🌿 The Fashion Letter | #46 📩

1. 'We need to build a culture of caring for clothes'

The Ethical Fashion Initiative's participation in the prestigious Lineapelle Fair in Milan, where five talented African women artisans showcased their exceptional craftsmanship.

The event featured live demonstrations of fabric weaving, bag, and accessory making, emphasizing the rich cultural heritage and skills of the artisans from Kenya, Burkina Faso, and Benin.

The initiative aims to connect artisans in remote locations with global luxury brands, promoting fair wages, decent working conditions, and community resilience. The fair underscored the importance of ethical sourcing and artisanal craftsmanship in today's fashion industry. Full article here.

2. Next Gen Reflections: Where Do We Start?

The Global Fashion Agenda discusses the Next Gen Assembly's reflections on centering wellbeing in the fashion economy.

It highlights the industry's ongoing struggle to integrate wellbeing into its core values, despite significant progress in sustainability. They talk about the need for industry-wide buy-in on actionable steps and challenges the notion that wellbeing and business outcomes are mutually exclusive.

It calls for repositioning wellbeing as an enabler and integrating it into everyday operations, rather than treating it as an add-on. Also underscores the importance of aligning sustainability with fiscal goals for long-term success.

3. The Fashion Pact Expands Unlock Program to Accelerate Cotton Decarbonization

The Fashion Pact has announced the extension of its Unlock Program, designed to promote sustainable cotton farming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in supply chains.

Following a successful 2023 pilot that achieved carbon reductions of 200-600 kg per hectare in India and up to 2,000 kg in the U.S., the program will expand in 2024 to involve over 10,000 farmers.

Created in collaboration with sustainability experts 2050 and Future Earth Lab, the Unlock Program provides financial incentives to farmers who implement regenerative practices. Brands can purchase "Unlock Units," which represent GHG reductions, to help meet their climate objectives and address biodiversity and water impacts.

By 2024, the initiative aims to cut at least 10,000 tonnes of GHG emissions and distribute €1.2 million in payments to farmers. Looking ahead, the program plans to extend its scope beyond cotton to include other materials and industries, enhancing collaboration across the fashion sector to meet critical climate goals. Full article here.

Reprise Activewear - Wear Plants, Not plastic

Reprise was established with the goal of eliminating toxic chemicals and plastics from clothing. Their materials are free from harmful synthetics and chemicals, providing breathable, skin-friendly alternatives that support both performance and environmental sustainability.

They diligently monitor their global impact throughout every step of their supply chain, from fabric sourcing to manufacturing and packaging. Reprise utilizes TENCEL™ Lyocell and Modal fibers, known for their high comfort, produced by Lenzing in Austria.

Their production partners, EcoVest in Portugal, manufacture the plant-based pieces. This cotton is used both inside and outside of their plush scrunchies.

Fair Trade Certification is a cornerstone of their values, ensuring that the cotton used meets stringent standards for safe working conditions, environmental protection, and community empowerment.

They also incorporate fair trade natural rubber in the elastic of their scrunchies, supporting producers who advocate for fair working conditions, chemical-free processes, and eco-friendly practices.

• Accelerating Circularity builds circular systems and invites stakeholders across the supply chain to collaborate to close the loop through textile-to-textile (T2T) recycling.

• Our T2T recycling systems utilize post-consumer cotton and polyester feedstocks to produce new raw materials, which are then used to create commercial fibers, yarns, and fabrics.

• Unlike initiatives that focus solely on individual parts of the circular system such as specific recycling technologies or fiber inputs, Accelerating Circularity is set apart by our work that spans the breadth and depth of the entire manufacturing process and value chain.

Launching a sustainable fashion brand in an industry that’s dominated by fast fashion and designer labels can be challenging.

However, once you find the right sustainable fashion business model and work out how to market your products effectively, you can create a business that not only survives but thrives.

Identifying your target market and reaching out to these people is the first step in building a profitable business.

Then, consider building a social media presence and diversify your payment options to make it easier for potential customers to make a purchase.

know the 7 tips here