How fashion-forward brands are getting creative with Sustainability in 2022

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The fashion industry might be the second largest contributor to the climate crisis, but this hasn’t stopped the likes of Shein and H&M from blatant ‘green-washing’. So, when we see brands that are not just treating #sustainablefashion as a trend worth optimizing on, it really is as exciting as it gets! These brands are reimagining their business models to incorporate circularity and sustainability in ways that are revolutionizing the future of fashion. From planet-positive textile innovations to ‘resale, rent and repair’; here’s what you need to know about what the pioneers of eco-fashion are doing right now.

BRANDS INCORPORATING TEXTILE INNOVATIONS

Dior X Parley for the Oceans

The House of Dior and Parley’s latest partnership launched the ready-to-wear Beachwear Capsule in April 2022. The beachwear theme took inspiration from founder Christian Dior’s passion for the sea, cultivated during his childhood spent along the English channel.

Featured here, the collection is made with Parley Ocean Plastic®. The innovative textile was born from the first-ever global supply chain for up-cycled marine plastic debris, developed by Parley, and continues to champion the material revolution to date. From swim shorts to high top sneakers, the iconic Dior Oblique motif bears no resistance to ocean plastic!

Parley for the Oceans have created a vital space for collaboration, where the forward-thinkers of today can reimagine their business models and implement ecologically sensible textiles, all with one goal in common: to address the major threat towards our oceans. Showcasing that cross-sectoral collaboration is the lifeline of the fashion revolution. We hope to see more high-end luxury brands take after Dior in forming meaningful, eco-conscious partnerships, in an effort to redefine the standards of modern luxury and commercialize Parley Ocean Plastic®.

Melina Bucher X MIRUM: Handbags of the future

German luxury brand - Melina Bucher - launched their vegan handbags ‘powered by nature’ in 2021, that are PETA-approved vegan and made from 100% bio-based leather MIRUM®. Rest assured, Melina Bucher’s synthetic-free handbags do not fall short of delivering exceptional quality. Innovated by Natural Fiber Welding technology, MIRUM® is welded from solely natural ingredients to create biodegradable complex materials.

Pictured below, is the signature Bailey Handbag. Its trapezoidal and sharp shape, style and size is resemblant of the iconic Hermes Kelly. The difference? At retail price, the Bailey goes for £414. Let alone years spent purchasing Hèrmes products and liaising with a sales assistant, only to pay upwards of ten-fold the price of a Bailey. When we think it couldn’t get any better, the bag ships fully carbon neutral in 1-2 days.

Melina Bucher’s vegan handbags are sought after for their accessibility and inclusivity; values which have been largely absent from the likes of major fashion houses. Perhaps, ‘vegan luxury’ is set to out-shine and redefine traditional luxury as we know it.

Pangaia: Pangaia Lab

Materials-science brand - Pangaia - is the furthest from ‘green-washing’ you can get. Pangaia Lab is the first ever, brand-led crossover between science and fashion, where sustainable textile innovations can be lab tested and trialed in the manufacturing of ready-to-wear fashion.

Pangaia is known for their 365 matching tracksuits; the most sought after comfort luxury as seen on influencers all over social media. These cozy, thick textured sets are made from 100% organic and recycled cotton. The cotton is grown from 95% rain-fed water and without the use of pesticides.

Their latest innovation is the ‘Next-Gen hoodie’; the world’s first ever bio-fabricated hoodie. Made with breakthrough brewed protein™ fiber, the textile is created through a fermentation process using microbes and is not reliant on petro-chemicals. In partnership with Spiber, Pangaia intends to continue implementing low-impact petroleum-free material alternatives for planet-positive impact. The hoodie even includes a Eon Circular ID - scannable after purchase - so that you can understand more about the circularity of what you’re wearing.

RESALE, RENT & REPAIR

Alexander McQueen X Vestiaire Collective: Buy-Back Model

Where many traditional luxury fashion houses are resistant to condone resale, Alexander McQueen is one of the few trailblazers for resale initiatives in the fashion industry. In partnership with Vestiaire Collective, Alexander McQueen has invited their long-standing customers to return pre-loved pieces they no longer wear, in exchange for store credit. All pieces are sold on Vestiaire collective under the label ‘Brand Partner’ and are accompanied by a special hand tag. Using NFC technology, the scannable hand tag authenticates and ensures full traceability of the garment upon purchase.

Pictured here is the SS 2011 tailored Vest by Sarah Burton. Collected by Alexander McQueen, along with other iconic pieces; it is listed and can be bought now on Vestiaire Collective’s site for £219.10.

For more on why regular retail needs RAAS (resale as a service) moving forward, read our article on how resale adds circularity and sustainability credibility to your brand.

HURR: Rental

UK-based designer rental service, HURR, is the sustainable and economically friendly solution to keeping up with the latest trends. We've all bought that one dress for a special event, only for it to sit in our wardrobe for months on end afterwards. With HURR, that no longer needs to be the case! Ganni, Jacquemus and Acne Studios - among more - can be rented for mere pennies compared to retail price.

Pictured here, is ‘La Robe Paris’ from Jacquemus. Retailing for £880, you can rent the dress from £108. Whether you’re looking for a single-use wedding guest dress or want to spice up your wardrobe, dopamine dressing style, HURR is sure to satisfy your fix.

Sign of the Times: Resale

Based in Chelsea, Sign of the Times has over 45 years of experience selling and buying pre-loved luxury goods with a trusted network of worldwide sellers. All products go through a rigorous authentication process, and of course, only the best of the best is selected for buyers and our selling process is completely hassle-free. We offer a personal sourcing service and complimentary home collection for sellers.

You can find the likes of classic super-brands: Chanel, Prada, Hermès, Louis Vuitton and contemporary names: Jacquemus, Ganni, and Sandro. On the lookout for unique-to-you, staple pieces? From our exclusive selection of designer shoes, handbags, accessories, dresses and more, there is sure to be a pre-loved piece for us all at Sign of the Times. Click here for more on why shopping secondhand is the sustainable choice.

RE/DONE: Upcycling

RE/DONE is on a mission to reimagine iconic heritage brands and restore individuality to the luxury fashion space. Born from the vision of upcycling vintage Levi's jeans into modern fits, the Los Angeles based brand found success in extending the life cycle of pre-loved goods, of which they have diverted 145,000 garments from landfills to be redesigned into luxury collectables. RE/DONE have collaborated with many favourite and exclusive heritage brands. From Levi’s to the Attico, the brand has repurposed archived stock into limited-edition luxury designs that you definitely won’t want to miss out on. For upcycled secondhand, you can shop RE/DONE jeans at Sign of the Times.

Their latest collaboration: RE/DONE X Ford is an ode to the all-American Ford mustang and iconic 90s fashion. The collection is made up from upcycled and deadstock pieces and is Ford’s most innovative sustainability initiative to date. You’ll find American staples, from your classic denim jacket, boiler suits, sweatshirts, ringer tees, bucket hats and more.

SOJO x Ganni: Repair

As trends come back around in a cyclical fashion, everyone is sure to have something that ought to be upcycled. We suggest you learn how to ‘SOJO’, what we like to call: the uber of clothing repair. SOJO is the UK’s newest and easiest alterations and repair service, encouraging us all to love the clothes we already own. All you need to do is download their app to be exposed to a community of talented seamstresses, who can repurpose your old clothes into unique pieces you’ll cherish for years on end. It’s as simple as that, alongside preventing your clothes from joining the 13,000 items that go to landfill in the UK per week!

Ganni’s partnership with SOJO offers their London-based customers a hyper-local alterations service. By offering tailoring as a post-purchase sizing solution, Ganni is one of the first to mitigate the environmental impact caused by customer returns, of which 64% are due to poor fit. As we enter an increasingly circular economy, custom tailoring is set to become a fundamental to extending the lifetime value of ready-to-wear fashion.

In preparation for Secondhand September; we encourage you to think about how you can contribute to the sustainable fashion movement, be it buying pre-loved or upcycling an old item from your wardrobe. I'll leave you with this...