As the fashion industry looks to lower its carbon footprint, more designers and luxury houses are making sustainability priority number one. While eco-warriors like Stella McCartney, Gabriela Hearst, and Reformation have long committed to making green the new black, other big names are now following with a focus on making eco-friendly choices and creations. With big boys like Gucci putting their money where their mouths are, embracing sustainable style is one trend we’re definitely adding to our new year fashion resolutions.
Here GRAZIA spotlights the luxury designers trailblazing their way towards a more sustainable fashion future.
Stella McCartney
British fashion designer Stella McCartney has built her entire brand identity around the ethos of environmental conservation since its inception in 2001. Constantly pushing for tougher government regulation on the fashion industry, McCartney’s passion for sustainability stems from her love of animals. Having been raised on a farm as a child, McCartney’s formative years were shaped by the ebbs and flows of our environment and its resources, giving her an indelible insight into the gravity of our environmental impact. Creating her very own “Fur-Free-Fur”, the designer’s signature recipe for organic faux fur consists of corn and recycled polyester, resulting in a lower carbon footprint than other imitation furs. Forging campaigns to stop Boxing Day- the British trail hunting tradition- to save wild foxes, speaking out against global warming, and collaborating with Greenpeace, McCartney’s list of initiatives is unending.
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Chloé/ Gabriela Hearst
At the helm of her own eponymous label since 2015 and creative director of the iconic Parisian fashion house Chloé since 2020, Gabriela Hearst has put sustainability at the forefront of her design DNA since the beginning. Like her ecologically conscious contemporary Stella McCartney, Gabriela Hearst also grew up on a farm. Born in Paysandú, Uruguay, Hearst herded cattle as a child. Imbued throughout her collections and innovative sustainable practices, her formative childhood experience has inspired her achievements in going plastic-free, utilizing compostable packaging, recycled cardboard hangers, and debuting the first carbon-free runway show in 2019. With goals to ban any use of virgin materials by this year, and put 80% of deadstock fabric to use by 2025, Hearst’s sustainable innovations are in a state of constant evolution.
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Gucci
Opening the metaphorical floodgates, Gucci caused a stir when creative director Alessandro Michele announced the Italian luxury label would be ousting authentic animal fur from its future collections in 2018. With his statement reverberating throughout the industry, big-time labels like Versace, Michael Kors, and Prada followed Gucci’s lead. Implementing “Gucci Off The Grid” in 2020, Alessandro Michele has helmed the circular initiative, utilizing organic, recycled, bio-based materials. With Kering backing Gucci’s progressive projects, the brand’s calculated goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions seem to be on track, proving the powerful fashion house to be setting the bar as far as ultra-luxe sustainability is concerned.
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Vivienne Westwood
Always one to question the status quo, British fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood has been a staunch voice, speaking out against climate change and fashion’s cumbersome impact on the environment. With her fashion shows simultaneously acting as protests, her garments have a particular way of expressing the global issues nearest and dearest to Westwood’s heart. With phrases like “Buy Less” and “Buy Local” emblazoned across t-shirts, Westwood has implemented a transparent supply chain method, slating garment worker safety and fair wages as priorities. Avoiding blended fibers, and embracing low impact dyeing methods, the grand dame of British fashion is making her stance on the subject known.
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Mara Hoffman
Mara Hoffman’s namesake womenswear label has maintained its status as a leading sustainable fashion brand for years now. Implementing organic materials, recycled, and regenerated fabrics, Hoffman’s label ensures a transparent manufacturing chain as well. Having received the very first “Leading the Change” award from Unifi, the accolade symbolized Hoffman’s continuous efforts towards a more sustainable fashion industry.
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