Impact
As we roam in the harmful industry of manufacturing, we aim to work towards creating a sustainable alternative by harnessing the power of business. Future of Fashion is underpinned by the strong belief that institutions should use profits and growth as a means to a greater end: positive impact for our society and planet. Therefore, we invest in our manufacturing, our people and our operations, with a commitment to fulfil our part in an inclusive and sustainable economy.
The Problem
Fashion is one of the world's most polluting industries, and millions of clothing workers are daily exposed to work-related risks and living in poverty, but when fashion business is done well, it can be transformative for the people behind the product and their environment.
At Future of Fashion we are inspired by the potential for good business to create value for everyone. Sustainability for us means generating value in three dimensions - where people, the planet, and profits are considered equally platforms for business success.
The Change
Increasingly, apparel customers, especially millennials, are prioritising ethics when it comes to their fashion choices. They are among a growing group of customers who are seeking out brands with a purpose, and products with a story behind them.
For them, there is a human dimension to what they buy and how they buy it. And there is increasing evidence in sales figures that these new consumers are not just talking about it but are actually acting on their values.
The Solution
Today more than ever, fashion and its consumption-driven production need to be rethought. Both people and the planet demand a change: in production, in mindset, and in values. It’s time to adopt a new, slower and more respectful approach.
Each garment is made with premium quality sustainable materials in a limited number of items, and is either printed, embroidered or tailored to each order. Thereby we can create several styles from each garment, and approach the fight against overproduction in the fashion industry in a new innovative way.
How we align with UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership.
We align our 5Ps with SDGs in order to structure our sustainability framework. Check for the boxes below, at the beginning of each P category to see how our work relates to the respective SDGs.
1. Product
From the design stage to manufacturing, we are committed to creating environmentally responsible products.
We always ensure that the materials we choose to are fibres that are independently certified. For our garments, we use organic cotton, deadstock fabrics, GOTS certified organic cotton, GRS (Global Recycling Standard) certified recycled polyester and/or recycled cotton for our inhouse products. We buy verified ageing, leftover, and over-ordered fabric from factories, other designers and fabric warehouses, called deadstock. This allows us to give a second life to fabrics that are destined to landfill.
Through our R&D projects, we constantly seek innovative materials and long-lasting usage. Our production team reviews available material alternatives to see if they are commercially applicable so that the design team can implement it.
2. Planet
According to Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the total greenhouse gas emissions from textile production equals 1.2 billion tonnes annually. That is more than those of all international flights and maritime shipping combined, just in addition to the great amount of waste generated and waters used.
That is why we have to evaluate our responsibility towards our planet. Our environmental stewardship, including not only how we manage our environmental impact arising from our main business activities but also our day-to-day impact as a team, such as our use of studio kitchen or office supplies. It covers water use, carbon footprint, energy use, waste management as well as specific matters like climate, sustainability and our impacts on land and life.
As we implement environmentally conscious materials in our manufacturing processes, we also do our utmost to reduce our carbon and greenhouse gas emissions, water and energy consumption and avoid the use of pesticides.
3. People
People is about all stakeholders of Future of Fashion: our team, workers in the factories we manufacture with, our suppliers, our clients. We aim to evaluate our company’s choices on fair production, as well as our employee’s financial, physical, social well-being and safety. We want to establish a transparent relationship with our clients and invest in our services accordingly.
To ensure trust with our stakeholders, we share the manufacturing journeys behind our products with our business partners, clients and followers. For our projects carried out with institutions, we calculate our environmental and social impact in the making of the products and share an impact report with our accounts.
We sustain full transparency within our team concerning our operations, sourcing policies and finance. Every quarter we share our policies, decisions and reports during our meetings.
4. Partnerships
When leveraging brand identities of institutions through aesthetic, functional and sustainable products, we take pride in doing so exclusively through our partnerships with non-governmental organizations. Our partnerships also cover our associations with independent, 3rd party platforms in order to better evaluate our impact as objectively as possible.
5. Progress
Progress at Future of Fashion stands for all our efforts and investments in our quest to build better products, with fair and transparent processes. Progress exists for us to classify, evaluate and enhance our activities within all other 4Ps and move forward continuously.
A space free from commercial limitations, Research & Development is a Future of Fashion project where we experiment with innovative designs & materials, widening our creative boundaries. To extend our use of environmentally friendly, sustainable and innovative fibers, we continuously design and test with new raw materials.
We invest in education to improve ourselves on 5Ps and their requirements as a team. We organize Sustainability Talks to invite an industry expert for Q&A, encourage all members of the team for online courses in sustainability management regardless of department and offer educational content about circular design practices.