Ode brings ancient craftsmanship to sustainable luxury

Middle East – Designer Larissa von Planta is celebrating the inspiring craftsmanship of refugee artisans using upcycled garments embroidered in Beirut-based collectives in Lebanon to create a new kind of luxury brand named Ode.

While studying at London’s Central Saint Martins, Von Planta interned in Beirut and was quickly taken with the extraordinary and centuries-old embroidery traditions of Lebanon, Syria and Palestine. Following the explosion at the port of Beirut in 2020, Von Planta set out to provide work for artisans she had previously worked with and whose livelihoods had been jeopardised.

Originally under her eponymous brand LVPx, Von Planta asked friends and family to donate clothes for upcycling with embroidery for a small fee. The concept has since grown into a social enterprise and the brand was renamed Ode at the end of 2023 as a continued celebration of the inspiring craftsmanship of refugee artisans. Clients drop off old garments at Von Planta’s London atelier and are sent to Jana Studio, a women’s embroidery collective in Beirut, to be upcycled and returned within two months.

The culturally distinct geometric patterns hand-embroidered onto the garments would traditionally be found on wedding gowns and abayas, but the artisans have transformed everything from shorts to coats, kilts and trousers.

In Cultured Waste we unpack how designers are using culture and heritage to cut through the noise when it comes to sustainability. Ode does just that, putting a sustainable spin on recrafted luxury and pushing the boundaries of eco-conscious fashion creatively and compellingly.