features

The present we live in is marked by chaos. Intense warfare, elections, budget cuts – living is stressful. It’s easy to feel like the frayed end of a wire, so what can we do to help ourselves? The answer doesn’t lie in circling endlessly through the same three social-media apps, or throwing ourselves into work. It’s about finding another release, elsewhere. We asked our friends to tell us what they do to continue to keep sane; and writer and author Roisin LanIgan discovered the balm to maintain mental equilibrium was to simply do nothing. Here, she explains why, and how, it helps.

A record insurance payout made Californian mother DIANE JOHNSON wealthy, but over the years she has given almost everything away. It’s easy if you try

Instagram star TOBY BOORNE DAVIDSON is the Wombat Guy – dedicated to curing the burrowing marsupial of the outbreaks of mange that threaten its existence, and thereby helping preserve one of Australia’s most endearing species

Making good use of the things that she finds – things that the everyday folks leave behind – Russian artist MAYA GOLYSHKINA repurposes the great unwanted mass of yesterday’s news for playful dressing-up.

Fine Cell Work employ prisoners and jail leavers to create exquisite needlework projects – with the aim that rehabilitation and personal transformation are all sewn up

What’s in a name? Whether you choose to call it upcycling or creative reuse, “a new way of doing clothes” is becoming increasingly vital

The inhabitants of Okinawa prefecture are uncommonly long-lived. Is it their diet? Their environment? Their lifestyle? More Or Less investigates

For Palestinian designer Hazar Jawabra, knitting is not just a connection to family tradition – it’s a limitless mode of expression, and a source of hope

When the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, it gave individual states the power to reverse decades of abortion legislation. Photographer HARLEY WEIR and stylist OMAIMA SALEM travelled to Texas this summer to meet people who have been affected by the state’s strict ban

In his Cotswolds farmhouse-turned-studio, composer MAX RICHTER records music that almost seems to grow organically out of his surroundings. Here he discusses culture, fashion and serendipity with his regular collaborator, creative director KIM JONES

With its sustainable packaging and small-batch origin story, Kiko Mizuhara’s all-natural made in Japan skincare brand, Kiiks, is rethinking J-beauty

The polymath graffiti artist RAMMELLZEE embodied the freewheeling creativity of a bygone New York. To celebrate his legacy, his found-object Garbage Gods series of sculptures are brought back to life in a way never seen before – worn by models, rather than as a protective costume for the artist himself

There are certain things – however trivial, kitsch or generally overlooked – that you keep forever, because of the emotions and memories associated with them.

The right-hand man to Helmut Lang in the formative years of the 1990s, Kostas Murkudis went on to create an enduringly poetic, unflinchingly progressive body of work that reaches far beyond fashion. As the designer reacquaints himself with his long-lost archives, he gives rare access of these relics to More Or Less, to create this shoot of his past collections

Known for his ethereal, groovy vibe and his post-punk psychedelic folk music, Devendra Banhart is a fan of the earthy, natural look – suggesting you leave holes be! With the recent September release of his trippy new album, Flying Wig, we ask him… how green are you!?

In a society that prizes youthfulness above all, the signs of ageing can be regarded as something to fear. But since advancing years affect us all – indeed, we are getting older with every day that passes – isn’t it preferable to celebrate and cherish the experiences, the perspectives and the sense of calm contemplation that maturity affords?

With the vigour of a fashion-obsessed teen, a large dose of Noughties influence and a surreally tinged sense of humour, New York-based Hillary Taymour is running COLLINA STRADA as one of the most invigorating contemporary brands around

Since setting up shop three years ago, demand for RE=COMB’s recycled plastic combs has continued to grow. We speak to founder SARAH JO PALMER to hear more.

While some beauty packaging is innovative, recyclable and compostable, the industry as a whole is one of the most wasteful. But if you can’t recycle it, wear it – these looks are the whole package

A boutique of no fixed abode, home to a patchwork collective of designers whose one-off pieces defiantly distance themselves from the industry mainstream – could FANTASTIC TOILES represent the future of fashion?

From deconstructing old football trainers to using textiles made out of food waste, a dynamic portfolio of footwear designers are walking the walk and taking steps to improve sustainability

In a Tuscan forest, artist DEVA MANFREDO creates his own platforms for expression using little more than raw stone, gravity and boundless imagination.

Formula E combines all the trackside glamour of traditional motorsport with on-street racing and up-to-the-minute electric-powered engines. The result? New techniques, new strategies and even greater drama

When photographer OSMA HARVILAHTI visited Vietnam, he discovered that sun exposure and toxic fumes from motor vehicles in Ho Chi Minh City led to a uniquely protective culture. People use extreme measures to shield themselves while moving around the city – the vivid hats, capes, visors and gloves that protect the inhabitants from harmful pollutants, also exhibit a spirit of bold defiance, finding endless colour and joy amid challenging conditions.

London-based cake aficionado Claire Ptak of the acclaimed cafe Violet tells us how to raid the racks successfully and bake cookies from your leftovers

Water is a powerful conductor – not only for electricity, but also energy and thought. CECILIA BYRNE tells us how she imagined her new biodynamic company, ENDLESS RHYTHM, and how it can change your perception of water forever.

Artificial intelligence has infiltrated our everyday lives almost without warning. As it advances faster than most of our brains can follow, KASIA HASTINGS offers a human-generated overview

Inspired by the recent feminist movements in Asia, ALEX HUANFA CHENG uses fragmented metaphors to depict the intimacy between his wife and child, the balance between expression and restraint, happiness and pain.

Exactly 40 years since it was first published, JANE ASHER’S COSTUME BOOK is still finding new audiences thanks to its kitsch visuals and do-it-yourself approach to fancy dress. We chatted to the legendary thespian about seeing the book in a new, greener light.

With millions of items arriving every week, west Africa has become a dumping ground for Europe’s used clothing. But local designers who champion upcycling and artisanal expertise are making Senegal a fashion hub on its own terms

One year ago JUST STOP OIL first made a splash with a protest involving a Van Gogh and a can of tomato soup. Here, some of the group’s prominent activists discuss the hopes and the aims behind the headlines

Like something from magic-realist fiction, the pink-fleshed boto dolphin of the Amazon river is said to take on human form and move incognito among the land-dwellers. But identical twins Maria Helena and Maria Eduarda see the beauty behind the myths

From protecting Australia’s native fauna to advocating for better representation of the country’s diverse population, model and ecologist ZINNIA KUMAR is making an impact

An activist, a fashion archivist, a perennial punk, a dame of the realm – the incomparable VIVIENNE WESTWOOD was all of these and much more. We salute her life, her lines and her legacy

The man behind the outrageously creative window displays made of second-hand clothes at London’s thriftstore franchise, Traid, FRANCESCO COLUCCI demonstrates his skills on model and muse DIAMOND PEACH LOLLIPOP and tells us how he got in the business of pre-loved fashion.

Chief Scout, adventurer and all-round wild man – BEAR GRYLLS – tells us about the survival mindset and how, even now, he feels like he’s only just scratching the surface of what he’s capable of

The beloved Parisian fashion house MAJE is sculpting a more responsible future by introducing three initiatives focused on traceability, curated rentals and chic second-hand offerings

Soft Opening by Tenant of Culture 8 September–21 October, 2023 | 6 Minerva Street, E2 9EH

Finally summer is apparently here – and the temptation to stock up on new whimsical kaftans and baskets is high. Here’s our guide to the summer must haves that won’t hurt the earth.

As the sustainability ambassador for New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, AMBER VALLETTA donated pieces from her wardrobe to five FIT graduates to be reworked into one-of-a-kind upcycled outfits. Now, More Or Less is selling a selection of these unique creations online, in aid of the FIT sustainability fund

When the pandemic pressed pause on business as usual, some of fashion’s biggest players acknowledged their role in driving unsustainable consumption and promised change. But will it really come, now that industry is ramping back up? More Or Less celebrates the benefits of slowness, and how it could help us face the biggest challenge of our time

Less than a year ago, Alyona and her daughters Tamara and Varvara visited family in Greece to escape the harsh winter of her home on the Russia-Ukraine border. Now grim war has upended their lives – and she is unsure if she will see her home, her boyfriend or her country ever again

From arranging a tablescape to picking the perfect pigment, Hackney-based Danish creative consultant and illustrator ALFRED BRAMSEN clues us in

These photographs were shot during the last winter in Kyiv before the Russian bombardment of the city began. As KRIS KOZLOWSKI MOORE writes, they are a timely reminder of how rapidly what we regard as normality can be changed forever

Visionary BILL BOWERS has spent his life in the countercultural vanguard. His one-of-a-kind, narrative-driven handmade jackets blend fashion with outsider art

Out in the Norfolk Broads, former gardener ALFIE NICKERSON has exchanged sweeping up leaves for growing his own. Here the man behind BURNT FEN Flowers tells us the secrets of his biodynamic success

Hidden in the residential streets of Brixton is the EBONY HORSE CLUB, a riding school that teaches so much more than how to mount a horse, as photographer RONAN MCKENZIE discovers

Reject unsustainable man-made fibres and celebrate a more homegrown form of textile. It’s time for fashion to get back to its roots – and its leaves, its seed pods, its flowers…

Living and working on the Grenadine island of Bequia, spellbinding artist LILA ROO braids flotsam sourced from the island into intricate snake-inspired art. Highlighting the beauty of resourcefulness, she turns her distaste for mass-produced plastics into items of beauty.

Make-up artist LUCIA PICA, Byredo’s new Creative Image and Makeup Partner, mines the surreal possibilities of earthy, crystalline maquillage – offering both a maximalist and minimalist version of each look. More make-up, or less? The choice is yours…

As our world grows ever more connected, its cultural and political fractures increasingly come to the fore. MORE OR LESS meets the new wave of sustainable designers. Hailing from across the globe, their work reflects the conflicts of their homelands —as well as the hope and traditions.

Recycling, sexy dresses and microbes - see plastic from a different light.

Mother Nature, the greatest luxury house.

Mokoro, presented by ERE, produced and supported by Farago Projects, will be showcasing between June 23rd-25th at Gallery Mercier et Associes, 3 Rue Dupont de L’Eure, 75020 Paris.

Part of the brand’s commitment to becoming Net Zero by 2035, Mulberry’s new Lily Zero bag is entirely carbon neutral

Our new bi-annual report sees us select the finest sustainable moments of the fashion month just passed. From novel bio-materials to maverick designers, we handpick the greenest looks from afar - no long-haul travel required

It’s hard to wrap your head around COP26. Was it a success? Was it a step in the right direction? It was the first year that fashion took a central position in proceedings: The United Nations Environment Program updated the fashion charter and added added 130 extra signatories, including LVMH.

With a label named after his Irish and Jamaican grandfathers, and infused with south-London spirit and upcycling ingenuity, designer Daniel Gayle is exploring legacy on very personal terms, says Ellie Pithers.

We celebrated our capsule collection with streetwear brand Aries Arise with a cozy dinner for friends and family. Aries, who have championed sustainability since day one, reused, recycled and redesigned several garments to create the collection, worn in the issue by etherial beauty Georgia Palmer.  

From his studio in Clapton, artist HENRY KITCHER makes pieces that respond to the tension between the natural and man-made landscape. Using twigs that have been broken in a storm, clods of mud or concrete conkers, his art invites us to question our relationship with nature

It may feel like second nature to be connected to the internet at all times – but what is the ecological cost of our online world?

At once enduring and fragile, trees are the natural regulators of the ecology. Planting a sapling is both an act to combat carbon emissions and a statement of hope for the future. The word for world is forest

Whether she was making Bob Marley’s famous tam, or creating wearable sculptures in crochet, Dina Knapp was an artist ahead of her time. Incorporating found pieces of ephemera, her work blurred the lines between fashion-foward clothing and art

When JANE SCOTTER decided to uproot from London, she didn’t realise she’d soon be following the moon’s cycles as a biodynamic farmer, growing her crops as nature intended

Inspired by a childhood spent sailing on the Austrian lakes, designer Sophie Sevigny launched SerpentSea, repurposing unwanted lengths of rigging to weave sustainable home-décor pieces and accessories

Russian conceptual artist MAYA GOLYSHKINA reveals how she creates her own whimsical dressing-up box by making good use of the things that she finds – things that the everyday folk leave behind

Lebanese renaissance woman HALA MOAWAD creates one-off leather garments from fleamarket pieces and appliquéd off-cuts. She gives these pieces a new life, rising out of the remnants like a phoenix from the flames.

EBIT (ENJOY BEING IN TRANSITION) is a new multimedia project seeking to raise our collective spirits by giving artists total freedom and room to breathe. More Or Less takes a trip with EBIT founder Simon Whitehouse and discovers their latest piece – a digitally rendered collection of mutant training shoes

Reflecting on oneself and learning about others is a vital part of good mental wellbeing – it’s as important as your five-a-day. Musician Joyce, aka FLOWER OV LUV, and her brother WILFRED explore their personalities with a questionnaire about themselves and each other. No conferring allowed!

Introducing the new collaboration between More Or Less and ARIES ARISE – a bespoke capsule collection created from upcycled archive pieces and studio offcuts. It’s available exclusively online, and modelled here by the ethereal beauty GEORGIA PALMER

Dutch designer Duran Lantink embodies a modern sensibility of luxury that focuses on reworking the old into the new. With several collaborations and his first independent collection behind him, he is keen to push these ideas (and the industry) even further. 

Packs of wild dogs roam free around the abandoned area surrounding the site of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant – and radiation scientist Lucas Hixson has made it his life’s work to manage them.

From grannies to graduates, everyone’s gone gaga for knitting during the pandemic. With crochet being a more sustainable and circular alternative to mass production, we celebrate the beauty of the knit, as interpreted by some of London’s most exciting fashion students

Faced with environmental crisis and seeming indifference from those in charge, a new generation of CLIMATE ACTIVISTS are rising up, in every sense. Five of Britain’s leading young campaigners make their voices heard

Blue Mountain School, a space dedicated to engagements and interactions, is hosting a photography exhibition by photographer Cecilia Byrne, from July 28th until September 4th.

Cherries! A fruit so delicious and gorgeous they have been referenced a million times in fashion. They are in season RIGHT NOW and here is a simple but delicious recipe you can impress your friends with. Serve it with cream or ice cream or on its own. You choose.

Voted Britain’s best-loved mammal, the shy and retiring hedgehog is facing a population implosion. Its dwindling numbers are a warning sign for our ecosystem – so what can be done about this prickly problem?

Creative director JONNY LU divides his time between the fashion circuit and exploring remote habitats with the WORLD LAND TRUST

The BEASTIE BOYS were the OGs of thrift-store shopping, sporting vintage threads for videos and live performances – or just while causing havoc with their best friend SPIKE JONZE

They’re rarely discussed, but mainstream sanitary products contribute to our disposable, single-use culture. Enter the period pant – the sustainable alternative that aims to break this wasteful cycle for good

In the forests of northern Germany, model LOU SCHOOF has designed her own home. Building on the foundations of her eco-warrior upbringing, it points the way to a more responsible way of living

TIWA SELECT is a new online boutique with a highly curated array of found objects, folk art and artisanal craft from around the globe. Here founder ALEX TIEGHI-WALKER shares the stories – and the faces – behind some of his favourite items from the site

The New York-based artist and craftsman shares the secrets of his do-it-yourself ethos, revealing how to construct functional but cute furniture and customise your T-shirts to get your message across

Designer KUSHEDA MENSAH wants to get people away from their screens. Her MODULAR BY MENSAH furniture is intended to provide sculptural talking points and build community cohesion – even in an era of social distancing

For years the ASPINALL FOUNDATION has been working on environmental conservation – rescuing and breeding endangered species, caring for them in its properties in Britain and later releasing them into their natural habitats around the world. Here’s a special portfolio of the many rare creatures raised under its supervision and care

The vigil of a lone schoolgirl sitting outside the Swedish parliament has blossomed into a panglobal movement with members in the millions. More Or Less hit the streets during the student protests in New York lead by activist icon Greta Thunberg.

EDWINA EHRMAN – senior curator at the Victoria & Albert Museum and the brains behind its Fashioned from Nature exhibition – examines the clothing industry’s fraught relationship with nature, while a group of curious creatives let us in on their own personal connections to our wild world

The Berber craftspeople of Morocco were creating rugs using recycled materials long before the idea of fusing creativity with sustainability became a theme in western design. More Or Less sits down (on the most comfortable carpets) to chat with SOUAD LARUSI about going back to the source.

Interior decorator and dealer JERMAINE GALLACHER has an eye for design that sees beauty in the darker side of things. Here he tells ROSS ASTON about some of the shadowy quirks and the peculiar provenances behind a few of his favourite things.

This is not a time for complacency, insists the ecological activist group GIVE A FUCK. But nor is it a time for despair – for every positive action, however small, helps make a difference on a larger scale

The multifaceted artist and performer JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND greets us on the threshold of their home in upstate New York for a tour – not only of their domestic sphere, but their headspace too

A chance encounter on holiday led designer PRIYA AHLUWALIA to uncover a global industry that inspired the formation of her own brand. She tells ROSS ASTON about the truth behind the clothing we give and throw away, and how it can be remade into ever-better things

More Or Less questions the very idea of throwaway fashion – clothing should be something to wear, to repair and to cherish. Here we ask a range of style luminaries to share their memories of clothes that they have held on to for a long time

Only one label could combine winning prestigious fashion awards with designing uniforms for a burger chain – TELFAR. Gerlan Marcel meets the duo behind the androgynous, one-look-fits-all brand that’s redefining the way we look at the mass market

A rising star nurtured by the Red Hook Labs project, Brooklyn high-schooler DENISE HEWITT photographs her friends on the brownstone streets of Carroll Gardens in a mixture of reworked vintage and recycled pieces

London’s most in-demand tailor and creator of exquisite textile art pieces talks us through what he knows best and instructs us in the making of our own quilted blanket