“What’s in a name?” once mused star-crossed lover Juliet. Since it was a soliloquy, the question hung in the air without an answer; but the world of fashion might have had one or two, especially when it comes to handbags. The naming of an accessory is just as vital as its design, used to highlight its shape, pay homage to a muse or capture the emotion it aims to evoke.
There’s an especially sweet story to the title of Tory Burch’s Ella tote, its iconic bag first launched fifteen years ago in 2008. Swerving a flashy name or a celebrity endorsement, the Ella was named after the daughter of Burch’s first ever store associate, a thoughtful dedication to the designer’s focus on family and femininity.
This season saw the launch of the Ella Bio, a contemporary reimagining of the modern classic style crafted with Modern Meadow’s BioFabbrica Bio-Tex, a plant-based leather alternative created from North American soy. Lightweight, durable and vegan, it’s proof that you can mess with the greats for the greater good.
Fittingly, the new Ella now has a new Ella: Ella Emhoff. The model and knitwear designer appeared in an Instagram video showing Burch followers how to style the pink Mini version with crochet knits, oversized wool coats and sporty skirts. To find out more, More or Less spoke to Ella about Ella, what’s cool about knitting and why we should all hang greenwashing out to dry.

What does sustainable fashion mean to you?

I think there’s a lot of parts to what sustainable fashion is and different degrees of sustainability. I think it boils down to clothing and accessories that are produced in ways that don’t cause harm to the environment or people and produced in ways that reverse harm that has already been done, whether it’s creating products with discarded products or using materials such as plastic to reduce the heavy amount of recycling and waste we already have.

What’s the opposite of greenwashing?

The opposite of greenwashing to me is almost just being sustainable and not having to label it. I think there’s a pressure that surrounds labeling your brand a sustainable one. There are social standards that come with labeling yourself as sustainable and connotations that people have with the look of sustainable fashion.

What’s your best thrift of the year so far?

I used to wear this brand as a kid called Oilily and I was obsessed with it. I was randomly scrolling around the Real Real and found some pieces from them and it sent me down this eBay spiral where I was finding things that I had dreamed of getting as a kid.

Where did your obsession with knitwear come from?

It truly started out of a therapeutic practice that I picked up as an adolescent to cope with anxiety. When I went to Parsons I started really experimenting with form and colors and it just sent me down this obsession that has brought me to where I am now.

Can you spin us a yarn about your latest work?

I’ve been working with mostly scrap yarn recently that has either been donated to me or that I can collect from my own projects over the years. Nothing pains me more than throwing away yarn, so I’ve kept every piece no matter how small since I started seriously knitting about 3-4 years ago. I love the whole process of tying the pieces together and creating odd combinations of yarn. It’s something that I want to scale up but am trying to figure out the best way to do it. I’m just having fun experimenting.

Aside from its name, why are you into the Ella Bio?

I mean it’s hard not to love a bag that you share a name with. I love how versatile and customizable it is. My favorite thing to do with mine is tie scarves or knit bows around the handles or attach a bunch of key chains on it.

How should we style it? What does it work with?

I love wearing it with a more casual, neutral-toned look so the colour can really pop.

More…

…environmentally conscious production practices.

Less…

…taking the easy way out!