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Elise Bergman is a girl after our fhi hearts. She is a thinker and a doer, which means she envisions and produces clever, conscious and gorgeous style.

For her whole life, Elise has been creating. But she hadn’t necessarily made fashion a career direction. She envisioned her future in the Peace Corps, doing socially focused work. But Elise found herself time and again circling back into the fashion world, giving into what seemed to come naturally: sewing beautiful things.

This new path didn’t mean she abandoned her priorities and belief system. Instead, she re-appropriated her social consciousness into making clothing from fabrics that were recycled, reclaimed or repurposed. Whether pulling from the upholstery amassed by her interior decorator grandfather, picking up pieces from yard sales and vintage shops or purchasing overstock fabrics, Elise responsibly and effectively fights our overly consumptive and wasteful culture. "I realize I can’t make each piece of clothing 100 percent recycled—recycled thread would fall apart! But I can make clothing that has longevity and is versatile."

Her multi-wraps are made from luxurious hand-woven Indian silks and can be worn as many ways as you can imagine. Her skirts and dresses lean away from trendy and more toward timeless, detailed and beautifully understated. Elise’s Marilyn Dress is an innocent silk sundress one moment, and with a few knots and readjustments, takes on a feeling of vintage sex appeal. Her fall line, the white sample pieces in the images, features precise darts and pleats that lend a feeling of delicacy and weightlessness.

Elise also keeps her prices reasonable with the goal of making her work accessible to many audiences. As another mechanism for fighting waste, she hopes to attract young ladies who might otherwise opt for trendy, disposable clothing with a lifespan of a season before ending up in a landfill. That doesn’t mean she discounts the rest of her clientele, which is across the age spectrum and tends to look at style beyond the next three months.

With youth, ambition and optimism on her side (and part of her essence), Elise Bergman won’t rest on her laurels and watch others do the work. "I know that there is only so much I can do now. But I am trying to be methodical in planning how to achieve what I would like to do in the future." One example is Elise’s interest in Africa, where she traveled earlier this year. She talks about her goal of helping women make a fair and decent living through sewing, and one can tell that she genuinely sees this future ahead of her. But, again, she knows how to start smart. "I bought a lot of fabrics while I was in Africa. And while I don’t want to impose my viewpoints on people who might buy my clothes, I plan to integrate these fabrics into my pieces."

And this is why she is after our fhi hearts. Small changes and deliberate choices on the micro level can yield big results on the macro level-a goal we all can share with Elise’s fashion.

Check out Elise’s website, elisebergman.com, for retailers in Montana, Michigan, or Illinois that carry her creations, or to order online.

Belle Dress Washed silk with chiffon overlay	Justine Dress Featured this fall in muted metallic washed silk and 100 percent organic cotton

	(left to right) Ezra Dress, Justine Dress, Belle Dress The Ezra Dress is made from recycled men’s button-up shirt and cotton.

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