Nike Grind is one of the two sustainable innovation Nike has developed in company. The other o ne being Fly Knit, described by Nike as “a technology prevent(ing) millions of pounds of waste from ever reaching the landfill, delivering the lightest, strongest, and most adaptive footwear ever created by Nike.” The new design of the shoe is supposed to be creating 60% less waste.
Nike’s CEO Mark Parker recently wrote a letter stating: « Our purpose is to use the power of sport to move the world forward. We believe in a fair, sustainable future (…). We’re innovating a new business model for the 21st century, in which supply chains are lean, green, equitable, and fair, and our materials and products are sustainable. »
BY DIANE PAUL
Other brands have now jumped on the wagon like Zara and H&M with clothes collection points in their shops to reuse and recycle them Sustainable fashion shouldn’t just be a trend, it should be our new lifestyle so as Vivienne Westwood says : « Buy less. Choose well. Make it last. »
A LEADER IN SUSTAINABLE FASHION Fashion plays a major role in our lives but also in our global economy with a worldwide revenue of over a trillion pounds and creating millions of jobs especially in the most important producing countries where it can represent over 1/3 of total employment. However, fashion is a fast growing industry where trends are always changing and in store collections are being replaced constantly. It is predicted that in the next 10 years, 100 million tons of apparel and footwear will be purchased yearly. As the issues of water scarcity and climate change are on the rise, the industry’s enormous environmental footprint has been an important subject. The fashion industry is said to be responsible for up to 10% of global CO2 emissions and 20% of the world’s industrial wastewater. I don’t know if you realize but THAT IS HUGE and something had to be done. That’s when the concept of sustainable fashion was introduced. Two reasons why this became a trend: the brands image and helping the environment. One of the first big company to jump on this alternative trend was Nike.
One of Nike’s big step forward is it’s collaboration with Easy Kicks, a startup founded by Nike’s former systems innovation director and innovation solutions manager. As children grow quickly, their shoes size do as well. Children go through so many pairs of shoes so this subs cription service offers you a selection of 40 different designs of kids footwear that you can choose from each month in exchange for your worn and outgrown pair. The old pair of shoes is either donated or recycled through Nike Grind, Nike’s process that turns surplus manufacturing materials and athletic footwear into sports and play surfaces.
AlexanderWang
Wang is known as a trendy designer and the problem, with most so called ‘trendy’ brands, is just that they’re ‘trendy’, which means their rise to fame is synonymous with their fall from it; as soon as a product is no longer considered a fashion must have. Wang has been a part of the game long enough, that he has now established himself as an innovative designer who will last and dominate the fashion scene regardless of this year’s trend. A feat many brands, big or small, have difNiculty achieving. last is called Heattech Ribbed, and the last one as Heattech extra warm. Each category covers either 3 or 4 styles of either tops or leggings. There isn’t much choice when it comes to style and the colours are roughly limited, however, Wang’s designs bring something new to the brand which I’m sure will appeal to a lot of people. In regards to prices, the Wang items are roughly the same price as the brand’s other items with the most expensive piece in the collaboration costing 34.90 U.K. Pounds. The collaboration with Wang is set to hit stores in the U.K. on the 8th of November.
Wang, Wang, Wang, that is Alexander Wang, the American designer who arguably turned functional street style into desirable luxury fashion. Wang appeals most to teenagers and young adults, this makes sense considering his relatively young age. Unlike a lot of designers Wang understands the youth and what it means to be young in an active and fast paced city such as London or New York. At only 34 Wang managed to create a fashion empire that doesn’t seem to be declining anytime soon, and since 2016 he is both the CEO and chairman of the Wang brand, a feat rarely achieved by designers.
ALEX
Wang, at the age of 22, started his namesake label, Alexander Wang, and in 2007 at the age of 24 he launched his Nirst full women’s ready to wear collection. Since then he became the creative director of Balenciaga, he collaborated with H&M, Adidas, and most recently he’s collaborating with Uniqlo. Alexander Wang’s products are without a doubt expensive and not many people can afford them, especially students and young adults, the same people the brand is aimed at. It is, however, the collaborations that really connect Wang with his aimed demographic, and his most recent collaboration is no different. Uniqlo is a Japanese brand known for creating thermal tops and leggings that are meant to help one endure the rough winter without overcrowding one’s self with thick layers. Their products with Wang fall under three categories in regards to heat production. The lightest is known as Heattech, the second to
By: Yara Kair
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