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TIME AFTER TIME The female-led fashion initiatives leading the way in the circular economy
The world of fashion is embracing the need to work in a sustainable way, which has led to the emergence of some female-lead initiatives that are influencing the circular economy, as Michelle Pughe-Parry de Klerk discoversTime after time
For a long time, consumers have turned a blind eye to the excesses and unscrupulous practices of the fashion industry. However, as sustainability has gone from buzzword to critical movement, we are demanding more sustainable options to reconcile our love of fashion with the crisis our planet is facing. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the equivalent of a rubbish truck full of clothes is burnt or buried in landfill – every second. A sustainability revolution is underway with women at the forefront, driving the circular fashion movement and providing us with guiltless, authentic and fun ways to enjoy fashion again – by recycling, reinvigorating and rewearing what we already have.
THE AUTHORITY
Inspired by a conversation she had with Sir David Attenborough, Diana Verde Nieto founded Positive Luxury in 2011, along
Left Circle of Style is the only personal styling and shopping service for second-hand fashion. Above Natural Nuance’s accessories are designed to encourage a circular fashion economy with serial entrepreneur Karen Hanton MBE, to address luxury’s impact on climate change. “I identified luxury as a significant contributor to the climate problem but also as an industry that has the influence and power to drive positive change,” says Diana. It is fascinating to see the ways manufacturers and brands are approaching circularity, of which the three main types are: Retain, Product Life Extension and Designing for Circularity.
Retain is where the brand rents or leases its product to the customer rather than selling it; Product Life Extension focuses on designing products to last longer because a longer product lifespan means fewer purchases over time. With Designing for Circularity, companies design their products
and manufacturing processes to make the materials recoverable for use in new products. Adidas’s six-year partnership with Parley for the Oceans is an example. Parley uses plastic waste to make thread used in Adidas’s shoes and apparel. This reduces the amount of plastic in the world’s oceans.
Positive Luxury powers the Butterfly Mark, the luxury industry’s leading sustainability certification given to brands that are doing more than just talking – they’re investing and they’re acting. Diana believes the changes in the future of fashion will come from both the consumer and businesses. “We are in the early stages of a sustainability revolution that promises to be bigger than the industrial revolution and faster than the digital revolution,” she says.
ULTIMATE AFTERCARE
Born out of Vanessa Jacobs’ own frustration with traditional and untrustworthy aftercare services, The Restory has transformed a tired mass-market utility into a branded fashion experience that pairs luxury experience with e-commerce simplicity. The result is a service that helps consumers fall in love with their favourites all over again. Along with her fellow female co-founders, Emily Rea and Thais Cipolletta, Vanessa believes that one day, circular fashion – meaning resale, repair and rental – will simply be fashion. “It will be as integral to the experience as shopping. And it can’t happen without aftercare,” says Vanessa, adding that with consumer demand growing exponentially and European regulators and trillions of dollars worth of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG)-seeking capital markets joining the chorus, established brands must embrace circularity and change how they do business.
After launching in 2017, The Restory is now the global leader in the aftercare space and the
Above Diana Verde Nieto, co-founder and CEO of Positive Luxury. Top Cashmere Circle revives already-owned cashmere sweaters to prolong their life, or repurposes those that are beyond repair into meaningful accessories
official partner for Farfetch, Manolo Blahnik, Nicholas Kirkwood, Harrods, Selfridges, Browns and Harvey Nichols.
RENTAL AND RESALE
Awarded a CBE for her services to fashion retail, Jane Shepherdson has been described as the most influential person on the British high street. She reinvented Topshop and later Whistles, and is now the chair of peer-to-peer rental and resale platform My Wardrobe HQ. The business, launched in 2019, was based on the Airbnb model. “We felt that if people were happy to sleep in someone else’s bed, why not share their wardrobe?” says Jane, adding that by renting luxury fashion we can enjoy the transformational power of great clothes, while doing less damage to the planet.
As a director of the London Fashion Fund, which invests in socially and environmentally responsible fashion businesses, Jane says the industry still has far to go in terms of sustainability: “Rental is just one plank in the bridge towards a truly sustainable industry, but there are some incredible initiatives to solve the manufacturing problems.”
MASTER OF REINVENTION
Belinda Dickson earned an OBE for services to the textile industry, and believes garment care has huge potential. Understanding that the most sustainable garment is the one we already own, Cashmere Circle prolongs garment life with repair and care. “By repairing your cashmere jumper rather than buying new, you save the equivalent individual emissions of a return flight from London to Dubai,” says Belinda.
For garments beyond repair, Cashmere Circle’s recycling project lets customers create a unique accessory from their jumper, resulting in a new item to cherish for years to come.
CURATED PRELOVED
Muna Nageh started Circle of Style because she believes that pre-owned luxury fashion is the only truly sustainable – and super-stylish – solution to the excesses of the fashion industry. “We don’t create anything. We just take all the effort out of shopping by using the best stylists to curate boxes for our clients based on their style, size and spend,” says Muna, whose service is the only personal styling and shopping service for second-hand fashion. Despite only launching this
Above left Cashmere Circle ‘s 100 per cent recycled cashmere jumpers are handcrafted in Scotland. Below left and right The Restory offers a luxury shoe and handbag restoration service
Above Jane Shepherdson, chair of the peer-to-peer rental and resale platform My Wardrobe HQ. Left Circle of Style stylists select pre-owned designer fashion to suit a client’s size, style and means
year, Circle of Style has already attracted the likes of Lily Allen, Aisling Bea and Sienna Miller.
Muna also notes that second hand isn’t just for the younger generation: “Boomers are the second biggest consumer of pre-owned and resale transcends not just age, but income. The idea that someone else can pay full price first is one we push at Circle, making great design and fabric accessible to more people. We have the best-heeled clients in London and across the UK, but they all love the fact that they can have a Celine blazer or a Chloé dress for a fraction of its original price, and it’s in mint condition. We want to empower women of all ages to be well-dressed, while spending their money wisely.”
MADE TO BE CIRCULAR
In 2017, Ase Elvebakk and Lisa Niedermayr founded accessories brand Natural Nuance with a mission to show that luxury and premium accessories can be both beautiful and sustainably made. “Since we started our journey, the fashion industry has woken up to the impact on our planet. This is a great development and we are proud to be one of the companies that had this focus from the start,” says Ase, adding that as part of the Global Fashion Agenda 2020 Commitment for Circularity, circularity is the key guiding principle in their business.
“We believe consumers are more aware of the true cost of creating a product. Especially the younger generations who have started to seek absolute transparency. Brands have to take more responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their products and ensure that the consumer has enough information to choose wisely,” says Ase, adding that technology can play a major role in this process.
