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Lauren Pierce Atelier's Hand-Dyed Garments are Elegant and Socially Conscious

This month, designer Lauren Bush – niece of former President George W. Bush – reveals her latest spring collection for her highly praised clothing line, Lauren Pierce Atelier, at select Barneys New York locations across the country. But ladies wanting a piece to call their own must act fast, as the items are being made available at each location for six days only.

Currently, Lauren Pierce is being shown in Beverly Hills, Calif. (through March 17), and San Francisco (through March 18), but will soon appear in Scottsdale, Ariz., on March 19, and in Dallas on March 20.

On the first day of each six-day event, women will have a chance to meet Bush in person as she introduces her collection and answers questions. On display will be her five classic dress silhouettes, all crafted from richly colored, eco-friendly cotton fabrics that have been hand-dyed by women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa. The women, many of them survivors of war in their country, use a traditional method called “bihusa” to achieve beautiful, one-of-a-kind block print and tie-dye effects.

The Barneys events are designed to give women the opportunity to order one of the custom-made dresses, priced around $500 each, which will arrive in six weeks in the silhouette, print and size of the client's choice. No two dresses are dyed exactly the same, and therefore each is guaranteed to be totally, 100-percent unique.

“Part of the whole mission is to obviously highlight the artistic vision and work [of the women in the Congo],” Bush says. “They literally pick the colors and patterns. So when you get your dress, it will come with your name and the [name of the] woman who actually dyed that fabric.”

Bush has said that 10 percent of profits from the sales of her collection each season will go toward supporting causes that improve the lives of the women in the country where the materials were sourced, or women who even helped make the materials, such as with this season's fabrics.

“I haven't been able to visit these particular women in the D.R.C. yet,” Bush says. “Just because it's quite dangerous there. But yeah, I would definitely love to. Actually, I met one of them … The organization called Women for Women – that's how I found this awesome group of women – flew one of them in for this fundraiser [that the organization] had in New York, so I did get to meet her, and … that was kind of a special moment. I showed her pictures of the dresses on models. I think it's a neat cultural exchange.”

Any designer who has already achieved some level of fame outside the fashion industry before debuting a collection is naturally open to skepticism from critics, and Bush says she “gets that.” And with her family's long and very public history in politics, she may have easily fallen into the category of designer wannabes, except for one major point – unlike some other celebrity designers, she has all the credentials necessary to back up her work.

Having attended both Parsons Design School in New York City and Central St. Martin's School of Art & Design in London, as well as having interned for Zac Posen, Bush is well-versed in the various aspects of the fashion world. (Not to mention her boyfriend is David Lauren, son of designer Ralph Lauren.)

“I think there are a lot of celebrities who are very much involved in their design process,” Bush says, citing Victoria Beckham, Gwen Stefani and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen as a few examples of highly creative and successful celebrity designers.

“I just feel lucky to have an idea and bring something to fruition,” Bush continues. “There are so many designers out there and my intention was never to add noise to that.” Instead, she says her goal has been to create timeless pieces that are both socially conscious and beautiful, and which also highlight the work and causes of women in other countries.

But how can dresses with such bold prints become timeless wardrobe staples? Bush says she designed each of the silhouettes with very classic lines and shapes in mind. “Plus,” she asserts, “I think anything with a story has a deeper meaning, a deeper trend.”

Those looking for just such a trend are invited to meet Bush and peruse the collection, exclusive to Barneys New York, at the current and upcoming store locations. See the Lauren Pierce Web site for more details.

www.lauren-pierce.com | www.barneys.com