where to shop for sustainability: from sportswear to designer luxury
In my last article I detailed the ways in which changes in habits can lead you on the path to becoming a more sustainable consumer. That’s all well and good, but it’s not easy to know which brands are worth your time and/or cash. While merely reducing the number of items you buy is already a great start in reducing your environmental impact, placing the few purchases you do make at sustainable retailers is all the more fulfilling – and the benefits of doing so are felt throughout the supply chain. Gone are the days where hessian and linens need to be the epitome of sustainable fashion. After all, sustainability presents itself in many ways, and these brands are exploring just some of them.
PATAGONIA
Passion for the planet is inherent throughout the Patagonia brand – from the use of sustainable fabrics, to the wonderfully wholesome Worn Wear project, the transparency of their supply chain to the activism that goes beyond the product, it is warming to see a brand that profits from and celebrates the outdoors, taking such good care of it. The Patagonia philosophy is perfectly outlined in Yvon Chouinard’s book, ‘Let My People Go Surfing’, and as perhaps the brand most renowned for its love of the planet, their efforts (and success in doing so) should be the perfect benchmark for larger brands.
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GIRLFRIEND COLLECTIVE
Sustainability in sportswear is complex – trust me. With performance often comes technology and with technology comes synthetic fibres. For example, polyester? Plastic. And we have all seen enough images to know plastic is bad for our oceans. However, Girlfriend’s stance on using recycled nylon and polyester to make their minimal work out gear is extremely direct. They are transparent about all their practices and their design approach on their website, and the workout clothes are very damn cool, too. They were even awarding their shoppers discount if they shared an image of them doing something good for the planet while wearing their gear. Now, if that’s not positive exposure I don’t know what is. Sometimes we need an incentive to start doing good.
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NOAH
One of the brands that gained a lot of attention for their boycott of Black Friday, their message and ethos is honest and refreshing. They operate in a cultural circle of brands and young consumers that devour fashion like breakfast, but are proud of their approach encouraging their shoppers to slow down, and maybe to not purchase their things if it means contributing to less waste. They boast a 100% recycled t-shirt, which shouldn’t be especially hard, but in a culture where t-shirts are some of the most accessible ways to wear a brand – it is a step in a positive direction.
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REFORMATION
Not many brands directly share their quarterly sustainability report with consumers – not many brands’ consumers would care to know – but Reformation does so proudly, and so that their transparency throughout the whole supply chain to the retail process starts to justify the more expensive price points. The collections are less trend-led and so avoid the cruxes of fast fashion and seasonality, and as a female driven brand, the consumer and the team behind the clothes is cared for and considered.
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STELLA MCCARTNEY
Luxury fashion and the retail haven of London are both hardly synonymous with sustainability, but Stella McCartney stands out in what is otherwise a disastrous industry. Her vegetarian lifestyle no doubt plays a huge part in the namesake luxury fashion label and for doing so she is a breath of fresh air for London fashion. She proudly works with suppliers offering ethical fabric solutions and her non-animal product collections were ground-breaking until recently. While her main line collections are out of my (and I presume most people’s) budgets, her Adidas collab is a great way to buy into a brand that champions sustainability and well-being.
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COLLABORATIONS
PARLEY & ADIDAS
Adidas are another sports brand paying attention to their environmental impact. Its collaborations with sustainable organisation Parley boasted a shoe made from recycled ocean plastics. Footwear is one category that is hard to recycle largely due to the glues, but the Parley collaboration proves the perfect solution to this, and hopefully other brands can follow suit.
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PARLEY & HELMUT LANG
Perhaps the one luxury brand I know I love and can rely on, Helmut Lang, is one whose recent outputs have reassured my efforts in my sustainable journey. I know I can rely on their quality and sizing (hello, sustainable shopping habits). But I was worried that the brand I had found, that I really love, may not be doing so much sustainably. That’s when they posted the Parley collaboration. A capsule of jackets made from recycled ocean plastics, and a direct sustainability campaign to match, I could rest easy knowing investing in this luxury brand may pay off for the planet.
Browse here.