Sustainability Pulse #41
Sustainability Trends & News Worth Exploring — July 3rd, 2022
An American brand with Icelandic roots has released a new regenerative collection powered by seaweed.
Aslaug Magnusdottir is an Icelandic businesswoman and entrepreneur. She is the founder of direct-to-consumer brand Katla this week, and also co-founded Moda Operandi, which she departed in 2013, and Tinker Tailor, which ceased operations in 2015. This month, Katla has launched a seaweed-cotton blend style in honor of Ocean Month.
The collection is titled the Regeneration Collection, as the seaweed blend styles have been sustainably harvested in Iceland in the charming archipelago of Sleepy Islands.
As you may know, more than land forest, seaweed is up to 20X more effective at carbon sequestration due to its incredible growth rate, exporting a large portion of its biomass out into the deep sea while removing carbon dioxide from our atmosphere once and for all!
How Major Fashion Brands Are Responding to the Roe v. Wade Ruling
In light of the devastating news that the Supreme Court has effectively overturned Roe v. Wade, a 50-year-old case that had long established the Constitution's protection of a pregnant person's right to an abortion, there has been a plethora of reactions from around the country.
How Can Fashion Brands Show Up Authentically For Pride?
Every June, the drill is the same: Brands announce their once-a-year Pride-themed collectionsreplete with rainbow motifs. And while they’re often well-intentioned, and aimed at raising awareness about the issues facing the LGBTQIA+ community and funds for organizations like The Trevor Project, the It Gets Better Project, and Phluid Phoundation, they also point at the mass capitalization of Pride month.
Quartz investigation: H&M showed bogus environmental scores for its clothing
Fast-fashion giant H&M showed customers environmental scorecards for its clothing that were misleading and, in many cases, outright deceptive, a Quartz investigation has found.
Where Digital And Physical Collide: The New Era of Digital Fashion Shows
It's a brave new world for digital fashion shows. September 2020: New York, London, Milan, and Paris proceeded with their fashion weeks. While a handful of megabrands presented their collections physically, most opted for digital fashion shows. From the comfort of their own homes, many more people were welcomed behind the fashion industry's velvet cordon to witness how brands of all sizes embraced the challenge of displaying their visions in a digital format. However, subsequent criticism made it clear that striking a balance between creating a spectacle, composing a compelling story, and showcasing the actual clothing would not be easy. As we move further out of the pandemic's grip and in-person fashion shows are greenlit once again, what will remain of the strides taken in this new digital direction?
Why brands are obsessed with building community
Brands and creators want customers to be active, engaged fans — and to spend more money.
Giving clothes a second life: How these S'pore brands are paving the way for sustainability
Clothing is made to look presentable enough to lure buyers at first glance, while completely ignoring the longevity of its use. This fosters the habit of buy-and-toss, which amounts to heaps of waste with nowhere to go besides landfills, the ocean, or the incinerator.
Sustainable Fashion's Credibility Crisis
This week, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition suspended the use of its product labels, employed by companies like H&M and Amazon, as concerns over greenwashing engulfed one of the industry's top sustainability tools.
Sustainable fashion in Japan and how 1 designer turned car airbags – near impossible to recycle – into clothes
Ryohei Kawanishi's latest collection consists of jackets, bags and other items made from old car airbags, with prices for a jacket starting at US$200
Japan has seen a sharp increase in sustainable fashion brands in recent years, but one brand director believes the sector is already beginning to peak
How the fashion industry is tackling the cost-of-living crisis
As their real disposable income keeps shrinking, millions of British consumers are treating new clothes as an unaffordable luxury. How can the industry respond?
European fashion retailers adopt new digital features for consumers.
European fashion apparel retailers are revamping their IT capabilities to keep up with changing consumer behavior trends. A recent report has revealed that these new retail technologies are being implemented to enable novel shopping experiences for amenities like social commerce, voice commerce, curbside pickup, and home delivery.
Clothes for the "apocalypse": How to design for a climate crisis
From sub-zero temperatures to forest fires and droughts, performance wear brands are designing for tomorrow's climate. Finding sustainable materials that function in extreme weather is a challenge.
5 Key Takeaways From The 2022 Global Fashion Summit In Copenhagen
After two years online, the Global Fashion Summit – which sees key industry figures meeting to drive fashion's sustainability efforts – returned in person at Copenhagen's Royal Opera House this week. Previously known as the Copenhagen Fashion Summit, the new rebranding reflects the increased ambition level of the event.
How Fashion Brands Can Enter The Metaverse
In recent years, the digital transformation of the fashion industry has gained significant momentum. The metaverse could be the next evolution of how you use the internet, interact, work, play online and eventually dress yourself.
Vera
I really hope you're enjoying The Sustainability Pulse, my weekly newsletter looking at sustainability in the fashion industry. If you find the tips and insights useful, please share these articles to help spread the word.