Image: Zady's .01 Sweater is 100% sourced and produced in the United States.
If Cradle to Cradle’s Innovation Celebration last week made one thing clear about the future of the fashion industry, it’s that change in how we create, source and consume clothing and accessories is going to change – and soon.
Designers, industry titans and environmental activists from Stella McCartney to Susan Sarandon to Wendy Schmidt have declared their support for improvements in sustainability initiatives across the fashion world. Guaranteeing fair worker wages and conditions around the globe, reducing its carbon footprint and pollution output and skewering companies that aren't are just a handful of the ways the industry has shown it's getting serious about sustainability.
And consumers, too, are changing their habits. While the novelty and convenience of $1.90 tank tops and $15 shoes in every shade imaginable has made Fast Fashion –found in mass retailers like Forever 21 and H&M – a staple in virtually every American wardrobe, those days may be numbered.
"I think the consumer ultimately wants more ethical products, but they’re not willing to sacrifice what they're used to and what they like," said Jason Keehn, CEO and founder of Accompany, a fair-trade and philanthropic online retailer. "The consumer will grab the ethical item as long as it’s not a trade-off."
Zady's wool soure is Imperial Stock Ranch in Maupin, OR. Photo by Oliver Jevremov
To that end, the avalanche of “sustainable” and “conscious” products hitting the market as more producers jump onboard makes it easier than ever to shop ethically, not that that’s the sole reason consumers are eager to buy into the movement. Shoppers are no longer interested in what everyone else has; instead, one-of-a-kind, artisan fare is what’s in vogue, and those products just so happen to often be made more sustainably – in every sense of the word – than what’s found at Walmart or Zara.
In fact, the holidays especially are the perfect time for fashion brands and retailers to join the Slow Fashion movement– not only are people willing to pay more money for these products, but they’re actively looking for a story that differentiates mom’s new leather handbag from Mrs. Smith’s down the street, something conscious companies provide in spades.
Keehn's Accompany, for example, invests in individual artisans around the world. When you buy one their products, you know exactly who's benefiting from your purchase.
“The holidays are like an incubator time,” Keehn said. “People realize that they’re fortunate compared to a lot of other people in the world. You’re thinking about the heart in the holidays, yet it’s turned into this material moment at the same time.”
It’s this tension between wanting to help others during the holidays while still participating in consumerism – and supporting companies that might exploit others and the environment -- that draws people to products with “heart” behind them: If you can buy something, like a pair of TOMS, that was consciously-created or donates a portion of proceeds to charity, you get to experience the best of both worlds.
But for some brands -- think Warby Parker and Patagonia -- consciously-crafted clothing goes beyond just capitalizing on a consumer’s holiday spirit. It’s an entrypoint to changing the entire industry – and, perhaps a bit too idealistically, the world.
Zady, a lifestyle brand for conscious shoppers, just announced its new “Sourced In" initiative, which will look beyond the “Made in…” tag in clothing to ensure manufacturers are being held responsible for the environmental, ethical and economic factors throughout every step of production, "from farm to finish factory." By transparently revealing its own supply chain (The Zady Essential Collection, which debuted today, is 100% sourced and made in the United States, and you can watch its entire production process online) the company hopes to encourage other brands to switch to ethically-sourced and crafted clothing.
As a society, we consume 400% more clothing today than we did just 20 years ago. So in addition to transparency, Zady co-founders Maxine Bédat and Soraya Darabi said they want to return to a time when people really believed less was more, by creating a sustainable, high-quality (and highly-desirable) product.
Not only is Zady’s approach better for the environment, but it’s better for worker wages, material health and the country’s economy -- all aspects of the Slow Fashion movement.
"There seems to be this moment with us as a culture of wanting to feel this connection," said Bédat. "The moment is definitely now. We’re just trying to stay on board as this momentum builds."
By all accounts, it's worked. Since launching last year, Zady has grown its email subscriber list 15-fold. Bédat and Darabi have found people want to hear about the stories of the people who create their products, and about the origins of the products themselves.
"We see it everywhere," Darabi said about the sudden spike of interest in ethical fashion. "It’s really about our country being ready to be mindful again."
The fashion industry may be slowing down, but it's definitely heading in the right direction.
Follow me on Twitter: @AliciaAdamczyk
