Baume watches eschew precious stones and expensive animal leathers in favour of vegan watch straps, recyclable packaging and quartz movements created with as few parts as possible, so that they can be easily disassembled and recycled. Baume, a sister brand to its high-end watch brand Baume & Mercier, is aimed squarely at ethically minded customers. In November, Swiss luxury-goods conglomerate Richemont launched a new brand for the first time. Initiatives include launching a WeChat programme named ‘My EP&L’ (Environmental Profit & Loss), an environmental impact measurement tool that informs consumers of the environmental cost of their purchases. Unveiled in 2018, Kering’s 2025 ethical strategy states: “We see sustainability as a necessity, for sustainability and luxury are one and the same”. Luxury group Kering, whose brands include Balenciaga, Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, has pledged to transform its own business, and the wider luxury industry, at every level. In 2017 Stella McCartney partnered with Parley for the Oceans to use recovered plastic waste from the sea to make trainers. Zoa bio-leather, created by US bio-fabrication company Modern Meadow, uses collagen produced by a gene-edited yeast, while pineapple waste, apple peel and mushroom are just some of the innovative materials being experimented with in the race to create luxury vegan ‘leather’. San Francisco-based biotech company Bolt Threads creates spider silk without spiders by isolating the proteins, and recreating them using yeast and sugar, while French company Pili cultivates bacteria to produce renewable natural dye. In the past decade, a slew of innovative start-ups have taken on the challenge of creating lab-based luxury fabrics that are environmentally sound. Ortelli says that attitudes towards ‘luxury’ materials are changing, but there is still some way to go before they become part of the mainstream: “As soon as the technology provides products with a quality standard coherent with the high bar set by the luxury brands, I expect that we will see a fair share of the products of luxury brands made with these more sustainable materials.” The installation has since been repeated at upscale department stores across the world. Accompanied by screens showing acres of clothing landfill, the installation aimed to encourage the department store’s well-heeled customers to think about buying less and to think long-term. Harrods employees were encouraged to donate unwanted clothes to the window display – which were then sold to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. During London Fashion Week in February, Vetements turned Harrods’ hallowed store windows into a fashion-recycling dump. Waste in the fashion industry is an issue raised by Paris Fashion Week darlings Vetements. New York Fashion Week favourite Lou Dallas uses 90% deadstock and vegetable dyes to create its Gen Z-friendly collections. Using unsold stock and off-cuts in production is another focus for designers looking for creative sustainable solutions. “That we are part of the circular economy, and that we offer a new way to look at sustainability.” “Brands are starting to realise that consignment players are helping extend the reach and covetability of their brands,” she adds. Wainwright says the major luxury fashion houses are beginning to understand the benefits.
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