Activist Liya Kebede on Lemlem, Financing Nonprofits for How To Spend It Magazine

Activist Liya Kebede on Lemlem, Financing Nonprofits for How To Spend It Magazine

AOC has shared numerous articles about top model Liya Kebede and her ethical brand Lemlem, produced in Ethiopia and launched in 2007. Lemlem means “to bloom” and “flourish” in Amharic, writes How To Spend It Magazine’s Alice Cavanagh about her interview with Kebede in Paris.

Looking for fresh insights in Kebede’s How To Spend It interview, we note a discussion about the growing subject of diversity in the fashion industry. Reflecting on the Spring 2020 shows, the most diverse shows ever held in September and October, Estee Lauder’s first black spokesmodel smiles, “Honestly, it is a lot more colourful now.” She continues:

“When I started working, there could only be one black person on every runway. That’s kind of insane. It was accepted; no one even questioned it.” Certainly, I [interviewer Alice Cavanagh} offer, we might have social media to thank for this: fashion no longer exists in a bubble, and brands and people of influence are being held accountable for everything from casting choices to greenwashing.

“I don’t buy the whole ‘You’re bad and I’m good’ thing… sometimes you screw up,” cautions Kebede. “That whole thing scares me a bit, to be honest. It propagates so much hate and intolerance.”

Earth Mother Stella McCartney Covers Vogue US January 2019 Creative Forces Tribute

Since her 1995 Central Saint Martins graduation show, Stella McCartney’s brand has embodied an urgent desire to end animal cruelty in the fashion industry. Fake furs were mainstream when Stella began her fashion climb, but the only glues available were animal-based. “I imagine Vikings sitting around a pot, boiling down the last bones of the elk that they skinned for the fur,” says McCartney. “And I think, Wow—we’re still there.” Of course, we now also know the toll fake fur takes on the environment.

Her coldly-realistic assessment of fashion’s conscience — or lack of it — inspired Stella McCartney to walk her fashion talk with as few comprises as possible. That decision has positioned her at the pinnacle of intelligent design forces sweeping through the fashion industry, before it is too late to save ourselves, our planet and our children’s futures.

Today McCartney uses renewable energy where it’s available for both her stores and offices. Her commitment to cruelty-free fashion and sustainability is fast becoming the industry norm, influencing product development and sourcing decisions at Armani, Chanel, Gucci, Michael Kors, Prada and more on the topic of fur. “I’m hugely relieved,” says McCartney, “but I’m actually astounded that it’s taken so long.”

Stella sold a non-majority stake in her company to LVMH earlier in 2019, a relationship that puts her in a key advisory role to Chairman Bernard Arnault for the entire LVMH stable of luxury brands.

The designer covers the January 2020 issue of Vogue, lensed by Annie Leibovitz. Stella holds her four children (clockwise in cover from top left), Bailey, Miller, Beckett, and Reileyis. The entire family wears Stella McCartney, styled by Tonne Goodman. Hamish Bowles conducts the interview. Read on at Vogue

Nike Signs (No) Arctic Shipping Pledge, Joining H&M Group, Kering, PVH Corp

The truth is that many large corporations have no problem that the Arctic is melting. They want the new shipping route as a terrible example of corporate greed and self-interest. Still, corporate interests are salivating to ship through the Arctic year-round.

It’s very important that NIKE has teamed up with the Ocean Conservancy to launch the Arctic Shipping Corporate Pledge, inviting businesses and industry to join in a commitment against shipping through the Arctic Ocean.

Ships are responsible for more than 18 percent of some air pollutants. It also includes greenhouse gas emissions. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) estimates that carbon dioxide emissions from shipping were equal to 2.2% of the global human-made emissions in 2012 and expects them to rise 50 to 250 percent by 2050 if no action is taken.

The Arctic Shipping Corporate Pledge invites companies to commit to not intentionally send ships through this fragile Arctic ecosystem. Today's signatories include companies Bestseller, Columbia, Gap Inc., H&M Group, Kering, Li & Fung, PVH Corp., and ocean carriers CMA CGM, Evergreen, Hapag-Lloyd and Mediterranean Shipping Company.

"The dangers of trans-Arctic shipping routes outweigh all perceived benefits and we cannot ignore the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions from shipping on our ocean," says Janis Searles Jones, CEO of Ocean Conservancy. "Ocean Conservancy applauds Nike for recognizing the real bottom line here is a shared responsibility for the health of the Arctic—and believes the announcement will spur much-needed action to prevent risky Arctic shipping and hopes additional commitments to reduce emissions from global shipping will emerge." 

For Nike to take a lead in advancing and promoting awareness of the Arctic Shipping Corporate Pledge is an excellent victory. With all the moves to track how products are made and transported, we can check a product on our phones and see if it's been transported through the Arctic. If the environment means enough to us -- this is where consumer power comes into action. But it takes business leaders like Nike to talk to other corporate leaders on some of these topics. At least, it's a collaborative effort of business and activism like this one.

Queen Elizabeth II Says "Faux Fur Only Going Forward"

Queen Elizabeth II via W Magazine

Queen Liz is onboard: no more fur. Faux fur only on very cold days. Her Majesty has already had all the mink trim -- and any other animal fur -- removed from her most favorite coats, replaced with faux fur.

Stella McCartney has a marvelous new faux fur that is impossible to distinguish from the original — although the Queen’s longtime personal adviser and official dresser Angela Kelly says that Her Majesty’s preference is to move away from fur entirely.

The Humane Society International formally announced that it's "thrilled" before calling on the British government to make the U.K. the first country in the world to ban the sale of fur. The UK branch of PETA, hardly known for low-volume press messages on the subject of animal rights, tweeted "we're raising a glass of gin and Dubonnet to the Queen’s compassionate decision to go fur-free".

Image via Town and Country

After a quick sip, the organization then suggested that perhaps the Queen’s Guard, known worldwide for their enormous bearskin hats could follow Her Majesty’s lead. PETA has been lobbying for faux fur hats to replace the current ones for almost three years, even sending her prototypes from Only Me in 2017, writes Town and Country.

We all curtsy to a modern woman very concerned about protecting heritage and protocol, while keeping British royalty relevant with evolving values.

H&M Trials Clothing Rentals With Stockholm Store's Conscious Exclusive 2012-2019

H&M is launching a new concept store in Stockholm, a venue dedicated to rentals of sustainable ready-to-wear from Conscious Exclusive collections past and present. Pieces from sustainable Conscious Exclusive collections 2012-2019 will be available to customers who are members of H&M’s customer loyalty program.

Members will be able to book a time at the rental space where a stylist treats them to a personalised experience, helping them select some great pieces they can then rent for a week. Members can rent up to three pieces a time at a cost of around 350 Swedish kronor per piece.

“We love offering our fans something extra and we also want to encourage our customers to look on fashion in a circular way as we aim to lead the change towards a circular fashion industry,” says Pascal Brun, Head of Sustainability at H&M

To further inspire customers to reuse and recycle, the store will also offer repair services with an atelier where customers can get their fashion favourites mended or upgraded. The newly furbished Sergels Torg store, which opens end of November, will offer customers a great shopping destination with a curated assortment, a beauty bar and the café-concept It’s Pleat. 

H&M Opens Mitte Garten Neighborhood Store for Local Talents in Berlin

H&M’s first hyper-local flagship Mitte Garten opened its doors on October 25th in Berlins creative Mitte district. With it’s approximately 300 square meters, it’s one of H&M's smallest stores offering curated womenswear, selected external brands, vintage pieces and a showroom for customers.

"It’s a test for us as a global retailer to elaborate around how we can be more personal and locally relevant."

                                                                            Anna Bergare Business Developer at the Laboratory H&M Group 

H&M Mitte Garten will regularly offer events such as lectures, fashion talks and yoga for its customers. In the public showroom upcoming trends and looks are presented. Here consumers can try on and lend pieces to make sure that their future purchases are consciously made.

"This is a unique location and it has served as a meeting place for Berliners for over a hundred years, a tradition we want to honour. We aim to offer a neighbourhood store serving as a platform for local and global talents within retail, culture and art."

                                                                                          Thorsten Mindermann country manager H&M Germany

Calvin Klein Jeans Fall 2019 Ad Campaign Promotes Sexy | Saitex Sustainability Update

Calvin Klein Jeans Fall 2019 Ad Campaign Promotes Sexy | Saitex Sustainability Update

Theo Wenner captures Calvin Klein Jeans Fall 2019 campaign, styled by Melanie Ward. Models Abby Champion, Aqua Parios, Ben Allen, Iris Law, Lexi Boling and Selena Forrest front the campaign with creative direction by Cedric Murac./ Hair by Holli Smith

As promised, AOC takes a temperature check on denim production sustainability initiatives at Calvin Klein Jeans, a practice that we’re employing regularly for all the major brands that we feature. Fashionista visited Saitex, an innovative, sustainability-focused factory that produces denim for both Calvin Klein Jeans and Tommy Hilfiger — owned by PVH. We don’t know the percentage of Calvin Klein Jeans produced by Saitex, nor whether the sustainable jeans currently being promoted by Calvin are a significant portion of their total inventory. We do know that PVH takes the topic of sustainability very seriously, having opened a denim sustainability lab. (See article end of this one.)

Located in Vietnam, Saitex is “the denim partner of choice for a host of ethical labels including Everlane, Eileen Fisher and G-Star Raw. Saitex also produces for American Eagle, Gap, J Crew, Madewell, Ralph Lauren, Outerknown and more.

Saitex founder Sanjeev Bahl is actually featured on the Madewell website, as part of their transparency initiative.

Standearth's First Fashion Industry Sustainability Report Card Promises Made v. Promises Kept

Image by Levi’s

Making pledges around sustainability is the easy part for businesses large and small. The question is whether or not brands are delivering on those promises, Vogue Business quotes Standearth as saying that until now, no organization holds the fashion industry accountable on sustainability promises vs deliberables.

The Canadian-American advocacy group released its first fashion industry report card last Thursday, writing that Levis and American Eagle are the only two major players on target with the Paris Agreement’s goal to limit temperature increases to 1.5 degrees, according to Standearth.

The report, titled “Filthy Fashion Climate Scorecard,” ranks the climate commitments of 45 top fashion companies who have joined the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, the UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, or the G7 Fashion Pact.

“A handful of companies, including Levi’s, Burberry, the Gap, H&M, and American Eagle are taking meaningful strides to shift their global supply chains off dirty fossil fuels. But many other companies are relying on false solutions to meet their climate commitments – easy measures that look good on paper but fail to tackle carbon pollution in the real world. While the industry’s progress is encouraging, signing onto one of these initiatives doesn’t guarantee that a company will take climate action in line with the scale of emissions reductions needed to keep the world below a dangerous level of warming,” said Liz McDowell, Filthy Fashion Campaign Director at Stand.earth.

The companies ranked in the report are: Adidas, Aldo, American Eagle, Amer Sport brands Arcteryx and Salomon, ASICS, Burberry, Columbia, C&A, Disney, Eileen Fisher, Esprit, Ganni, Gant, Gap, Guess, Hanes, H&M, Inditex (Zara), JCPenny, Kering group (Gucci, Yves St Laurent, Stella McCartney), Land’s End, Levi’s, LL Bean, Lululemon, LVMH (Dior, Fendi), Macy’s, Mammut, Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC), M&S, New Balance, Nike, Nordstrom, Otto, Patagonia, Pentland, Primark, Puma, PVH (Calvin Klein, Hilfiger), Recreational Equipment Inc (REI), SkunkFunk, Target, Under Armour, VF Corp (The North Face, Timberland), and Walmart.

17 companies have made little to no climate commitments — despite signing a sustainability pledge with fanfare — which would put the world on a path to climate catastrophe, with 3 or more degrees of warming, writes .Standearth.

TheRealReal x Burberry Relationship Promotes Deeply Personal Mutual Brand Loyalty

Writing for Forbes, Pamela N. Danziger digs beyond the obvious into the details of the newly-announced partnership between Burberry and TheRealReal. Officially the union promotes increasingly critical synergies in corporate responsibility and sustainable living in the fashion industry.

“Leading the way in creating a more circular economy for fashion is a key element of our Responsibility agenda,” Pam Batty, Burberry’s VP of corporate responsibility, said in a statement. “Through this new partnership we hope to not only champion a more circular future but encourage consumers to consider all the options available to them when they are looking to refresh their wardrobes.”

Burberry claims to have been at the “forefront of sustainability in fashion” for more than 15 years, an assertion that assertion may be up for debate among environmentalists. Surely Burberry doesn’t claim to share the Stella McCartney eco-conscious spotlight.

McCartney has been on the RealReal since 2018, experiencing a 65% increase in the number of consignors of her branded merchandise and a total increase of 74% of Stella McCartney items sold on the RealReal after announcing the partnership.

The real importance of the Burberry - RealReal relationship is lifetime customer acquisition, argues Danziger. More customers who experience both brands first at resale, then at full-price in a Burberry store, then returning to the trusted halo of The RealReal to resell and recycle. Sustainable, eco-conscious action is a critical issue, but don’t underestimate the inherent result of sustainable economics that translates into brand loyalty more intimate and personal than any ad campaign.

The RealReal reports demand for Burberry has increased 64% year-over-year, with Millennial and GenZ customer searches rising fastest on its site. In addition, the ThredUp 2019 Resale Report states that Burberry is the luxury brand with the best resale value; Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Hermès, and Prada are lower on that list.

Related: Caroline Knudssen Fronts Riccardo Tisci’s NET-A-PORTER x Burberry Fall 2019 Collection

Stella McCartney Partners with DuPont + Ecopel on KOBA® Bio-Based Faux Fur

Natalia Vodianova wearing Koba faux fur by Stella McCartney.

Planet Green team leader Stella McCartney is launching KOBA® faux fur, a joint project with the designer, DuPont Biomaterials and global faux fur textile manufacturer Ecopel. The exciting new material, made from Sorona® bio-based fibers “claims both a lower carbon footprint and more luxurious feel than existing faux fur alternatives”, writes Vogue Business.

McCartney unveiled the exciting new faux fur at her spring 2020 ready-to-wear show.

“Polyester isn’t the same quality that we want, and the modacrylic doesn’t give us the sustainability that we want,” says Claire Bergkamp, Stella McCartney’s worldwide director of sustainability and innovation. “This is kind of bridging that gap,” Bergkamp explains in listing the merits of the new faux fur, compared to other market options.

Reflecting a new mood of shared innovation among leading fashion industry brands and manufacturers, Bergkamp hopes that Koba becomes an industry standard adopted by other fashion players. Saying she is keep to advise other labels about the latest developments around Koba, Bergkamp stresses reality. “This has to be a collaborative effort. It is a moment of climate crisis — and it is a genuine crisis. We want to show what’s possible, and show that these sustainable improvements can be beautiful [and] luxurious.”

SustainableBrands.com writes: “The new Koba® Fur-Free Fur by Ecopel is made with recycled polyester and up to 100 percent DuPont™ Sorona® plant-based fibers, creating the first commercially available faux furs using bio-based ingredients Koba — the collection of which ranges from classic mink styles to plush, teddy-style fur — can be recycled at the end of its long life, helping to keep ensure it never ends up as waste and closes the fashion loop; something that McCartney is passionate about, as she pushes toward circularity. It’s 37 percent plant-based Sorona material means that it consumes up to 30 percent less energy and produces up to 63 percent less greenhouse gas than conventional synthetics.

“We’ve been working with Stella McCartney for several years and we have clearly been positively influenced by her values,” Ecopel CEO Christopher Sarfati said in a statement. “Not only are we proud to offer animal-friendly alternatives to fur, but are even more proud to take the road less traveled in designing new ways to create faux fur. From recycled to bio-based, we are supporting a transition toward more sustainable materials.”

Planet-Friendly Denim Makes a Fashion Comeback | Eva Klimkova by Andreas Ortner for Gala Magazine

Planet-Friendly Denim Makes a Fashion Comeback | Eva Klimkova by Andreas Ortner for Gala Magazine

Czech model Eva Klímková is styled by Birgit Schlotterbeck in fashion-forward s(he)-leaning, feminine mixes with plenty of denim. There’s no doubt that denim is making a comeback. Even the Duchess of Sussex wore denim jeans and a denim jacket on her recent trip to South Africa.

In this well-styled, directional, denim-rich fashion editorial, Andreas Ortner is behind the lens for Gala Magazine’s October 2019 issue./ Beauty by Peggy Kurka

Kardashian-Jenner Women Launch Kardashian Kloset Resale on Friday, October 4

Kardashian-Jenners launch Kardashian Kloset resale platform.

Friday morning, 9am PST, doors will open to Kardashian Kloset, a new luxury resale venture initially populated with items belonging to Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian West and Kylie Jenner, writes Vogue Business. Handbags, shoes, sunglasses, costume jewelery and pre-loved clothing from Khloe Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian and Kendall Jenner will follow in weekly drops.

In the US, resale is booming. The country’s total secondhand market, which includes resale, thrift and donations, is forecast to increase from $24 billion in 2018 to $51 billion in 2023. According to the 2019 Fashion Resale Report by Thredup, the US resale market has grown 21 times faster than traditional retail apparel in the last three years.

Vogue Business writes that while resale is a growing segment of sustainable consumption, in America it more often allows access to luxury items unaffordable at the original price. This dynamic is poised to change, however, as more women embrace resale as a core option of responsible consumption.

According to Marc Beckman, founding partner and CEO of advertising and representation agency DMA United, the resale market will also benefit from celebrity endorsements. “Influential celebrities can instantly eliminate the stigma attached to the secondary market,” he writes via email. “The Kardashian’s participation, if executed properly, will certainly accelerate acceptance and sales of previously owned and used merchandise.”

Edie Campbell Shoots Zara 'Keep It Uptown Campaign', While Accepting Fast Fashion Complicity

Edie Campbell Shoots Zara 'Keep It Uptown Campaign', While Accepting Fast Fashion Complicity

Manly or not? Top model Edie Campbell suits up in Zara’s latest fall 2019 trend campaign, heading to Manhattan’s Upper East Side in faux fur jackets, bourgeois plaid skirts, printed dresses and pussy-cat bow blouses — with lace collars, no less. Miss Manners is on the move.

AOC has spent time recently reflecting on the hypocrisy of writing about the critical need for sustainability in fashion — while simultaneously promoting it through blog posts. I’ve concluded that silence — or stopping the posting of fast fashion — it not the answer. But we will use each fast fashion post to search for and report on any sustainability-related updates by the brand — in this case Zara.

We will also use the same post to share any new industry info or essays around fast fashion. This compromise allows us to give readers what they see in terms of fashion trends and photography, while using the post to remind us that all of us fashionistas, and the insatiable lust for something new — are part of a very serious problem for our planet. Together, we must also be part of the solution.

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Edie concludes her essay — after citing glimmers of hope around sustainability in the fashion industry — with choice words, and not ones that will always get her more work.

“I would be proud to work with brands that shoot on a Norfolk beach, rather than flying a European crew to Mexico. I would love there to be more transparency on clothing labels. I would love the fashion industry to produce less and invest in more sustainable manufacturing methods and materials. Mostly, I would love people to buy less. Even if that would put me out of a job.”

Cara Delevingne, Rebellious Brit, Fronts Dior Joaillerie's Rose des Vents Collection

Top talent, actor, model and activist Cara Delevingne is now the face of Dior Joaillerie, starting with the brand’s Rose des Vents campaign. The Brit has modeled for the Dior brand before and is currently the face of its Addict Stellar Shine lipstick, but this is her first jewelry campaign.

Cara Delevingne for Dior’s Joaillerie Rose des Vents collection.

Describing Cara as “a rebellious English rose”, the announcement continues: ““Much more than a muse, the audacious icon is an endless source of inspiration. For Dior, Cara Delevingne upends the conventional jewellery codes with her characteristic whimsy.”

The Joaillerie's Rose des Vents collection is inspired by Christian Dior’s favorite flower, the rose, and his global travels. The importance of flowers in our lives was also celebrated by Maria Grazia Chiuri’s recent spring 2020 runway show for the luxury house.

In another of Chiuri’s deep-dives into the history of Christian Dior, the creative director was deeply inspired by Christian Dior’s sister Catherine, an active member of the French resistance. The bold, audacious ‘Miss’ in Miss Dior was captured by the French resistance and sent to Ravensbrück, an all-female concentration camp in northern Germany.

Catherine Dior, imprisoned French resistance activist and lover of flowers.

Catherine survived, returning to Paris where she sold her beloved flowers at Les Halles market, where she was the ONLY woman granted a license to trade as a ‘cut flowers broker’. Miss Dior became an acclaimed gardener, botanist and house consultant on flowers.

Catherine Dior’s love for blooms and nature also supported Chiuri’s commitment to the environment at her spring 2020 show. One of her noteworthy initiatives was working with the Paris-based environmental design collective Coloco, which will replant the “show trees” in projects around the city.

Christian Dior SS20 show Paris, Sept. 2019

Reformation + New Balance Sneaker Series Has Style and Sustainable Cred

In an exciting, affordable new collab, Reformation has joined forced with New Balance, to create a sneakers series that’s both stylist and sustainable. The October 10 launch featuring three styles in five color variations retails for $80 to $110 includes the 574 and X 90 New Balance sneakers. Colorways are neutral and color-blocked with color pops.

The sustainable cred includes soy-based inks for printing, recycled polyester compromising the lining, laces, labels, and shoe inserts made using EVA foam and BLOOM algae, “two products that help shoe manufacturers reduce the use of fossil fuels”, writes Teen Vogue.

Some Fashion Luxury Brands Are Just Buying Carbon Neutral Status -- Not Gabriela Hearst

Some Fashion Luxury Brands Are Just Buying Carbon Neutral Status -- Not Gabriela Hearst

Carbon Neutral Buzz

The new luxury fashion buzz word in the sustainability dialogue is “carbon neutral”. Long-time sustainable brand Gabriela Hearst delivered a carbon-neutral Spring 2020 runway show in New York, and Gucci announced to considerable fanfare that “it had achieved 100 percent carbon neutrality in its supply chain and operations.” How? By buying carbon offsets writes Vogue Business. Both Burberry in London and Gucci in Milan hosted carbon neutral Spring 2020 shows, again by buying carbon offsets.

Rachel Cernansky notes that the numbers add up on paper but buying carbon credits isn’t a substitute for actually reducing emissions, and ideally they follow — not lead — actual carbon-reduction improvements in the brand’s design, sales, marketing and manufacturing and manufacturing processes.

Gabriela Hearst Sets New Standards for NYFW

Gabriela Hearst is a leader in the sustainability sector. No one tops Stella McCartney, but Hearst makes a strong showing. Vogue Business shares innovations taken by Hearst that surely aren’t happening at either Gucci or Burberry.

The designer booked only local models (see photo above) for her SS20 New York show, and this new policy will become permanent. Hearst also cut out sample production for her supply chain and — this is a biggie — the designer is shipping product via boat, resulting in a longer 10-week delivery window.

New York’s CFDA website drills down even deeper on Gabriela Hearst’s initiatives for NYFW. She teamed up with her production company Bureau Betak to track every element of the show including insuring that the food used for catering to the models used only local and seasonal foodstuffs and the models’ hair was done without using electricity.

Unable to cut down on the emissions from private cars, Ubers, and taxis delivering guests to her September 10 show, Hearst gave guests a scarf featuring a print of animals that’ve have recently gone extinct. The Gabriella Hearst brand donated funds in guests names to Our Children’s Trust, the nonprofit organization based in Oregon that has filed lawsuits on behalf of youth plaintiffs against governments, arguing that they are infringing on the children’s rights to a stable climate system. Read on in Fashion & Brands.

Luca Meneghel Shoots Nana Skovgaard in End of World Story for Vogue Portugal September 2019

Luca Meneghel Shoots Nana Skovgaard in End of World Story for Vogue Portugal September 2019

Model Nana Skovgaard is styled by Michele Bagnara in ‘The End of the Fucking World’, the cover story for Vogue Portugal September 2019. Luca Meneghel shoots one of the covers and this lead fashion editorial for VP’s ‘Planet Earth is the New Trend’ issue on environmental action and climate change ./ Makeup b Luciano Chiarello

Stella McCartney Issues Dramatic Plea for Critical Sustainability Changes in Fashion Industry

Amber Valletta, Chu Wong + Emma Laird Front Stella McCartney Fall 2019 by Johnny Dufort Stella McCartney Fall 2019 Ad Campaign

Stella McCartney’s Fall 2019 ad campaign features Amber Valletta, Chu Wong and Emma Laird lensed by Johnny Dufort./ Makeup by Thomas De Kluyver; hair by Gary Gill

Stella McCartney Open Letter on Sustainability Sept. 15, 2019

In advance of her Spring 2020 Women’s Ready-to-Wear show McCartney issued an industry letter published in London’s Sunday Times Style magazine. The designer known for her relentless work with the fashion industry around issues of sustainability is calling for immediate action in all sectors of garment manufacturing.

"The fashion industry is at a crossroads, and I believe that this is a moment for us to come together to achieve systemic, sustainable change in our industry. “

Designer Stella McCartney

McCartney is calling for a shift towards circularity and reuse of what we already have, helping to reduce the insatiable need for newness that has ravaged the planet in the last 20 years.

"The fashion industry is one of the most polluting and damaging industries in the world. Every single second, the equivalent of one rubbish truck of textiles is sent to landfill or burnt.

"The fashion industry accounts for more than a third of ocean microplastics, while textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of clean water globally. If nothing changes, by 2050 the fashion industry will be using up to a quarter of the world's carbon budget.

"This way of working is not sustainable. The world is crying out for change, and it is our responsibility to act now... The science is clear, and we need to do more than just incremental shifts; keeping business as usual is no longer an option."

As well as encouraging rental, resale and recycling of clothing, Stella wants companies to embrace new "tools" and "innovators" to create their garments.

As well as encouraging rental, resale and recycling of clothing, Stella wants companies to embrace new "tools" and "innovators" to create their garments.

"The Ellen MacArthur Foundation tells us that only 1% of textiles are recycled back into textiles each year -- this is simply unacceptable. Supporting innovators will help to drastically increase this number, but we need this shift now.

"Companies we work with, like Econyl and Evrnu, are enabling true textile-to-textile recycling. More brands could help these innovators scale, and governments should support their development.

"For decades the fashion industry has relied on the same 10 to 12 fibres to make almost all of our garments, and I believe that it is time for us to add some new tools to our toolbox. Incredible innovators like Bolt Threads are using cutting-edge technology and biology to develop new textiles and materials.

"They are reimagining what the building blocks of our industry could be, and we are working closely with them as they develop incredible mycelium-based 'leather', grown in a lab and not harming a single creature in the process.

"The production of leather, which can account for up to 10% of the commercial value of a cow, shares full responsibility for the same environmental hazards as the meat industry; most critically, it is a leading cause of climate change. I believe with these new technologies that we are on the brink of something very exciting."

New AOC Writing on Sustainability

Adwoa, Jill and Ebonee Headline H&M Fall 2019 Conscious Recycled PET Bottles Collection

Adwoa, Jill and Ebonee Headline H&M Fall 2019 Conscious Recycled PET Bottles Collection

Top model and activist Adwoa Aboah joins Jill Kortleve and Ebonee Davis in launching H&M’s Fall 2019 Conscious collection and campaign. The collection will be released worldwide in September.

Recycled polyester is the key material for H&M’s Fall 2019 Conscious Collection, found in the dresses, shirts, knitwear, outerwear and tailored pieces. Most often made from used PET bottles, recycled polyester is processed and spun to create a fabric that’s easy to care for. Meanwhile, the jersey pieces in the collection are made from organic cotton or blend made out of TENCEL™ lyocell fibres.

Fast fashion lies: Will they really change their ways in a climate crisis?

Fast fashion lies: Will they really change their ways in a climate crisis?

By Anika Kozlowski, Assistant Professor of Fashion Design, Ethics and Sustainnability, School of Fashion, Ryerson University. First published on The Conversation.

Recently Zara introduced a sustainability pledge. But how can Zara ever be sustainable? As the largest fast-fashion retailer in the world, they produce around 450 million garments a year and release 500 new designs a week, about 20,000 a year. Zara’s fast-fashion model has been so successful it has inspired an entire industry to shift — churning out an unprecedented number of fashion garments year-round.

We live in an era of hyper-consumption in the middle of a climate crisis.

Clothing production doubled from 2000 to 2014. The average consumer bought 60 per cent more clothing in 2014 than in 2000, but kept each garment half as long. Apparel consumption is projected to to rise by 63 per cent in the next 10 years. And less than one per cent of all clothing produced globally is recycled.

With production numbers like these, can any fast-fashion retailer claim sustainability?