Amy Powney is a UK based fashion designer, creative director and activist living in London. From the age of 10 she grew up on a farm, which was off grid in rural Lancashire, with her sister and parents. Her family's lack of materialism would later become the grounding in her understanding of how we give and take from the earth.

MOTHER OF PEARL

In 2002, Amy studied Fashion Design at Kingston University. On completing her degree, in 2006 she started working at Mother of Pearl, working her way up to eventually take over the helm as Creative Director of the business in 2015 until leaving her position in December 2024.

NO FRILLS

In 2017, while at Mother of Pearl, Amy won the BFC / Vogue Designer Fashion Fund. She used the fund to launch No Frills in 2018– a core collection made from organic and natural materials, with a transparent supply chain, putting social responsibility, respect to animals and low-environmental impact first and foremost.

FASHION REIMAGINED

Amy’s trailblazing mission to create a sustainable collection from field to finished garment and transform the way we engage with fashion, formed the subject of Fashion Reimagined, an award nominated independent documentary released in cinemas and across streaming services globally in 2023. It was also the subject of her TED talk How To Fix Fashion And Protect The Planet, delivered  in Detroit at TED Countdown 2024.

A FORCE FOR FASHION

Amy’s sustainable collections have been shown at London Fashion Week and Copenhagen Fashion Week (for which Amy now sits on the sustainability board) and have been stocked by prestigious global retailers including Net-a-Porter, Harrods, Neiman Marcus and Goop.

COLLABORATIONS

Through Mother of Pearl, and personally, Amy has embarked on a number of collaborations. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Campaign for Wool, Amy was asked by his then Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, to design a limited edition wool scarf to showcase the sustainable benefits of wool. Other collaborations include three sustainable jewellery lines with Monica Vinader, stationery with Papier and sustainable homeware with John Lewis.

TENCEL™ AMBASSADOR

Amy is also a brand ambassador for TENCEL™, the flagship brand under The Lenzing Group that covers textile specialty product fiber offerings that are wood based, biodegradable and derived from sustainably managed trees and renewable wood sources.

AKYN

In December 2024, Amy decided to step away from her role at Mother of Pearl to launch AKYN. As Creative Director and founder of AKYN, Amy is able to use her voice and expertise on a wider scale, creating deeper impact and striving for continued and meaningful change within the industry.

Watch more of Amy’s story in Fashion Reimagined and see Amy’s TED talk How To Fix Fashion And Protect The Planet.