Crafting a Sustainable Vision: Katarina Protsack on Blue Nude’s Ethical Fashion Journey

Photo credit: Emily Marshall & Hackney Downs Studios

Artwork by James Watkins

In a world where fashion often prioritises fast trends over ethical practices, Katarina Protsack, the creative force behind Blue Nude, stands out as a designer committed to both sustainability and artistry.

With an approach rooted in supporting creativity and advocating for responsible production, she has built a brand that champions London craftsmanship while pushing boundaries with vibrant, innovative designs. In this interview, we explore her inspirations, challenges, and the future of sustainable fashion.

Nicolle: Katarina, what inspired you to create Blue Nude, and how has the concept of Made in London craftsmanship shaped your approach to fashion design?

Katarina: The conception of Blue Nude transpired because of a few things. First, I’ve always done my best to support creatives and I longed to build something that would benefit people working in artistic industries. Second, I was becoming increasingly frustrated with the indifference towards ethical rights and sustainability I had encountered in my career in fashion. I felt a strong pull that there was something in this space for me to explore, learn, and inspire.

Thirdly, from a market perspective, believe it or not, I used to wear mostly black! I noticed that there was a lack of brands at accessible price points that had intellectually minded colours and prints. I was a Fashion Buyer previously, so if I couldn’t find it, I knew I had to make it myself. Being a made-in-London brand is important to me. I strongly believe in forming relationships with everyone that I work with.

If someone can meet me and understand the intention behind my designs, I think it makes the pieces better as a whole because there is a connection on both sides. I have been embraced and inspired by London for 10 years now – I want to champion its creative spirit as much as possible.

Nicolle:  How does Blue Nude balance sustainable practices with maintaining a vibrant, colour-forward aesthetic?

Katarina: I tend to approach it the other way around! I am a colour-forward designer who operates sustainably and responsibly. It has become easier over time, but it was certainly difficult at first to find more colourful fabrics (instead of the more typical white organic cotton and hemp) when I started out.  I enjoy challenging perceptions that a sustainable brand should be ‘neutral’. 

I try to take a balanced approach to respecting both creativity and sustainability, for example prioritising the use of deadstock and recycled fabrics.

Nicolle:  Can you tell us more about the artistic collaboration process at Blue Nude and how it influences each season’s collection?

Katarina: I always start with an auditory mood board. I am lucky to have a strong visual reaction to music. It is the easiest way to communicate with myself!  From there, I create visual references, such as a mood board, mostly out of my own photography of the area and Pantone colour swatches. This finalizes a visual context for colours, silhouettes, and the feel of the collection. The artist and I then decide on which mediums they would like to experiment with to incorporate their art into the collaboration. Sometimes they will produce many paintings, and I will match the paintings with the pieces. Other times, I might make a piece and request a certain format of art, such as the wearable sculpture in my Tarantula collection, produced with sculptor Lea Rose Kara.

The collections are very much influenced by the artist and their work – by the end of our collection development, the pieces we work on together really feel like a hybrid of our two perspectives on design. 

Nicolle: Your collection, Vida Privada, draws inspiration from Luis Barragán and Mexican culture. How did this influence the design and feel of the collection?

Katarina: In terms of Mexico, the earth tones I saw in the pottery, building materials, and indigenous plant life inspired me. I discovered a ‘new neutral’ which was volcanic stone, a beautiful hybrid colour of grey and brown which is a more interesting alternative to black or white. Also, Mexico’s artistic and creative culture has a dark undercurrent – this was reflected in a more sensual approach to the collection’s silhouettes. It is a slightly darker approach to what you’d expect from a spring/summer collection. Luis Barragán – where to begin!

His work was moving for me. His unexpected and sophisticated use of colour, his ability to frame nature in a dense urban environment, and his emphasis on privacy inspired me. I had the pleasure of touring three homes that he designed – Casa Luis Barragán, Pedregal, and Casa Gilardi. His homes made me reconsider how important privacy is, and equate it with freedom. The freedom to experiment and be whomever we want to be in a private space.

Thus, a balance of sanctity and sensuality is an undercurrent in both the art, by collection painter James Watkins, and the silhouettes of the collection. Balance is difficult to find in any respect of our lives, and I am obsessed with representing this in a design format. Harmony, balance, serenity, joy – these are all elements that I look for in the places and cultures that I investigate through art and design. Each culture has its own way of finding this and it is fascinating.

Nicolle: What challenges have you encountered as a female founder in the fashion industry, and how have you overcome them?

Katarina: Women in business encounter such varied challenges, often having to present themselves in different ways. From an early age, I have held a strong sense of ambition and determination.

As I started to hold more responsibility and reach senior roles, I shied away from revealing my age as I feared my superiors could take me less seriously. I think the biggest hurdle to come in the future, regarding my gender, is finding the room in my life to have a family and run a business. I still haven’t quite wrapped my head around this. I don’t have it all figured out and I’m trying to let myself understand that this is ok, sometimes I have to let life unfold in front of me.

Nicolle: Why is it important for you to keep Blue Nude’s production based in London, and how does this location impact the brand’s identity?

Katarina: I like having proximity to my production studios. Working is much more enjoyable and intimate when you can put a face to the name. I also value that I can be at the studios in an hour if feedback is needed or there is an issue. It’s the most sustainable in terms of transporting the products – I mostly bring things to and from the studios by train. It’s also great for lead times, I can source and manufacture new pieces in sometimes as little as four weeks.

Nicolle:  How does Blue Nude approach environmental responsibility in its materials and production processes?

Katarina: Production-wise, as of the Vida Privada collection we are 100% made in the UK by companies paying fair, living wages with good working conditions for their employees. 

We do small-batch orders and only make what we can sell. To most people outside of the industry, this sounds like a no-brainer. Unfortunately, there is a culture of ‘make it and it will sell’ in corporate fashion where pieces are overproduced, undersold, and either left to die in a warehouse, thrown away or the worst, burned.

Materials-wise, I prioritise organic, recycled, certified, natural, and deadstock materials in the collection. I have extensively researched, for years, how to balance material consumption in a collection so it has as little impact as possible. A new area of sustainability I am learning about is water consumption. There is a fantastic organization I proudly support called Drip by Drip, based in Berlin, which is dedicated to education and improvement of fashion’s impact on global water health. I’d highly recommend watching one of their roundtable discussions or seminars on their YouTube channel.

Nicolle: As a designer, how do you envision the future of sustainable fashion, and what role do you see Blue Nude playing in that landscape?

Katarina: My dream is that no brand calls itself ‘sustainable’ anymore, that it just becomes a crucial part of running a business whether reinforced societally or by law. At that point it would be a way of life, of doing business. In terms of Blue Nude’s role, I am always curious about new fabric innovations coming to market. I hope I can scale to a level where I’m able to work with innovative fabric companies and help them get off their feet. Ideally this would be fabrics made from waste or naturally-renewed resources (like algae) – the ideal in circularity.

Blue Nude announces Raha, a winter capsule collection grounded in Moroccan warmth.

Inspired by the comfort and intimacy of Moroccan craft and culture, examining the expressions of cosiness in a warm climate—is an unconventional take on the autumn/winter wardrobe.

Creative Director Katarina Protsack drew from time in Morocco, captivated by unexpected manifestations of cosiness and intimacy in architecture and traditional craft. 

Raha loosely translates to everyday peace in Arabic: the essence of appreciating small moments of bliss, a complement to Blue Nude's dedication to serene living in urban environments

Katarina’s passion for ethical fashion and her commitment to balancing creativity with sustainability make her a visionary in the industry. Through Blue Nude, she not only challenges the status quo but also sets a new standard for what fashion can be: conscious, artistic, and deeply personal. As she continues to innovate, we can look forward to more collections that not only inspire but also contribute to a more responsible and thoughtful fashion landscape.

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Nicolle Knapova is a little bit of everything. She is a freelance translator, content creator and social media executive for The C Word Mag. She loves indie music and is always browsing through Spotify to find the next amazing artist to obsess over. Her love for storytelling means she’s always writing something and she’s not afraid of any genre. Her biggest dream is to be a published author. If she’s not writing her fan fiction, she’s writing her poetry and sharing it on her Instagram @elisecaverly.