UK fashion will have a new label this spring with the debut of Akyn. And the creative force behind it? Amy Powney, who’s best known as creative director of Mother of Pearl.

Powney, who’s also well know for her sustainability commitment, has stepped down from Mother of Pearl to launch Akyn this May. Her former label has now closed and anyone who looks for it online is taken straight to the Akyn website that says “coming soon”.

We don’t know much about Akyn style-wise, apart from that it will be “crafting elevated, contemporary womenswear”.

It’s a big move as she’d been at Mother of Pearl for 19 years. But her new label looks set to continue the work she started when she converted Mother of Pearl into one of UK fashion’s most eco-focused brands.

Powney said Akyn will be “purpose-driven” and “grounded in elevated design and sustainability”. She added that wants to use her “voice and expertise on a wider scale, creating deeper impact and striving for continued and meaningful change within the industry”.

Mother of Pearl was founded by Maia Norman in 2002 and after joining in 2006 and working her way up in the business, Powney became both its creative chief and its minority co-owner, helping to edge it away from its original print-focused positioning and artist collabs to its more minimalist style and high-profile eco strategy.

Her work in this direction was the focus of the Fashion Reimagined documentary in 2023 that followed her push to make the label more sustainable.

“As creative director and partner of Akyn, Amy will be able to use her voice and expertise on a wider scale, creating deeper impact and striving for continued and meaningful change within the industry,” a statement released to announce the forthcoming launch said.