19 minute read
MATERIAL GAINS
UNFORTUNATELY, nobody’s going to save the world by buying new clothes. The fashion industry’s environmental sins are now very well documented: it accounts for 10% of the world’s carbon emissions and 20% of its waste water, while 85% of new textiles end up in landfill within a year. Change is inevitable, not least on the part of fashion-conscious consumers who want to know that looking good and doing good aren’t mutually exclusive.
Sustainable fashion may be the buzziest of buzzwords, but it’s also one of the most contentious. Modern fashion is greenwashed with carefully-worded marketing and small, virtue-signalling collections that are as see-through as a Harry Styles’ shirt.
This much we do know: the most sustainable clothes are the ones you already own. Second-hand is better than buying new and repairing is better than replacing. But when you do buy new, there are ways to do it that genuinely complement your eco credentials, as well as your new-season wardrobe. It’s just that you first have to navigate a quagmire of claims and counter-claims about which fabrics truly are sustainable.
“Brands increasingly have moral obligations to be transparent about their sustainability developments and to educate their audience,” says Naomi Bulliard, Head of Strategy at the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at London College of Fashion. “But lack of standardised definitions in the industry means that eco-friendly, sustainably sourced, environmentally conscious could mean so many things, which makes it [hard] to feel like anyone has a full understanding of how, with what and by whom the products are made.”
The good news? We’ve done some homework on your behalf, with the help of experts like Bulliard and pioneers in the industry who are determined to make the green trend stick.
Words: Ian Taylor
Making fashion sustainable starts with the threads we wear, but how do you tell the truly responsible from the greenwashed plastic? Here’s an expert guide to style with real moral fibre
ORGANIC COTTON VS LINEN
They may be light on the skin but these are two of the heavyweights of sustainable menswear design. Conventional cotton, one of the most commonly-worn fabrics in the world, is the subject of several inconvenient truths when it comes to the environment. The world’s extensive cotton crops lead to soil erosion and loss of habitat, and also use 6% of all the world’s pesticides and 16% of all the world’s insecticides. A single cotton T-shirt requires 2,700 litres of water and, if it’s been treated with chemicals (as many on the high street are) it’s not biodegradable. So what should we wear instead?
Linen, says Callum McCall, co-founder of Flax London, which uses the fabric exclusively. “Linen is a low-impact fabric that lasts forever and only gets better with wear,” he says. “When it’s grown in northwest Europe, as 83% of the world’s output is, flax requires nothing more than natural rainfall to grow. It also has very few natural enemies, so herbicide and pesticide usage are nominal. The cherry on the cake is that it’s a zerowaste crop. From animal fodder and paper to linseed oil and high-quality yarns, every part of the plant ends up being used.”
Linen is also durable, and doesn’t need to be washed as regularly thanks to its natural wicking abilities and anti-
bacterial properties. It’s also easily recycled. But that’s not to say that cotton has to be blacklisted completely.
Frankie Phillips, a sustainability consultant and founder of TOBEFRANK, recommends it for basics. “If I do shop now, I go to anything with natural fibres,” she says. Organic cotton usually means cotton produced without the use of fertiliser or pesticide. It typically uses less water, too, although McCall notes that its lower yields mean that it couldn’t meet the current demand for cotton products.
Some also complain that pure cotton products don’t last long compared with those that use virgin plastics. Phillips says that’s a mistake. “We have this idea as consumers that something that lasts a long time, that lasts forever, is a good thing,” she says. “Actually, it’s not a good thing because it’s going to outlive us and outlive the generation after us, and the generation after that. Some people say they don’t like cotton because it doesn’t last very long. Personally, I think that’s a great thing. It’s better than polyester T-shirts sitting in landfill for hundreds of years.”
RECYCLED, RECOVERED AND REUSED FABRICS
Circularity is the ultimate endgame for sustainable fashion, where everything used to produce a garment is either biodegradable or recovered and recycled into something new. Otherwise, landfills will only keep growing. Fortunately, a number of brands are already embracing the use of offcuts and recycled fibres.
British designer Christopher Raeburn pioneered the use of decommissioned military stock and even parachute fabrics to create new garments. More recently, luxury Italian label Zegna has begun utlilising excess fabric from its production line for its #UseTheExisting collection.
“The UK discards around a million tonnes of textiles per year – all going to landfill or being incinerated, which is unacceptable,” says Henry Hales, founder of Sirplus. He started his label creating boxer shorts made from what would otherwise have been waste off-cuts from shirtmakers. Now, it sources long rolls of high-quality deadstock, often from Italian mills, to create a broad range of contemporary menswear. “Our limited edition pieces are often made from our pick of really special surplus finds, these are fabrics we become obsessed with and we get excited to use. We might just have enough for 20 jackets for example. So when they’re gone, they are really gone.”
“The amount that is wasted on the cutting table is absolutely horrendous, and it gets thrown away,” adds Phillips, whose label TOBEFRANK recovers the waste of other brands to produce new pieces. “It’s perfectly good fabric that we use but recycling is a solution to the problem right now. It’s not the future. We shouldn’t be producing so much waste in the first place.”
CAN DENIM BE SUSTAINABLE?
This most ubiquitous of fabrics has borne the brunt of eco shaming, but there are moves to make it better for Mother Earth. Some of the industry’s leading names are working with the MacArthur Foundation on the Jeans Redesign initiative, which sets out a blueprint for what sustainable jeans should look like.
The main problem with denim is that it’s extremely thirsty. In 2015, Levi’s found that a single pair of its jeans took 3,781 litres of water to produce. Add to that pesticides, synthetic dyes and chemicals and a surfeit of electricity and it’s easy to see why your faithful blues have such a bad eco rap. And, as two billion pairs of jeans are produced each year, the industry is under pressure to reduce its impact.
“I don’t buy jeans but we do make them,” says Phillips. “Our jeans don’t have any elastane in them. If you’re getting regular high-street denim, there’s going to be a lot of elastane in there, which will stay there forever, long after the rest of the material has disappeared. Your rivets will stay as well. It’s better to go for products that are stitched and metal-free”.
Levi’s and others are looking for ways of producing jeans that reduce their impact on the planet. Its Made and Crafted line, for example, produces jeans and trucker jackets made from recycled denim, and its Wellthread collection prioritises plant-based and ultrasonic dyes, plus organic cotton and cottonised hemp.
Similarly, in 2019, Wrangler produced its first Indigood range of denim, which eliminates the need for water during the dyeing process by replacing it with a foam-based technology instead. The process, which has also been adopted by brands like Lee, also reduces the energy and chemicals required by 60%.
TENCEL, ECONYL AND THE NEW NORMAL OF SUSTAINABLE FABRICS
In recent years, a new generation of fabrics has materialised to lighten fashion’s footprint by utilising waste from other industries. Lyocell, one of the best-known, is made from pulped eucalyptus trees. Silky soft and highly absorbent, it’s as useful for activewear as it is for your shirt collection, and because eucalyptus grows quickly without irrigation, water usage is around half what’s required for cotton.
ECONYL® – similarly hyped – is made from recycled synthetic polymer fibres derived from waste that would otherwise be destined for the tip. “It’s a recycled nylon fibre regenerated from industrial plastic, synthetic waste fabric and discarded fishing nets. The process creates new nylon yarn, turning waste into a resource to replace virgin polyester,” says Bulliard. Additionally, ECONYL®, unlike polyester, can be recycled time and again without effecting its quality.
RÆBURN’s Air Brake anorak has been crafted from drogue parachutes, which are used to slow air and spacecraft during test-launch operations
Levi’s recently launched Wellthread initiative (left, right and below) utilises plant-based dyes and organic fibres to lessen its environmental impact, while Marcus Rashford is one of the brand’s sustainability ambassadors
Flax London’s linen jackets (bottom left) put far less strain on water reserves during their production than equivalent cotton garments
TOBEFRANK (pictured) recovers the waste of other brands to produce new pieces, while RÆBURN (right) has pioneered the use of decommissioned military stock to create new garments
Founded by Henry Hales, SIRPLUS (above and left) uses deadstock and organic fabrics, often destined for landfill, to make its considered designs
Linen is a hardy material (below right) that requires less laundering than cotton due to its antibacterial qualities
ENDURING THREADS
Now that you’re armed with the knowledge to choose the right clothes, Callum McCall, co-founder of Flax London, explains how to extend the life of your green garments
1— Launder Less
Rotate pieces and wear something four or five times before washing it. Hanging garments outside in the open air after wearing and steaming will help keep them fresh
2— Gently Does It
When you do wash something, make it a delicate wash. Use a cold-water setting, low spin cycle, and detergents that are phosphate, preservative and enzyme-free
3— Make Do and Mend
Invest in clothes worth salvaging – it encourages you to fix damage over throwing something out. Local tailors can breathe new life into items with cost-effective repairs
These fabrics are not, however, immune to greenwashing. While it helpfully repurposes waste, ECONYL® is still a plastic fibre that can take centuries to decompose. It will also shed microplastics from your washing machine just as polyester does. “As a substitute to virgin synthetic fibres, it does make sense, and leading brands such as Stella McCartney, Speedos and Rapanui use it, but it isn’t regenerative to the planet as such, compared to items made with locally sourced natural fibres” Bulliard explains. “Ultimately we do need to move away from materials that do not biodegrade and that cause microfibre pollution.”
IS ‘VEGAN’ SUSTAINABLE?
“Using ‘Vegan’ when you’re talking about plastic winds me up to high heaven,” says Phillips, of one of the common criticisms of vegan collections. Just because no animal products have been used, it doesn’t mean it’s good for the planet – polyester can be vegan – so it pays to do some research before you decide to buy.
“Plastics – for example PU ‘leather’ – are sometimes called vegan leather but in fact it is polyurethane (virgin plastic), so if you do want to buy fake leather, at least make sure it is recycled so you do not add more plastic to the problem,” says Pim Dresen, founder and designer at sustainable sneaker brand, Mercer.
Plant-based fabrics are a very good alternative to traditional leather, he says. “Even though they aren’t all the same, they’re very interesting if you want to avoid animal cruelty and plastics altogether. Look for certificates – there are certain certificates like Leather Working Group if you are buying leather, or Blue Sign or GOTS or GRS if you are buying vegan or recycled.”
Stella McCartney and Hermes have both announced the introduction of a mushroom-based leather into its collections, while Nike is among the brands to have trialled Piñatex, another faux leather made from pineapples.
But again, it pays to do your homework, says Philips. “If it says it’s produced from food waste, what does that actually mean? Can it be recycled? Can it be reused? Can it biodegrade?” she says. “We nearly used compostable corn starch bags when we started but it turns out you can only compost them in an industrial environment. Nobody’s going to go to find an industrial composter. It really needs to be home compostable.”
THE FUTURE: CLOTHES GROWN IN A LAB?
The climate emergency is forcing fashion to look in its many mirrors, but it’s also inspired a generation of fabric scientists, who are devising new ways of producing clothing that sound like something right out of science fiction. Japanese biotech company Spiber Inc, for example, spins its own synthetic spider silk and produced a Moon Parka with The North Face in 2019. Likewise, British techwear label Vollebak has produced a biodegradable T-shirt made from algae.
The field of biofabrication looks at ways of producing fibres with nature’s own factories. Using bacteria, algae, yeast and fungi, scientists are finding ways of cultivating fibres in a lab, minimising the need for the extensive land and water usage that underpins so much of the fashion industry’s ecological impact.
Proponents claim we’re at the beginning of a new age in material science, but Phillips cautions that the same checks and balances will be needed to ensure a genuinely sustainable future. “We’re trialling T-shirts at the minute that are made from gone-off milk, and others from nettles and soy beans,” she says. “But we’re finding that the energy to produce that fibre is so high that we’re struggling to keep our carbon footprint down.”
Green Miles
As those of us with itchy feet eagerly eye the traffic light system, this month might just be the time to make a great escape. Offset your air miles with some planet-friendly packing essentials.
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Edited by SHANE C. KURUP
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1/ Swatch Orack Bioceramic £108, swatch.com 2/ Kirk Originals Bobby cellulose acetate sunglasses £260, kirkoriginals.com 3/ Sealand Gear recycled nylon wash bag £40, mrporter.com 4/ SMR Days Malibu organic cotton trousers £325, mrporter.com 5/ AWAY Bigger Carry-On aluminium suitcase £435, awaytravel.com 6/ F_WD bio-based recycled XP4 Line Up trainers £349.99, zalando.co.uk 7/ Harago Jacquard upcycled linen shirt £230, matchesfashion.com 8/ Montblanc Eco Sartorial travel wallet £625, montblanc.com 9/ Levi’s recycled denim jacket £160, levis.com
Edited by SHANE C. KURUP
WORKING IT WELL
Lee Goldup, menswear buyer at brownsfashion.com shares his tips for wearing work wear the right way
1— Matchy Matchy
Coordinating colour and fabric is a strong look reminiscent of the ‘90s – a decade that’s making a comeback on the style front
2— Smart Strategy
A workwear jacket can easily be polished up when paired with tailored wool trousers or a dress shirt – it’s a look that will see you through anything
3— Style Amalgam
Think about mixing high and low together – vintage workwear with contemporary designer pieces can really look sartorially fluent
EXCESS STRATEGY
‘If it ain’t broke don’t fix it’, is a mantra that bears much weight in menswear, but SIRPLUS’s revamp of a style staple makes a worthy case for change
>—> While a life of sweated labour isn’t something that most of us aspire to, the enduring appeal of workwear would suggest that the garb that goes with it, is. What was once uniform of the sailor, navvy and factory hand is now the wardrobe wingman of Notting Hill hedge funder and Birmingham barista alike, for the same reason it was worn by those brothers of brawn: hardy fabrics, a proliferation of pockets and easy fits are practical merits that speak for themselves.
So how do you improve on a tried and tested genre that has withstood ever-shifting trends and tastes? Well, given that £85 billion worth of unused fabric goes up in smoke every year, pulling on a piece made from cloth that would have gone to the incinerator is one of the best ways to up your work wear game. “Knowing that your piece was made with purpose from material that would have been chucked out is a big part of the appeal”, explains Henry Hales, founder of SIRPLUS, which as its name suggests, has built its business utilising offcuts and leftover bolts of cloth that have fallen foul of the mass production line.
This isn’t any old tat, either. Its cream check chore jacket, for example, is made from an Italian deadstock cotton-blend, which could just as easily have spent its life as a snazzy suit on the back of a Milanese dandy. “It feels particularly versatile as the premium Italian textured weave fabric makes it breathable for warmer temperatures, but you can wear it well into autumn over a jumper”, explains Hales. Add to that the requisite glut of pocket space and a soft but not scruffy cut and you’ve got an enduring staple that feels as virtuous as an honest day’s work.
SIRPLUS cream check chore jacket £225, sirplus.co.uk
Words: SAM KESSLER
JAMES BOND AND THE MAKING OF AN ICON
The story and style of Sunspel’s famous Riviera Polo
WHATEVER YOU THINK of the films – and let’s be fair, they’re a bit hit and miss – there’s no denying that James Bond has style. Far from clandestine, the world’s most recognisable superspy always seems to be the best dressed in the room, on the beach or at the centre of a series of explosions.
The version of the world’s least secret agent that springs to mind is him immaculately attired in a tuxedo, whether that’s a classic notch lapel number or Daniel Craig’s penchant for a shawl, either way the classic 007 look.
Yet when he’s not winning an unrealistic hand at poker over a few Martinis, it’s not like his level of sartorial savvy drops along with the formality. Even off-duty, he’s still Bond, James Bond, and part of that look is thanks to Sunspel.
Daniel Craig as James Bond offered a new suave look thanks to Bond’s change in wardrobe, which utilised Sunspel’s clothes from his debut in Casino Royale like the classic Sunspel polo here
Casino Royale was a turning point for the Bond franchise in that it was good. And not just James Bond good, but genuinely a fantastic film, in large part because of the new type of agent Daniel Craig brought to proceedings, a darker, more brooding, more brutal one. And costume designer Lindy Hemming had the enviable task of dressing the new 007.
So, with a focus on impeccable British quality, she went to Sunspel for all his vests, T-shirts and underwear, the basics done brilliantly. It’s what the homegrown brand does best, after all. Yet there was one piece where off-therack simply wouldn’t do. That was, of course, the Riviera Polo Shirt.
The Riviera wasn’t new for 2006, not by a long shot, dating all the way back to the 1950s and British jetsetter (and grandson of Sunspel’s founder) Peter
The stylish ethos of Sunspel is also very much in evidence with its T-shirt, as much as it is with the brand’s polo shirts
Hill. He appreciated the tennis-adjacent style of a classic polo shirt but not as much the stifling material they were often made of. So, like anyone with the drive and means, he created his own – out of a lightweight mesh known now as Quality 75.
Cut back to 2006 and the version that Craig wore wasn’t exactly the same. It still used the Q75 material of course, but Hemming decided to update its silhouette to make the most of her well-toned star. She slimmed it down, shortened the arms and adjusted the chest: all of these elements combined for a much more tailored look, less sporting practicality, and more modern wardrobe staple.
Thus, the modern Riviera Polo was born.
Since then, the polo has come in a variety of classic colours, slotting into Sunspel’s portfolio of pared-back yet immaculately made pieces. It might be surprising however to learn that it’s never actually been reproduced in the grey melange that made its debut in Casino Royale.
Well, to celebrate Craig’s final outing with a licence to kill in No Time to Die, Sunspel is re-releasing a trio of archival variations of the Riviera Polo. The trio includes the Spectral Grey and Sky Diver Blue, released for Spectre and Skyfall respectively, along with that original Casino Royale grey.
If you, like most British men, dream of emulating Craig’s take on James Bond, this might be your best chance. At the very least, you’ll come to understand why the Riviera Polo has become a must-have for any well-dressed gent, be they superspy or not.
