages throughout the operation. People are as important as the planet to Enie Label, aren't they?
Absolutely: the fashion industry has been driven to an unsustainable point where the people who make our clothes cannot afford to live, women being the vast majority of those workers. But this doesn’t have to be the rule! By keeping a close relationship with everybody in the production chain we can guarantee that no one is being underpaid. Wherever possible we keep things local and track when it isn’t. All of our one-of-a-kind pieces are made in our studio at Hope Street Yard.

Pursuing that line of thought: tell us about your charity partner and why you chose it?
I have always seen education as a tool for change; a society that is rich with knowledge steers towards fairness and equality. In my time as professor I saw the extreme effort and sacrifice that some students made just to be able to turn up for class, and how much they valued the opportunity.
I came across ‘Fundacion Sí’ in the early 2000s and when their project ‘student residencies’ started I knew I wanted to help. In this project they support rural students to study at major Argentinian universities by supplying accommodation, travel, supplies and extra tutoring to help fill gaps. We donate 10% of our retail sales to Fundacion Si: education is not a privilege, it is a universal right.

Let's talk about the label's sportswear-meets-ready-to-wear style. How would you describe the Enie Label look?
I would describe the Enie look as effortless but elegant, with romantic touches and a little flare for the dramatic - but at the core it’s comfort. Clothes have to fit you and your life, not the other way around. Enie clothes are a canvas that allows you to add your personal touch. We strive to make the kind of pieces that you will want to pass down or along - and that last so you can!

To rewind: where did your love of fashion begin?
I cannot honestly pick a point where it all began. . . I have memories from as early as 5 years old, getting into a pillowcase and turning it into a dress. Creativity was my safe space; I used to spend whole days drawing all sorts of things, cutting clothes and reworking them.
I had always been a curious person, but fashion wasn’t an option when I was growing up, so it wasn’t until my late teens that I started thinking about design as a career.
What I can say is that my love is for ‘design’ as a whole: the creative process that considers the space in time; the environment and society in which, in this case, our clothes exist.

Good garments have the power to change how we feel, as well as the way we look, don't they?
Garments are a part of us, a reflection of who we are. When they match your personality it’s like you shine twice as bright. Comfort is key, but you also need to feel supported. Dressing up is as much about looking great as feeling you are wearing something really special that puts you in that frame of mind. We try to make our items support you to look great and comfortable so you never want to take them off. We always have a trick up our sleeve to make our clothes comfortable and unrestricting.

If we were to add one hero Enie Label garment to our wardrobes, to wear now and love forever, what should it be?
My personal hero has to be the Dalia trousers. They look great with trainers, sandals and boots. They’re a great commuting pair of trousers - with deep pockets, I might add!
Our other hero piece is the Brena top, a great layering piece that can be worn on its own or over a long-sleeve shirt or dress.
Both of these pieces had been worn by all genders; they are simple but stylish and super easy to combine with anybody’s wardrobe.

Where are you based and how can we buy?
Our studio is based at Hope Street Yard in Cambridge, where we do customer appointments and fitting. You can find us online at EnieLabel.com, email us at studio@enielabel.com and follow us on socials under @enielabel.