In celebration of Sustainability Day 2020, we wanted to reflect on the growth and success of Sustainability in the fashion world. Sustainability Day falls on the fourth Wednesday of every October. Until recently, there were very few designers willing to leave the norm and risk a new way of creating in the name of leaving a less impactful footprint on our planet. Sustainability is now a fundamental topic in itself within the luxury scene now and many brands and designers are adopting new methods to comply with certain regulations. From vegetable tanned leather, faux leather, recycling and upcycling, zero waste production, luxury craftsmanship, social responsibility engagement, and donating to organizations, the fashion sector is getting involved and becoming more educated every season.
Meet some of the designers on our LVRSustainable section making their name on the sustainability luxury scene and learn what sustainable values are important, what is the future of sustainability in the luxury world and what can we each do to make a positive impact.
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What are the sustainable values of your brand?
For us sustainability is the core of our brand, meaning that all we do is done with the vision of doing it as sustainable as possible, also over/before profit. So when we choose a fabric we choose the best and most sustainable, not the best and cheapest and when we choose suppliers we decide from which of them have most certifications and not who can make it the fastest and cheapest. In general this is very untypical from the fashion industry, but for us it is what gives us and our brand value.
How do you see the future of sustainability in the luxury industry?
I think and hope that sustainability will be a logical part of all our decisions we make in the future of this industry, it has to be. But, I also think it’s important to accept that changes in people and processes takes time, so we need to educate and support each other, and not judge and blame. I also feel that the consumers are demanding more and more transparency which is a great motivator to start looking at the supply chain, because I think there are a lot of companies that do not know what’s going on, in their factories or how their fabrics are made etc. So we need to look at the chain of production and not only the final product. I think a luxury product will not in the future be accepted as luxury if the chain is not sustainable, the consumer does not want an expensive and luxurious product if they can’t guarantee that the person who made it was paid fair and that the colours used are not harmful etc., this transparency will count a s huge value in the future i think.
What can each of us do to do our part?
Small steps in the right directions all count. I know from a lot of people that they don’t feel it will help that they change their behavior, but I think it’s important to see it in a bigger picture and not thinking that it is all or nothing. So as a start, support and look into brands that are sustainable, repair, reuse or recycle the clothes you buy, ask questions to your favorite brand that are still not aware of sustainability and wash at low degrees.
What are the sustainable values of your brand?
Marina Raphael’s core value is creating handbags that are investment pieces, and will be passed down from generation to generation. Handcrafted in Florence, by the most skilled artisans, each handbag is meticulously made to adhere to the highest quality standards. In addition to that, we carefully source all materials, and aim towards using primarily biodegradable components. Another very important part of our identity as a brand, is our near-0-waste policy which is achieved by recycling and upcycling any excess materials.
How do you see the future of sustainability in the luxury industry?
To me the future of sustainability is all about adopting a new mindset that focuses on quality over quantity. Choosing fewer pieces, that will withstand the test of time, and that you truly love is a different mentality that we are all slowly starting to understand and implement in our lives. I believe that in the future, this idea will be the new norm, and that we will all be more mindful with every purchase, and slowly move away from fast fashion.
What can each of us do to do our part?
One of the most important things we can do is educate ourselves and learn to research products before purchasing them; therefore, teaching ourselves to pause and think, before making an impulse buy.
What are the sustainable values of your brand?
Sustainability is a way life for us at Molo as we want to take responsibility
for future generations. This is the reason why we are proud to be one of the
few globally GOTS certified organic brands (certified by Ecocert Greenlife,
certification no. 197496). GOTS stands for Global Organic Textile Standard and
is the most recognized certification of organic textiles worldwide. The GOTS
certificate guarantees that our products are made with certified organic fibres
and comply with strict social and environmental requirements throughout the
entire manufacturing process.
To support responsible solutions for a sustainable future, we also work with
recycled fibres from diverse post-consumer. By transforming post-consumer waste into new resources, we are repurposing the materials, giving them a second life. In addition, the production of recycled fibres requires far less energy than that of new fibres and generates less CO2 emissions.
However, our values are not only to focus on the actual product but also to become increasingly aware of our CO2 footprint which is the reason why we are in the process of starting up a new project that allows us to measure our CO2 emissions because this will make us capable of choosing and prioritizing better sustainable solutions for our products.
How do you see the future of sustainability in the luxury industry?
Sustainability in the luxury industry is here to stay and finding sustainable solutions will only become increasingly important. Moreover, sustainability is something that the younger generation will demand and even take for granted because they have been brought up with an eco-consciousness.
What can each of us do to do our part?
Sustainability is also about quality and reuse. At Molo, we strive to manufacture very high quality kidswear that can be recycled many times, going from sibling to sibling and friend to friend, and in this way, limit the impact on our planet. Buy less – buy better, this is something that we all can do.
A minor thing, but equally important, is to wash garments made from synthetic
materials in special fabric bags because with wash, micro plastic particles from synthetic textiles are released into the stream of our rivers and oceans.
What are the sustainable values of your brand?
Kuboraum is a brand with ethical value standing for diversity, authenticity, identities and self representation. In the way of how we work; the artisanal craft is fundamental, every single piece is made by hand and many of our pieces are one-of-a-kind using different types of manufacturing.
We are working on sustainability in the way that in the future all our chain production will be sustainable., currently our products are all made in Italy and we can count on artisans and production partners that are sensible on experimentation and research in the field of sustainability.
We take care and we give attention to the material that we use and also to the ways in which we produce, we use a material which is named bio-acetate, it’s an eco-friendly thermoplastic which takes care on both sides of quality and of the environment.
We are working on every single aspect, even the tape we use for our deliveries is the only tape in the world that is biodegradable.
It is now more than ever that we feel the urge to actively engage with our responsibility as a company towards the environment, the climate and future generations, driving positive change through thinking and acting sustainably.
Therefore, Kuboraum joined the children and youth initiative Plant-for-the-Planet in December 2019, becoming Climate Neutral by offsetting its annual Greenhouse emissions through planting the equivalent of trees that capture emitted CO² from the atmosphere and additionally enables the empowerment and support of children and youths worldwide as Climate Justice Ambassador.
How do you see the future of sustainability in the luxury industry?
Working on Sustainability is something fundamental for the here and now, and the present of the luxury industry: we wish for a sustainable-only future.
At the same time, our thinking must be sustainable as much as our creativity, and as much the actions we take.
A brand to be sustainable must be necessary, necessary in many ways:
iit can be in terms of use, in terms of aesthetic, in terms of technology and innovation.
We wish for a future of luxury brands with a sustainable history, created by sustainable minds, made in a sustainable way for people with a sustainable and critical approach.
What can each of us do to do our part?
Already this question is the beginning of a new path.
Everyone of us should make their individual revolution, taking a critical approach, understanding that all our actions must make sense with consciousness on the mind and that everything is connected:
think sustainable, act sustainable, be sustainable.
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A special thank you to Underprotection, Marina Raphael, Molo, and Kuboraum.
