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How SA’s Earth Age made it to Dior Summer 2025 Men’s Show in Paris
Earth Age was part of Dior Menswear’s Summer 2025 show in Paris
Models wearing Earth Age hats at Dior Menswear’s Summer 2025 show in Paris. Pictures: ourearthage/Instagram
In a world of instant gratification and the incessant prioritisation of a strong social media presence, brands that still insist on organic growth are few and far between.
South African fashion brand Earth Age was part of Dior Summer 2025 Men’s Show in Paris last week, after their brand was spotted by Christian Dior Couture’s designer and creative director, Edward Crutchley at their V&A Watershed store.
“Edward reached out and expressed his interest in Earth Age collaborating on the Dior Menswear’s Summer 2025 show in Paris,” said co-founder Ashley Wagner told The Citizen.
Earth Age was founded in 2020 by besties Wagner, Amy Kunz and Elektra Georgiadis. The lockdown restrictions of the pandemic gave them sufficient time to develop the business.
“Our business started taking shape during Covid when we had the time to share our ideas and plan how we could bring them to life,” said Georgiadis.
“Four years later after sheer determination and passion, our business is finally sustainable. We are excited for the next chapter of Earth Age now that our foundations have been laid.”
The business partners were all 22 when the business was founded.
“As the investment for our business has come solely from its founders, we were very conscious about the direction of our growth. We chose to prioritise building the foundation of our business first,” said Wagner.
“We now find ourselves in a place where we can invest more in marketing and sharing the message of the work we do and what we have built. What we share on our social media is very international which is a reflection of how organic our brand is.”
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Earth Age make global connections
“We were of course shocked and exhilarated when Edward first reached out, but there was also something quite believable about it because we know how special the style and quality of our products are and believed they could reckon with Dior. We were surprised, while also standing in the knowing that we were worthy and capable of this,” averred Kunz.
The environmentally-conscious brand makes an extensive range of hats, botanically dyed beanies, two different styles of bags; water bottle holders and glass necklaces made from beads that are handmade from recycled glass.
Their hats were worn by Dior Menswear models at the show in Paris.
“We have received a lot of interest in our product and brand which has connected us with people from all over the world. What has truly touched our hearts is how proud South Africa is of Earth Age. So many have shared in this joy and we appreciate everyone standing behind us and believing in us,” shared Georgiadis.
Their studios are in Cape Town in Woodstock, on Victoria Road.
“This is where we produce our entire offering. We also have two stores located in Cape Town at the Oranjezicht City Farmers Market & The Watershed both situated on the Waterfront. We are also currently trading at the Old Spitalfields Market in the United Kingdom,” Kunz said.
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Earth Age’s three principles
The name of the brand is quite hippy-esque and the three business owners said there are multiple meanings behind it.
“We wanted our name to not only represent what we believed in, but also connect us to a New Age collective of people who are inspiring a more conscious way of being across the globe,” said Kunz.
Earth Age is rooted in three principles; Artistry and creative flow, Environmental responsibility and Community Care.
“Our strategy diverges from the traditional business mindset of rapid growth and mindless production. We have felt no pressure to stay true to trends or mass production. When we started our business, we were told constantly we could never run our business the way we intended, and now look – we’re doing it,” said Wagner.
“Our products are handmade and take time and care to create. Designing a handmade product from scratch is a complex and layered process that consists of many hands and minds working together. Our product aligns with our values and in turn, is reflected in the quality our customers receive.”
Hemp is central to all their crochet work. The hemp is imported from China where hemp has been cultivated for thousands of years.
“This is necessary as commercial hemp remains illegal to cultivate in South Africa, despite our ideal climate. Strong and rigorous advocacy towards slow-moving reform in the legislation of industrial, medicinal and recreational cannabis use remains ongoing,” said Georgiadis.
“Hemp is a miraculous resource and we choose to use it not only because it is strong and durable, but it is also gentle on the Earth.”
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Feminine energy
The four-year-old business takes pride in nurturing a safe space of work where women gather daily. Earlier this year New Earth shared that they have a team of 22 women,10 of which were employed in the last year.
“This space runs deeper than just employment and, for now at least, it’s important that we keep this space for women only,” averred Kunz.
“We have been mindful in cultivating a space for women to connect and learn alongside one another. Our studio is the powerhouse behind Earth Age and for now, we are embracing a feminine energy that is caring, determined and strong.”
The trio invested their energy into designing structures that worked for their team and figuring out how to produce and make our designs come to life.
“It took a lot of learning and unlearning on how we wanted to run a value based brand where the women working for us felt happy and safe in their jobs. We decided to dedicate our time and money into a team of women instead of marketing and building an online presence,” Wagner said.
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