The surge of companies responding to the climate crisis is hugely positive, each time is harder to know whether you’re being a responsible consumer or buying into greenwashing, as fashion brands try to attract sustainability-conscious millennials increasingly. Stella McCartney has strong sustainability credentials and it is one of the most sustainable luxury brands out there, while it is getting more and more into that area, from supply chain to shop floor.
Recently, the designer chose to release a sweatshirt (one of the first 100 per cent recyclable garments made by a commercial brand) through her 14-year partnership with Adidas because it had the potential for greater accessibility. “The minute I design anything, I’m potentially creating in some kind of waste the planet doesn’t need,” she tells Vogue Business. “Maybe if I can show someone an alternative others will follow.”
Meanwhile London’s network of small, independent designer brands are leading the charge in building sustainable and responsible businesses. Sharing resources and working together are seen as keys to progress, with fashion week becoming an opportunity to exchange contacts and find solutions together.
Bethany Williams, a UK-based menswear designer, works primarily with recycled and organic materials, but she first starts by researching a social issue. She then finds a charity that provides solutions to that particular problem, teams up with them to create her collection and donates a percentage of her profits. To date the designer has collaborated with the Vauxhall Foodbank and, most recently, the Magpie Project, which offers temporary accommodation to mothers and under-five children in Newham.
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