Amy Powney, the former Creative Director of Mother of Pearl, has launched her own fashion label, Akyn, with a mission to reshape the future of clothing through sustainability, transparency and elevated style. After 19 years with the brand — where she rose from fabric cutter to creative lead — Powney is now determined to “lead by example” with a collection that blends conscious production with chic design.
Akyn is intended as a case study in sustainable excellence. Its collections centre on “elevated wardrobe staples”: timeless silhouettes crafted in rich, natural fibres like regenerative cotton, European flax, undyed merino wool and Tencel lyocell. Approximately 90 per cent of the range is made using certified materials, with most pieces produced close to the mills that supply the fabrics. Powney has personally audited the factories involved, a continuation of her rigorous approach to ethical sourcing.
The brand’s aesthetic — streamlined blazers, slouchy jeans, flowing dresses, and plush cable knitwear — is purposefully far from what Powney calls “granola” style. Instead, Akyn proves that organic and sustainable can still be sophisticated, with unexpected details such as gold pebble-like fastenings and subtly embroidered slogans like “Soil not oil”. The popular pearl-trimmed coats from her Mother of Pearl era make a return too — she bought back the intellectual property and customer database upon leaving.
Images courtesy of Nick Prendiville.
Akyn’s launch follows the acclaim of the 2023 documentary Fashion Reimagined, which chronicled Powney’s journey to trace Mother of Pearl’s supply chain. The film aired in 52 cinemas and reached hundreds of thousands of viewers. Powney’s TED talk, “How to Fix Fashion and Protect the Planet,” delivered in Detroit after the film’s release, has since been viewed over 700,000 times.
However, the industry’s response left her disillusioned. “No one did anything — they just asked me to fix it,” she told The Financial Times. That moment of frustration helped galvanise her resolve to create Akyn as a practical model of change, rather than simply calling out what’s wrong. “I want to lead by example, not call stuff out,” she said.
Industry insiders see Akyn as a pivotal move. Jane Shepherdson, former Topshop brand director and now chair of My Wardrobe HQ, praised Powney as the only designer she can name who is both environmentally and socially responsible while also producing desirable collections. Akyn’s advisory board includes high-profile sustainability leaders such as Claire Bergkamp, formerly of Stella McCartney and now CEO at Textile Exchange, and Joycelyn Longdon, an environmental justice researcher.
While other brands quietly scale back their green ambitions, Powney is doubling down. From seaweed-paper swing tags to carefully selected trimmings, no detail has been overlooked. She is currently pursuing B Corp certification and is already plotting improvements to the sourcing of embellishments like recycled plastic pearls, which she admits are a compromise she’s not entirely happy with.
Akyn’s operations are currently based in Mile End, east London, with a growing team of ten. Powney is funding the business herself, supported by income from past collaborations and early wholesale orders. Akyn launched exclusively at Liberty in May, alongside its own direct-to-consumer website.
Launching solo has been both daunting and freeing, Powney says. But despite years of activism, she’s learned that change requires more than bold statements. “People don’t respond to being told off,” she reflects. “I’m still trying to get my message across, but in a beautiful, emotional, loving way.”
As Akyn begins its journey, it may offer fashion something it sorely needs: not more garments, but a more meaningful way of making them.
Read Powney's full interview with the Financial Times here.
