Olivia Rubens

Olivia Rubens won the Responsible Fashion Award powered by Allianz, and the CNMI Award, as a finalist in the International Talent Support 2020 contest. During the contest, Rubens was tasked to create a look inspired by the three pillars of Diesel, using recycled jeans and deadstock denim from Diesel, among other sustainable materials. This body of work represents Rubens’s own personal perspective on sport, utility and clubbing, bringing together her upbringing in both snowboarding and skateboarding cultures. From skate magazine parties, to rail jams and après ski, to scrapes and tears in Rubens’s clothing, to broken boards, to cheap beer, and to oversized tie dyed tees and beanies in Whistler nightclubs, this is a representation of who she was and who she is today. Rubens keeps female role models in these scenes close to her heart as inspiration: Lacey Baker, Nora Vasconcellos, Lizzie Armanto and Vanessa Torres. Knit structures made with recycled denim and sustainable yarns reference the wear and tear of the lifestyle, including the deconstruction of the woven dead-stock denim garments and fabric, made into new vibrant fabrics, as in mending and altering clothing in those subcultures. The concept is more literally incorporated into the look through the making of trims with recycled skateboards, in collaboration with Josh Singal.