No Policy, No Problem - NYFW Brands and Designers who are committed to Sustainability

The driving force behind the fashion industry has always been feeding the needs of consumers, and of course there’s a small dash aspiration thanks to our love for pretty things.  Unfortunately, the fashion and textile industry (which includes clothing, leather goods and footwear) is “responsible for an estimated 2-8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, consuming 215 trillion liters of water per year, and accounts for approximately 9% of annual microplastics losses to the oceans”, according to the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion.  

So, while fashion editors, buyers, and enthusiast jet-set to the world’s fashion capitals to enjoy the shows during fashion month, sustainability is often the furthest thing from their minds.   Despite many choosing to ignore sustainability and treating it as an invisible factor, it is not invisible to us all.  Hence, I wanted to spotlight a few designers and brands who presented conscious collections during NYFW.  These brands have decided to take a stance against unethical and unsustainable practices without US government legislation.  They are committed to working on reducing their negative environmental and social impacts with hopes of turning the fashion industry into a driver of positive global change.

The following designers have committed to contributing to the fashion world’s value chain in a way that will achieve global sustainability and carbon neutrality.  What I really love is that these designers rendered measurable change to their productions by implementing ethical and sustainable practices in order to yield meaningful environmental solutions.  We will see how some designers took pre-sell orders, manufactured small runs of inventory, and eliminated bulk ordering of their collections.  Others used renewable and clean energy resources designing sustainable collections with less impact on the environment.  And lastly, some consolidated fashion events, shows and show locations.   See the designers below and my favorite looks from each collections. 

Angel Chang

            Angel Chang is a self-proclaimed “zero carbon” womenswear designer.  Her brand is also climate neutral certified direct to consumer.  During the pandemic most designers were forced to use unusual approaches to developing their collections; thus Angel’s SS23 collection is extremely unique.  This collection is over 10 years in the making.  It’s a collaboration involving Chinese artisans and tribes from rural China.  Her SS23 collection is extremely distinct because it was created using only the bare hands of the makers following cycles of nature without electricity and harsh chemicals.  All fabric was stained using plant-based dyes from gather leaves and petals that had fallen naturally.

BOBBLEHAUS

            BOBBLEHAUS is a genderless, sustainable brand that “brings together global Gen-Z perspectives on fashion, music, art, design, and technology”.  Founders Ophelia Chen and Abi Lierheimer ensure that their designs are made sustainably by using deadstock, recycled fabrics, and renewable materials such as Lyocell fibers extracted from sustainably grown wood.  The brand is socially sustainable as well as environmentally.  Their workplace condition aligns with human rights, ILO conventions and labor laws.  I also want to mention that they collaborated with an organization called One Tree Planted, which plants 10 trees for every item purchased. 

BruceGlen

            This color loving duo returned to NYC to show their collection.  Identical twins, BruceGlen’s SS23 collection is full of metallic leathers, psychedelic prints and colors, and unique designs all with a western flair.  Designers credit the inspiration for the collection on a thrifted cowboy shirt.     

            In creating this collection, the brand partnered with Resonance Brands to implement a sustainable manufacturing system using digital printing only.  They don’t use any batch-dyeing or screen printing, opting to instead use natural fibers which are 95% biodegradable.  It should be noted that the brand is socially conscious by using ethical practices such as simply paying all staff above a living wage.

Collina Strada

Collina Strada is a beautiful, socially sustainable brand that works to set itself apart from the rest by creating necessary ethical sensibilities for social issues.  Engraved in the character of the brand is transparency and its aspiration to become fully sustainable.  The collection is manufactured in New York and made using an organic fiber called rose sylk that’s made from rose bushes and stems, deadstock fabrics, and recycled cotton.   

Studio 189

            Studio One Eight Nine is a beautiful “made in Africa” brand that works with the artisanal community there through partnerships with UN ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative and NYU Stern School of Business.  These collaborations create opportunities for makers on the continent to gain skills and trainings, become further educated, and thus be even more EMPOWERED.  The African-inspired clothes are made using local plants and herbs which creates natural dyes. Recycled cottons and glasses are used as fabrics, as well as pineapple fibers used to make pineapple pinatex leather.   

Gabriela Hearst

            Gabriela Hearst showed an incredible collection during NYFW.  Her SS23 offerings included beautiful knits, crochets, constructed jersey dresses and molded, gold leather insets, pantsuits, and dresses.  Some materials used were natural and repurposed from deadstock.  The boots were made using biodegradable EVA soles.      

            Gabriela Hearst is a brand that’s not only environmentally conscious, but is socially sustainable as well.  Her runway casting included a diverse group of women presenting in all shapes, sizes and abilities.  Female empowerment is woven in the brand’s DNA, thus for models Gabriela tapped some of her friends who works as advocates and activist fighting for human rights, women’s health issues and environmental solutions. 

Fashion Week can be Sustainable

Sustainable Fashion Month

Fashion Month is upon us, and to no one’s surprise my favorite of them all kicks it off – Copenhagen.  Fashion enthusiast travel to Denmark’s capital for bright colors, fun prints and most importantly a peek at how fashion brands successfully approach sustainability. 

 At first glance Munthe stood out with its clean, crisp color palette of hues of blue, kelly green, mustard and rust. The collection spoke to my love for ease in dressing all while including key wardrobe staples that I gravitate towards.  An all-inclusive band of models (representing all sizes and races) hit the runways adorned in oversized denim, jackets, flowy two-piece sets and hypebeast-esque sneakers.  I am willing to guarantee this collection is a fan favorite because it’s one of my favs for sure.

As we all know, Copenhagen Fashion Week’s organizers are challenging participants to create action plans behind obtaining sustainability in the apparel and textile sector.  The demand is for industry players to realize the negative impact of past practices, and to therefore, proactively change the way we co-exist in the fashion world.  Climate change is taking a toll on our planet.  

Munthe strives towards become a more sustainable brand by complying with the new set of standards by Copenhagen Fashion Week.  The brand’s current collection is 64% “responsibly made” meaning more than 50% of the fabric composition is made from sustainable materials.  Aside from conscious sourcing, Munthe has sustainability requirements integrated into its business strategy, CSR strategy, Code of Conduct, travel, packaging, and purchase policy.  This brand ultimately hopes to become zero waste and attain carbon neutrality within in the next few years.

Global Fashion Summit - Copenhagen Edition

Alliance for a New Era 

This year I had the honored of being invited to the Global Fashion Agenda’s annual summit.  If you have been following for some time, then you know that fashion circularity is something that I am most passionate about.  Over a decade ago, I fell in love for thrifting and shopping pre-loved and vintage items. Honestly, I couldn’t believe how inexpensive such well-made and unique the secondhand clothing was.  Unfortunately, I later realized that not everyone had such an appreciation and fondness for discovering Something New, among others’ Something Old.  Trend led, fast fashion was much more appealing to my counterparts.  Social media and immediate access to what celebrities were wearing on and off duty pushed the masses to covet designer.    

As fashion consumers have become more enthralled in “see now, wear now”; fashion production has ultimately increased sending the global fashion supply chain into overdrive.  Currently the way clothing is mass produced is unsustainable.  Our planet is subjected to increase greenhouse gas emissions, incinerations have increased, and the entire process of manufacturing fabrics and textiles requires copious amounts of water.   

The purpose of the Global Fashion Agenda’s fashion summit is to simply assemble like-minded, change makers and stakeholders into the same room and create solutions and new initiatives that will have positive impact on the planet, as well as forge to achieve net zero within the sector.  Reversing the effects of the negligence caused by the fashion industry requires the formation of alliances through commitment and legislation.

A major takeaway was realizing that simply shipping secondhand clothing to a developing country isn’t offering much service, aid or relief to the people.  As Liz Ricketts of the Or Foundation so vividly explained, that in the global North we consider this redistribution of clothing or textiles as circularity, diversion, charity, or recycling.  When in actuality, 40% of all the 15 million garments of clothing that land on the continent of Africa weekly goes to waste and ends up in landfills.  This idea of waste management doesn’t empower the players of the Global South at all.  The secondhand clothing trade is a one-sided operation of blatant “disaster capitalism” which primarily benefits the Global North through the subsidization of domestic jobs.  Many view importing secondhand clothing into the global South as negligent.  The suppliers of the clothing and textiles are providing low-cost resources and waste management solutions. 

Social manipulators are leveraging the desperation of the citizens, in these parts of the World, who are simply looking to participate in fair trade practices and earn a living wage.  Unfortunately, there isn’t an wholly exhibit of circularity.

Many consider the supply chain power dynamic as linear and believe it doesn’t empower all stakeholders.  Thus, leaving the economy off balance.  As Liz Ricketts said during a panel that “instead of redistributing materials focus on redistributing wealth and power”, which would ensure equity and justice for all.

Moving Forward…

So, it’s safe to say that exporting secondhand clothing to the global South isn’t sustainable or useful, but only acts as a temporary waste management solution for the global North.  Creating a truly circular economy is what will ultimately lead to cleaner, greener Planet with empowered inhabitants. 

Radical redefining would require systemic changes and mindset shifts from all stakeholders, especially industry brands.  Unfortunately, many brands are seeking the cheapest manufacturer to produce their goods, in hopes of gaining a competitive advantage with reduced labor cost and minimal worker labor rights. Being practical, ethical and solution oriented have taken a back seat as many producers are fast-tracking the race to the bottom.   

In fact, brands must begin moving beyond simple ideas such as transparency or traceability, and focus moreso on progressive, tangible selective solutions.  Readjustments will start when alliances are built within supply chains.  One of the standout ERP policy announcements from the event was the OR Foundation and SHEIN partnership.  Because the brand acknowledges that their waste may be ending up in landfills in the global South, SHEIN is donating $50 million USD over the next 5 years for waste management in those affected communities. This is an outstanding way to shift power dynamics and foster real system change through action.   

Other policy and legislative solutions mentioned during the summit included the Paris Agreement for Climate Change Agenda.  This intergovernmental agreement between 197 entities works to limit global greenhouse gas emissions and prevent the rising of global temperatures below 1.5 degrees.  The deal also set the goal of maintaining and publishing greenhouse gas reduction targets and most importantly moving the sector to NetZero carbon emission by 2050.

Closing thoughts on ensuring that the fashion supply chain become sustainable offered solutions for change.  Examples include the idea of brands using digital IDs/passports, supply chain alliances and smart regulations to curb the global greenhouse gas emissions produced by the apparel and footwear sectors.