In honor of International Earth Day, we wanted to take a minute to celebrate our accomplishments and reflect on what we can still do for a healthier planet. From the Clean Water Act to the Endangered Species Act, Earth Day has been dedicated to all those striving for change. And what better way for the luxury fashion industry to play it’s part than by deviating from the industry’s norm and fostering a new way of fashion production: sustainable fashion. From organic to vegan, and ethical trade to women’s empowerment, in celebration of Earth Day 2020 we’ve caught up with some of our favorite sustainable designers on what inspires them to fight the good fight for our shared home: Planet Earth.
Meet 5 designers shaking up the sustainability luxury world while we discuss inspiration, how they’re celebrating Earth Day and why sustainability is important.
How are you celebrating Earth Day?
I know this can sound ironic but I think that the best way to do something for the planet is doing anything or just the essential, as we are doing during this quarantine and the planet is clearly healing in different ways.
What projects or organizations are closest to you?
We are at the beginning of this adventure, THEMOIRÈ’s first approach was with the organization TREE NATION. They help us to plant a tree for every bag that we sell. We are collaborating with important retailers such as LuisaViaRoma for the project #LVRSUSTAINABLE by means of sharing our message and contents. I think LVR has the right approach to sustainability and for THEMOIRÈ it ’s very important to collaborate with retailers with this kind of profile. For the next projects we would like to approach different kind of small organizations that work directly with the communities. We would like to help these organizations through our projects, some of them are based in Mexico, Mali and Kenya.
How essential is sustainability and environmental consciousness to you in your personal life and professional?
I grew up just outside of a small city in Mexico, I was always in contact with forests and mountains. Francesca grew up in Puglia with close contact with the sea, so we have always been attracted to nature in different ways and how to protect it through small details of everyday life. Since we began this project we realized the real importance of it, and not only that, but, more so, we are learning and discovering sustainability … it is becoming more essential to us, that’s why are so happy to collaborate with partners like #LVRSUSTAINABLE which have the same vision about sustainability as we do.
Where does your inspiration for your collections come from?
The inspiration for us comes through different ways, sometimes it arrives to us during our travels to other countries, sometimes just by going to the river and seeing nature, now we are finding inspiration via new sustainable materials to use on our bags generated with plants, fruit, paper..etc. This is the most exciting part of the creative process… when the inspiration arrives to you when you least expected it.
Is sustainability the new luxury?
No, I think that sustainability is the new and only way to do things at this moment, it’s the only way in which we can move forward and that’s our goal in THEMOIRÈ, to offer a product made with eco-friendly materials, made in Italy, helping to plant trees and keeping an accessible price.
How are you celebrating Earth Day?
We will be celebrating Earth Day like we do every day by using our platform to promote a healthy planet and giving back, one step at a time! We are always striving to improve the environmental and social sustainability of our products by decreasing our carbon, chemical and water footprint, whilst caring for the people who make our shoes. We want to be part of a movement to change the way things are done in the fashion industry and this is our daily commitment to Mother Earth. It’s great to be part of LVR Sustainable. We believe that the only way this industry is going to change to a more conscious one is through end consumers which means retailers like LVR should champion sustainability and offer the end consumers a curated selection of brands doing good.
What projects or organizations are closest to you?
Our name is central to what we do.
By raising awareness we aim to halt the damage that modern footwear manufacturing causes to people and the planet. Part of our ethical promise is a commitment to challenge a fast-paced fashion industry that creates vast wastage and to create simple solutions to long-term problems.
By working in close collaboration with our factories and suppliers, we created our own charity initiative. GOOD LUCK SHOES was created to help provide functional footwear to migrants arriving throughout Europe. To date, we have provided over 3000 pairs of functional shoes to migrants and refugees arriving throughout various immigration centres and Asylum seeker centres in Europe.
Aside from donating shoes to those who need them, we are interested in getting to know the people who are temporarily housed at these immigration centres. What are their stories? What motivated their journey to Europe? What are their ambitions? What happens next…
We also aim to use our platform to raise awareness and money for various organisations such as; The Dream Catchers. This is an organisation that gives children homes while teaching them to dance. The Ikorodu Talented Kids are a group of children from Nigeria living in Ikorodu, Lagos. A dance troupe created in 2014 to get kids off the streets. We raised £4000 to help with building a new living space and dance studio.
How essential is sustainability and environmental consciousness to you in your personal life and professional?
We believe we are all born human so therefore we all have innate environmental consciousness and a pledge to look after our planet. We are all wondering what this “new World” will look like in a few months time. It appears that Mother Earth Is sending us a signal to slow everything down. As a brand, we are hopeful that this new world will make our industry a more conscious one with lower consumption, big brands not afraid to make changes and government leaders taking the lead for slower more conscious fashion.
We need to reconnect with the living planet and change our attitudes towards nature. It is our pledge to be a positive, optimistic and encouraging voice in the footwear side of things and we want to help advance education in the areas of supply chain and inform a conscious change in fashion. We want to facilitate dialogue, debate and inspire action. We want to create a compassionate and sustainable world. As a brand and as consumers, we need to lead with our wallets and our feet.
Where does your inspiration for your collections come from?
For SS20, we have used: Recycled rubber soles, Organic cotton uppers and laces, Recycled eco-lite footbed and upcycled metal eyelets.
Our inspiration is based around what new innovative materials we find and styled on our retro-inspired sole units. Our inspiration is always to ensure:
Our materials are environmentally and socially progressive.
We use fewer processes to make our products
We monitor our supply chain to promote a fair trade.
We donate deadstock and faulty shoes to the homeless and refugees in need.
We improve the lives of people and the health of the planet.
Is sustainability the new luxury?
After both working for and with various high street brands, we noticed a lot of wastage in the industry. Having seen the devastating effects of the conventional clothing/footwear industry, it was clear we needed to work towards a positive alternative. Fashion is finally waking up to sustainability – but the lexicon surrounding eco-friendly and ethical fashion is fraught with inaccuracies. The footwear industry, in particular, is one that needs to be overhauled due to the environmental impact of making a product that has so many different components. But the industry can’t just eliminate cotton or rubber use altogether. We want to create a platform to help raise awareness and change the way things are done in the industry. We believe that brands do not have enough access to help/advice on how to implement sustainable practices. It is very challenging to get hold of the right information. Once this information is readily available we believe that sustainability will be able to exist at all levels including luxury and high street.
Our vision is to build a brand that, in the end, can be affordable and sustainable. Our brand motto is “bringing the world a little bit of Good News” so we are aiming to do exactly that. From sustainable materials, ethical product monitoring and closely managing the supply chain, to collaborations with charities and partners who share our values.
When you’re small you gotta fix what you can.
How are you celebrating Earth day?
This year I’m in St.Barths where my father lives. I’ll probably start the day by taking a hike to Colombier beach early in the morning. It’s a beautiful natural reserve in St.Barths. Then I’ll stay at home and work for the rest of the day. If I get a spare hour I would love to go snorkeling, being under water is my happy place.
Which projects or organizations are closest to you?
Healthy Seas. Since 2013, together with divers and fishermen they have collectively removed well over 500.000 kilos of nets and other debris from the world’s seas and oceans. Many marine animals have been rescued and many cases of trapped animals we have prevented. FISCH donates to them every year and we’re grateful for the work they do.
How essential is sustainability and environmental consciousness in your personal life and professional?
There are a few things that I do but I’m far from perfect. In theory we all need to be vegan, not travel often and consume the bare minimum in order to be truly sustainable. But the world doesn’t work like that, yet.
For me, in order to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle a lot of things come naturally and don’t require much personal sacrifice, for instance I don’t like the taste of coffee in disposable packaging – I always prefer a real porcelain cup. I prefer to buy vintage rather than new clothing and I order drinks without plastic straws when visiting a restaurant and try to limit packaging. I don’t use single-plastics to store food in the refrigerator. I don’t like meat that much, therefore I don’t eat it often. I recycle at home. I drink filtered tap water. I don’t wear or purchase shell or coral jewelry. Those are examples of small and easy things we can all do!
What actually is a sacrifice of my lifestyle is that I’m now cutting down on seafood. I’m from a seafood loving family and I love fish. Our oceans are heavily overfished and many species are on the brink of complete extinction – so I stopped eating Shrimp (due to the amount of bycatch) and I stopped eating Tuna (which used to be one of my favorite things). Having industrially fished tuna on the plate is basically as bad as it gets for the oceans. To live more sustainably doesn’t come easily – it takes a lot of research and I always try to improve.
Where does your inspiration for your collections come from?
My mother and the wardrobe she wore during my childhood in St.Barths. I’m also very inspired by art in particular artists that reference the ocean in playful ways, like Matisse and Keith Haring. I get a lot of inspiration when I’m diving in St.Barths. It’s very meditative and quiet to dive and you really have to be present and let go of everything else that might occupy a busy mind. The quietness under water really amplifies the visual experience when encountering all the fishes, sponges, anemones, all the diversity of living things that you see below the surface. Diving for me is pure research and color study. I just learned that scientists have discovered that reef fish can see a higher spectrum of colors than what the human brain is even capable of registering. FISCH is about color and the sea.
Is sustainability the new luxury?
Yes, definitely. I think more and more brands are becoming more purpose driven and changing their business models to become more sustainable which is great.
Consumers today are really smart and educated, I think many expect more than just a marketing concept and brand community, they care about the politics of fashion and how things are made. Before I started FISCH, some industry leaders told me that they liked the concept but didn’t waste too much time and money on perfecting the product – I think they are wrong. The product is the most important thing, especially when it comes to sustainability.
With FISCH I want to offer people a piece of real Italian craftsmanship, I want to give them a really good product that lasts for a long time – to me that is sustainability. It’s not just a swimsuit, it’s a really good swimsuit you’ll have for years.
How are you celebrating Earth Day?
This quarantine has forced all of us into the present. We are trying to make predictions and imagine the future, but we all know that we can’t really make long-term plans right now. Being forced into this present has allowed me to recognize things that I was giving for granted, hear sounds that I wasn’t listening to, spend my time more consciously. It feels like a great awakening that hopefully will help us to be more conscious about our actions. On Earth day I will celebrate this awakening enjoying the feeling of being alone but connected to the whole World.
What projects or organizations are closest to you?
It makes me happy to see so many initiatives and projects that have sustainability at heart. If I were to name a particular organization the first one that comes to my mind has to be Fashion Revolution. I deeply admire the great initiatives they have been carrying forward worldwide and I was so lucky to be mentored by Orsola De Castro during my studies. Her guidance definitely shaped and strengthened my vision. Today I am honoured to be part of LVR Sustainable, and I am glad to be contributing to this beautiful initiative in which I strongly believe.
How essential is sustainability and environmental consciousness to you in your personal life and professional?
They are my everyday state of mind. I always say that sustainability must be a commitment, never a point of arrival. I am constantly asking myself questions, being aware of the consequences of my actions; I try to be present and awake, recognizing what’s happening around me and how can I contribute in having a positive impact, even if that’s just going to be a tiny drop in the ocean.
Where does your inspiration for your collections come from?
The reality. I believe that inspiration can come from any channel or circumstance. The ability is to listen and observe, without defining at the beginning what should inspire you or not. Then, there are things that inspire me repetitively, in particular: Optical Art and anything that forces you to look deeper to understand it; structures and geometric patterns at any scale, from buildings to spider webs; hardware shops, they are like wonderland for me!; ancient costumes and garments and their social role; last but not least, talking to people – I believe life is about relationships.
Is sustainability the new luxury?
Both words have been used and perhaps abused, assuming different meanings in different contexts. I think it’s fundamental as an individual, a professional, and a brand to define what each of these words mean to you. To me the value of respect is central both in luxury and in sustainability. Respect for the people and their work, the environment and the animals, the materials used and the quality of the products, respect for beauty. We should not focus too much on labels and definitions, but on true, authentic values.
How are you celebrating Earth Day?
In the grip of Covid-19 Mother Nature has given us a unique focus to stop, think and re-think what we’re doing as people. At RÆBURN we’ll be celebrating the 50th anniversary of Earth by refocusing, as a team, on our commitment to minimize our impacts, to disrupt, to look for better systems. We won’t be working on Earth day, we’ll be looking for a better future.
What projects or organizations are closest to you?
At RÆBURN we have a long-standing commitment to Craft, Creativity and Community and one of our ongoing projects is around our #OffCutAnimals workshops. Guests can come to the RÆBURN Lab and make animal mascots alongside our team, learning new skills and using off-cut materials, the mascots go home with their makers, and all proceeds go to the World Wide Fund for Nature. In Lieu of our current circumstances we’ve shifted this work into the digital space and have releases patterns that are downloadable from our website – this time with donations going to Covid-19 relief charities. I’ve been proud to see creativity continuing through the current crises and we’ve had mascots made in many parts of the world.
How essential is sustainability and environmental consciousness to you in your personal life and professional?
You have to walk the talk. For me it’s not about sustainability per say; this is common sense – as people we have to reduce our impact and this starts on an individual level. Personally I do everything I can to reduce my impact; for example cycling to the RÆBURN Lab, sourcing locally or more recently I’ve been experimenting with home composting – have a look at #WormChat over at https://www.instagram.com/p/B-UU4IHg9TM/!
Where does your inspiration for your collections come from?
Inspiration so often comes from research into original, functional items that have an amazing narrative – it’s a kind of archaeology; going out to find incredible pieces from the past that can then be Remade into something relevant for the future.
Is sustainability the new luxury?
The zeitgeist is changing; the old definitions of luxury in terms of scarcity, elegance, expense or comfort are shifting as we become more aware of our impacts on the environment – Responsible Design has a great opportunity to provide a more positive vision for the future. Having worked on many facets of Responsible Design since I was studying all the way back in 2001 what’s been so encouraging is now the narrative and vocabulary has evolved. It’s a great credit that initiatives like LVRSustainable highlight brands working in new ways, and importantly validate their position alongside more traditional or established brands. The world is changing.
A special thanks to Themoirè, Good News, Fisch, So-le Studio, and Christopher Raeburn
