Two designers sit on a table

SAIC Alums Launch Sustainable Fashion Label, Vihanga

Vihanga Sontam (MDes 2017) and Miles Jackson (BFA 2015) were recently featured in the Chicago Reader discussing their fashion label, Vihanga. The article describes the label, "They focus on creating small, handmade collections in an ethical, sustainable, and all-around-thoughtful way. Vihanga's pieces tend to have fluid, simple designs that toe the line between formal and informal, masculine and feminine."

Kick-starting the brand in Chicago and releasing their first collection this past March, Sontam and Jackson have already seen success. The work is incredibly inclusive and hyper-aware of exploitation in the fashion industry. The brand actively tries to counteract that, "Pieces in the current collection range from $50 to $175, and each one is made to order—that means Vihanga can make clothes for any body type. And the items are purposefully marketed as unisex," the article states. "As long as you're doing something that feels authentic, that's key," says Jackson.