Cameron Silver’s sustainable chic summer tour arrives on the California coast
Words by ELIZABETH VARNELL
DECADES owner CAMERON SILVER.
“Do you know how many Aloha shirts I’ve found?” asks author and vintage retailer Cameron Silver, owner of the storied Melrose-based Decades boutique. He’s back in California after debuting his ephemeral shop of sustainable fashion at Hawaii’s Mauna Lani Auberge Resort and editing a selection of summer looks by independent designers at his new outdoor pop-up at Fred Segal Malibu Village launching Thursday, June 10, and running through Sunday, June 13. “I’m introducing a variable United Nations of fashion eco practitioners,” says the L.A. native who hand-selected vintage looks for the Malibu leg of his summer tour from the racks at Decades plus a host of beach-ready designs from responsibly produced lines including Zero + Maria Cornejo, Amber Sakai, By Walid, Rhone men’s swim trunks and Stefana Tabacaru swimwear. Raffia bags by Carolina Santo Domingo, Agnes Baddoo totes, vegan Malibu Sandals, reworked one-off sun-blockers from Demented Hats, and ReWeave L.A.’s unique garments crafted using the finest fabric swatches from the Pacific Design Center are also on offer.
AGNES BADDOO bag, AMBER SAKAI ready-to-wear and MALIBU SANDALS.
These days, Silver points out, any meeting can be a reunion. “We’re all seeing each other in-person for the first time in months,” he says. Vibrant clothes with a fluid lightness feel right. “People want to dress with hope and happiness,” he adds, quipping that a return to brick-and-mortar shopping suddenly feels fresh again. “Buying online can trigger the feeling of being back on lockdown,” confesses Silver. He’s culled a colorful array of caftans, shirtdresses and vintage denim cutoffs alongside effusive Aloha shirts, tropical-printed shorts and multipurpose sandals for the Malibu pop-up. “No one wants to be basic, no one wants to be out in sweats unless they’re ice-dyed by Amber Sakai,” he adds.
FRED SEGAL at Malibu Village.
Designers selected for the pop-up incorporate antique textiles, deadstock, ethical production standards and clean fabrics in their lines, but Silver also counsels that “sustainability means nothing unless the piece sustains in your wardrobe,” meaning quarantine clothes and all the other designs lining closets need to serve a purpose. Here, rotation is key. Silver is mindful that the circular economy matters, but he notes that it can still create waste. “Once you find something you love, enjoy it. Keep things, use them over and over again. Enjoy them for the long haul.” For Silver, great style isn’t achieved wearing something great once, it emerges as the piece is repurposed. Fred Segal x Decades pop-up, 3822 Cross Creek Rd., Malibu, 424-235-1500.
After Malibu, Silver’s Decades tour moves to Telluride and the Hamptons, plus Aspen and Denver before fall stops in Texas, with Palm Beach and Miami slated for winter.
Feature image: The creek at Malibu Village.
June 10, 2021
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