#WPresents The Autumn Edition (Sustainable Luxury Report & Interiors Supplement)

UK Edition 2019

The Sustainable Luxury Report II &

Interiors Supplement

Mary Creagh MP & Fixing Fashion What Happens Next?

Mr Duffy & SourceMap

Taking on Transparency

What Do Millennials Want?

Laura Ironside Slow Fashion Fashion & Sustainable Finance

James M. Levelle Fossil Fuel Free

Venetia Berry Ethical Art

Autumn

Edition

#SUSTAINABLE FASHION

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#SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

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HERITIER FRERES

Héritier Frères is sold exclusively in the UK, at Harrods, London and online via www.workinfashion.me 4

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CONTENTS EDITOR’S LETTER Pp. 8-9

INTERVIEW Fixing Fashion: Interview With Mary Creagh MP Pp. 10-12

#WORKINFASHION PRESENTS...

Laura Ironside Pp. 14-17 James M. Levelle: Race For Future Pp. 18-19 Guy Morgan Apothecary Pp. 20 Mr. Duffy & SourceMap Tackling Transparency Pp. 21

THE SUSTAINABLE LUXURY REPORT Pp. 27-39

#WLookBook(AW19) Pp. 41-48

INTERIORS SUPPLEMENT (2019) Pp. 49-73 *Cover: Laura Ironside Episode 001, 2018

©2019 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED URBAN FLOW DESIGNS LTD

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“Designers are solution providers” - Mum. As ever, borrowing quotes from my parents as they provide so much useful fodder for @WorkinFashion.me. But seriously, designers are solution providers.

At a time when people have become so sophisticated in finding new ways to complain about the problem, our society has reached critical mass/breaking point, because without the creatives at hand to visualise and conceptualise new and innovative alternatives – what we are left with is more of the same: and that just won’t do.

Previous editions – including the previous Sustainable Luxury Report, outlined the various ways in which the fashion industry is both an accelerator in modern slavery, climate change and exacerbating the cultural obsession with the acquisition of ‘things’.

No matter how many millions these brands throw at ad campaigns, materialism will never be meaningful.

Industry – be it retail or manufacturing – has reached the end of its rainbow.

Simply producing more – in a different geographical location – to a different demographic is no longer sufficient to ensure sustainable profit margins. The solution?

This new era opening up before our eyes, is not the renaissance I first declared it would be back in 2017. No, what we are witnessing is not a rebirth of any kind. It is a revolution. One that ushers in an entirely new era that is led not by the corporate entity, but by the artisan.

My sincerest hope is that you enjoy this edition for both its delivery (as ever) of new and exciting stories, but also its willingness to revise – what we all thought we once knew. The strap line under our logo is “#Wedress, #Wework, #Wewin” the premise being, as a work in progress, the learning never stops.

In this edition, I had the privilege of interviewing Mary Creagh MP, chair of the Environmental Audit Committee about what happens next for the UK’s fashion/textiles industry, in light of the committee’s discoveries – and the government’s reluctance to implement any of their recommendations.

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For those curious about all things sustainable and travel, I sat down with the explorer and film maker James M. Levelle who is undertaking an expedition that will see him travel over 7000 miles, fossil fuel free.

While he speaks of his passion for carrying the voices of the next generation as he travels to the UN’s Environmental Summit in Chile, it is also the practicality and viability of fossil fuel travel that will also provide invaluable data to those interested in the next frontier of sustainability: sustainable tourism/travel.

Laura Ironside (previously featured in The Collective) updates us on her new venture implanting the rental model as part of her wider mission to ‘slow fashion’ down.

Our second instalment of the Sustainable Luxury Report features pearls of wisdom from Tom Punch, Global President of Spring Studios, Megan Higgins Luxury analyst, PwC alongside the latest developments following the G7 Fashion Pact and the speculated protest led by Extinction Rebellion during London Fashion Week.

Our first ever Interiors Supplement features contributions from artist Venetia Berry and Kitty Dinshaw co-founder of Subject Art Matter. We’ve also got an exclusive interview with IKEA’s head of sustainability for the UK, explaining how they are making real time changes to ensure they are part of the solution in innovation in textiles manufacturing.

If luxury is supposed to feel good, we wanted to provide you with an overview of some of the brands making the necessary changes or delivering the much needed innovation to ensure your experience is guiltfree.

Yasmin Jones-Henry Editor-in-Chief

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#Interview

Fixing Fashion: Where Do We Go From Here?

We live in a society where there has long been a disconnect between deeds and words: and I’m not just referring to politicians or governments.

In a democracy, it is the ‘demos’ (the people) who must hold their representatives to account.

If there is a failure in policy (whether it be in composition or implementation) it is up to us, to maintain both pressure and scrutiny in holding agents to account.

Their failure, is our failure. So what are we going to do about it?

In their response to the Environmental Audit Committee’s report and findings,

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“ministers prefer voluntary schemes rather than taxes and bans” – the BBC reported after the government concluded that it is already dealing with the impacts of fast fashion. To say this was disappointing was an understatement. Few will disagree that this whole struggle has been about getting brands, retailers, consumers and governments to assume accountability for the actions of the UK’s textile industry. We all have a part to play.

I was brought up in a household where I was taught that citizenship was a performance: I was required to ‘do’ something.

#Interview Perhaps the government’s response is simply party political manoeuvring.

Perhaps it’s simply an inability to cope with any topic other than Brexit. Perhaps...

Perhaps... despite declaring an Environmental Crisis last month... they don’t actually care enough to get involved, sanction and ban some of the instigators of modern slavery within UK fashion.

Today, while en-route to another sustainable fashion conference in London (there’s been a few) I was informed of the government’s stance to the Environmental Audit Committee’s Fixing Fashion Report, I must admit I began to feel a little tired. Tired of debate. Tired of panels. Tired of rhetoric. Tired of circles. Yes. Because talking about the circular economy while refusing to take measures to enshrine it in legislation, is in and of itself circular as we’re left going round and round without resolution.

I type this with a measure of disbelief that despite the overwhelming evidence of slavery here in the UK, incineration of excess stock and unethical business practices, that this could be the government’s response.

I type this with a measure of incredulity that I could be so naive to think – evidence was all that was needed in order to incentivise the government to enforce existing legislation (Modern Slavery Act 2015) and draft new laws to combat these environmental and societal challenges.

So What’s Next?

In the aftermath of the bitter disappointment that the government had rejected the recommendations for reform laid out by the EAC, I asked Mary Creagh (chair of the Environmental Audit Committee) a simple question: ‘What do we do now?... What happens next?’

Her response was as follows:

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“I think you’re going to see brands responding to consumers. And what you’ll also see is people rejecting fashion and consumption altogether and that is dangerous to the industry.

Because if you can’t tell me how sustainable my clothes or shoes are then I won’t trust you and I won’t buy from you. And three of the committee staff who worked on our report are having a year off fashion. They’ve just rejected fashion all together because they don’t feel confident in what they’re buying. So they’re having a year off. And you’ll see more of that with the Extinction Rebellion, people are waking up to this stuff.

And real energy and demand particularly from young people.”

In case you missed the stats, the fashion industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the UK economy (faster than banking and tech). Employing just under as million within its value chain, and generating over £36 billion in GDP – this industry needs more regulation and closer scrutiny from the government, as its growth and its accumulated wealth is built on a toxic combination of modern slavery, unsustainable manufacturing methods and s a bigger generator of pollution than the aviation or shipping industries.

MC: 300,000 tonnes are going to landfill or incineration (yearly).

That’s £140 million worth ending up in the bin every year. So we’re basically wearing the fresh water supply of the Indian subcontinent, then shipping it around the world” The UK consumes more clothes than any other country in Europe, with 73% of all purchases going straight to landfill (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). The fashion industry recycles just 1% of its material waste.

Second only to construction, according to the Global Slavery Index 2018, ‘

#Interview Fashion is identified as one of five key industries implicated in modern day slavery”.

The challenges are not linear, but oscillate between apathy in the boardroom, to a lack of transparency in information and consumer awareness.

“How is it that I am able to trace what the pigs in my M&S sausages have eaten, but they can’t tell me who made my clothes?”

Mary asked in her opening address to the Decoded Future forum in Westminster two weeks ago. Ironically that event later featured a presentation from the Head of Insights for Marks & Spencer, celebrating the brand’s agility in responding to the upsurge in veganism with their new Plant Kitchen range.

When I asked, whether in light of the EAC’s findings, we – the consumer would see a similar rapid response to their supply chains within textiles manufacturing, “we’re working on it” was the only reply I received. The room fell silent as the audience tried to piece together the mismatched brand message of transparency, sustainability and health with the food range, but a complete lack of transparency when it comes to fashion...

Drapers (in response to the EAC’s report) went away and interrogated over 370 SMEs and firms with over £500 million in turnover to establish whether these corporations had begun to feel the pressure to move towards sustainability from the consumer directly. 92.2% said that their customers were showing a growing interest in sustainability. Meanwhile 80.5% acknowledged that sustainability was important to the senior leadership team in the business. This is encouraging, for several reasons.

These recent figures shows that businesses are drawing the correlation between sustainability and their bottom line.

Sustainability is good for business. It means less waste in production, increased efficiency, and to borrow a term used by Orsola De Castro in my interview with her for the FT, it also gives them a ‘value added product’.

As the public are increasing their knowledge base, already they are beginning

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to use their economic power to bend the retailers to their will – if only to get them to listen in the first instance.

MC: Until we get Brexit out of the way (or a second referendum which is what I’m hoping for and working for) we won’t be able to get businesses onto the politics of what people want because the best minds in the civil service are busy planning for ‘will we have the chemicals needed in our drinking water supply?’ In a way the government needs the headspace to get on with this. We need to get through this period.

Next Question: YJH: You found a way succinctly to collect all the evidence and make it easy for people to understand – showing how unsustainable the industry is, I want to know in your opinion, what you plan to do next in terms of getting people to actually implement some change?

MC: That’s a great question and Sarah O’Connor’s article on the dark factories of Leicester - gave absolutely amazing evidence to our enquiry and it was really quite chilling when she described what she found when she went in.

I think the voice of the consumer is going to be what’s next. I think we have a great ecosystem of start ups and sustainable companies here in London and right across the UK. I’m from a textile area in Wakefield the heavy woollen area – where we still make carpets and mattresses.

There’s a lot of innovation going on here. I think what we have to do is make it impossible for the government not to listen. They will be reporting on their waste consultation probably early September now.What we do have now is a library of action plans. We need to move faster on plastics, we need to move faster on fashion.

Our next area that we’re going to look at hasn’t been announced yet (I think you’ll like it in terms of sustainable consumption). We’ve found this

#Interview way of talking to consumers about their consumption habits and waking people up to that and I suppose the key is keeping the laser focus on government as the wheels turn on an the caravan moves on...

But how do we get over the Instagram generation? I’m very interested in the fashion quarters – you know talking about slow fashion, talking about treasuring what you’ve got in the wardrobe and trying to get that out – when your

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advertisers are saying actually we want to sell you more things this season... there used to be four seasons now there’s like 25. I think balancing off the newspapers and websites to sell content with what advertisers are asking is going to be another set of difficult business conversations I think things will evolve in that aspect – that’s all I can say.”

[End]

New Faces

Slow Fashion with Laura Ironside 14

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Laura Ironside Founder Laura Ironside is a designer/director of slow fashion luxury eponymous womenswear label.

Our focus is to create beautiful garments, thoughtfully, to try and encourage a slower fashion cycle and a more conscious consumption.

Laura launched the label in 2017 after some years working in the industry in a variety of different capacities. “It had occurred to me that if you decide to bring a new product into the world you have to be aware of the impact you’re having.

However, terms like ‘eco-friendly’ or ‘green’ fashion seemed to almost lose meaning to me and didn’t seem to address the whole product cycle. Slow fashion is about asking questions at all stages of the product’s life cycle. It’s an approach in which designers, buyers, retailers and consumers are more aware of the impacts of products on workers, communities and ecosystems.”

As a label, their aim is to produce fewer products that are higher in value and quality, allowing for a fairer distribution of the retail price throughout the supply chain.

“I create seasonless collections in limited styles and fabrics in Edits rather than seasons.

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The idea being that an Edit evolves through the learning and feedback gained from the previous. The intention is that no collection then becomes obsolete.

The next 'Edit' is currently in development, we're working on some dress and blouse styles in a similar feminine yet contemporary draped aesthetic as well as some core pieces at lower price points and alternative eco friendly fabrics.

We've had a very positive response to the lease service so far with great feedback from customers too. Some interesting feedback in particular was that customers were more likely to better look after a garment that's hired. I thought this was positive in terms of luxury garment rentals especially.

As a small label, we still have a relatively small market reach at the moment however so for us it's about getting the word out further just now too and for people to get more used to the idea. After this 'pilot' stage we'd like to expand the lease range further to include a broader range of sizes and tall/ petite options too.” www.lauraironside.com

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Laura Ironside Studio Rental FAQ How does the 7 day lease work?

Rent a garment for an event and keep it for 7 days: Choose your garment style, size and colour and select 7-day lease. Choose your delivery date & confirm purchase. Wear, style, love your garment for 7 days! Drop off at your nearest post office on or before the 7th day If you decide your garment isn’t right when you receive it, just notify us and send back within 24 hours for a refund.

What is the ‘24 hr Advance’ option? note that due to post operating hours this service is only available for delivery MondayFriday: Choose your garment style, size, colour and select 24hr Advance Try-on Choose your delivery date & confirm purchase. Try on in the comfort of your own bedroom! Drop off at your nearest post office within 24 hours www.lauraironside.com

Laura Ironside Studio 16

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Laura Ironside Studio 17

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James M. Levelle: Race For Future

By Yasmin Jones-Henry With the destruction of the Amazon rainforest through fire and deforestation; increasing numbers of deaths caused by illnesses related to pollution; microplastics contaminating our oceans; global warming accelerating at an alarming rate as temperatures continue to soar: it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the chaos of it all.

It’s even easier to retreat to the safety of our armchairs (or duvets) smartphones in hand – tweeting, posting (avec relevant hashtags) broadcasting our thoughts on the current political-socio-economicenvironmental crisis that seems to have gripped our planet in an ever tightening vice.

But when the wi-fi goes down, or if for some reason (it’s happened before) Instagram goes down – what is actually being done #IRL (In Real Life?).

It’s a rhetorical question I ask myself on a daily basis when I find myself swiping, scrolling and double tapping in the search for a small daily dose of pixelated positivity.

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So when I received James’ email, asking to meet me (in person) to discuss a new expedition he was planning in relation to all of the problems listed above, I was somewhat stunned.

My attempts to squeeze any information out over the phone or via email amounted to nada, and I was instructed to meet him at a hipster cafe in Stoke Newington (‘The Good Egg’). Now for those of you who know me, as a self proclaimed hermit, you know this an indication of his sheer force of personality – and persistence in ensuring I had absolutely no excuse to cancel.

I’d seen him action once before on a television docu-series about hurricanes. Hurricane Man (for those who haven’t seen it) depicts a team of explorers and storm chasers, gathering data about some of the world’s deadliest hurricanes. Unfortunately the first and only episode I watched had me watching through my fingers alongside other viewers as James confesses (later in our conversation) that he almost died – such was the risk. So why do it? “What’s this all about?” I asked him about five seconds after he sat down.

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The expedition he explained, was inspired by his return home from his tomb raiding travels in Egypt where he discovered London was effectively on lockdown as a result of the Extinction Rebellion protests. The sudden urgency, the sudden explosion of rhetoric around the climate crisis in the public domain, gave him inspiration for his next big project.

Always in pursuit of the next adventure, James explained that he felt this one, would need to be a collaboration. His expedition ‘Race For Future’ will see him travel 7000+ miles from the UK to Chile as he makes his way to the UN’s Environmental Summit in December.

En route he will be collecting and filming messages from young people in towns and villages that he’ll be travelling through, in order to deliver them as a presentation to the world leaders he’ll be meeting at the UN Summit.

“Race For Future is about elevating the power of influence children wield, connecting them to the political infrastructure they’re excluded from” James explains, “It’s their future.”

James’ mission is twofold. My favourite part of his story is the fact that he has created a global platform for young people to have a collective voice on the current environmental crisis. The other, is the fact he is venturing into unchartered territory. We know carbon emissions exacerbate the problem, but what we’re lacking is information and data on how to make travel more sustainable.

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During his travels, James will also be exploring how we can solve the climate chaos on a global scale, while evaluating what positive environmental impacts individuals can make at a local level.

History certainly makes space for the trailblazers who push the boundaries for the betterment of humanity. I think it was Pliny who coined the phrase ‘Fortune Favours the Brave’ – 7000 miles, fossil fuel free: I believe the odds will be in James’ favour.

To follow his progress, and to receive updates: Instagram:@James_m_Levelle, #RaceForFuture or visit www.RaceForFuture.com

Guy Morgan Apothecary

My blends were not only enjoyed by myself, but were effective and sought after “I founded Guy Morgan with the intent of by friends and family, inspiring me to deproviding authentic and efficient skincare, velop my craft further.

I launched ‘Guy Morgan’ in 2015, that’s both natural and ethical. The lush initially with solutions I’d been using myself countryside of the Quantock hills in Somfor years.

Since then I’ve refined and exerset, England, gave me a love for nature from a young age. My mother was a bota- panded the range using customer feedback nist who worked towards the conservation and ongoing research.

Future wise I’m planning on expandof the surrounding heathlands, I soon ing my range and opening a practise offering shared this passion which eventually natural skin treatments and facials. I’m hoppiqued an interest in natural skincare. ing to have my first popup in Hackeny, East Unhappy with the numerous products I tried as a teenager with problematic London for 2019. One of my long term aims is to pick up my mothers work, and have an skin I decided to put my knowledge of botany to use, hand crafting my own skin- active roll in the conservation of Somersets care. My reasons for turning to the power countryside, specifically the Quantocks. To of plants were not only the rich uncompro- create a product that utilises surrounding mised nutrients, but the want to minimise fauna from the area would be a dream.”

- Guy Morgan (November 2018) my environmental impact. www.guy-morgan.com

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Mr. Duffy x Sourcemap Taking on Transparency When I first saw Patrick Duffy’s (founder of Global Fashion Exchange) post, I knew I had to reshare it as far and wide as possible.

The biggest hurdle in the pursuit of ethical fashion and sustainability is the supply chain. This is where the exploitation, modern slavery and theft takes place. A total lack of transparency that is endemic— is the cause.

What this new collaboration between Mr. Duffy and Souremap illustrates, is that if brands genuinely want to be transparent, and to show their consumers that they have nothing to hide—in terms of telling the true story of production—then it is achievable. If they truly want to pursue transparency.

Sourcemap have created a platform to enable brands operating on a macroeconomic scale to achieve 100% traceability. To quote the sage that is Mary Creagh MP, “If Marks & Spencer can tell me what the pigs in my sausages were fed, why is it so difficult for me to trace who made my clothes?”

A valid question, one that echoes Orsola de Castro’s highly impactful and effective campaign with Fashion Revolution underpinned by the simple question: “Who made my clothes?”

This call for accountability is being driven by consumers waking up to the realisation that as part of the wider trend in wellness and mindfulness, their clothes must also reflect this synergy in the pursuit of an ethical way of living.

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This collaboration between Mr. Duffy and Sourcemap is an important evolution of the wider public discourse around sustainability. So much of the rhetoric around sustainability is preoccupied with the environmental impact, almost divorcing it from the humanity that is also tied to the fashion industry.

When talking about sustainability, we’re not only talking about carbon emissions. Here we are talking about full transparency reflecting the wellbeing of the human hands that harvested, manufactured and delivered the products to the shop floor.

One needs only to remember the Rana Plaza tragedy of 2013 which saw over 1000 factory workers lose their lives as a result of being forced to work in unsafe conditions.

Many of the UK’s high street retailers were found to be operating out of that factory—and many unfortunately still have ongoing operations in similar conditions around the world.

With the growth of platforms like Sourcemap, the lack of transparency that once enabled this form of outsourcing and business model to thrive will (thankfully) eventually become obsolete. As it shows accountability is a fundamental part of the creative process.

Mr. Duffy’s debut collection launches 14th September 2019, London. @MrPatrickDuffy https://www.sourcemap.com

Birdsong, London

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#PERSPECTIVE

#SustainableFinance

‘The Future’s Gold’’

by Lakwena Maciver Available to purchase via SubjectMatterArt

What is “sustainable finance”?

Why does it matter to the fashion industry?

Here’s a few stats for you: 

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In the UK growth is forecast to continue well into 2023 with the UK fashion sector expected to be worth £76 billion in five years.

As it stands, in the UK men’s fashion generated £15.9 billion in GDP, with 5.1% growth. Menswear accounts for 26% of the total clothing market (Mintel, 2018).

Women’s fashion generated £26 billion in GDP 2017 (British Fashion Council, 2018).

Women’s fashion accounts for 51% of the sector. The textiles industry in the UK employs over 890,000 (BFC, 2018).

#BREXIT: Uncertainty about Brexit, sterling and expensive imports since the referendum in 2016 etc has been a big motivator in designers redirecting production back to the UK in the last two years.

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This drive to bring production closer to home is equally driven by designers mindful of reducing their overall carbon emissions across their operations.

2019 thus far, has seen global protests in support of environmental activism.

Discourse about climate change isn’t going away any time soon.

What’s more, the concept of sustainability and action to resolve the climate crisis is now firmly imprinted upon the public conscience. It’s a key pillar in our everyday life now.

Households are evaluating their use of virgin plastics, supermarkets are being shamed for burning fossil fuels to keep open fridges cool, meanwhile increasingly the bigger fashion conglomerates are beginning to promote their own polices around sustainability for positive PR. >cont.

#PERSPECTIVE

#SustainableFinance

So where does this industry wide pivot towards sustainability leave the emerging fashion designer or new ethical lifestyle brand start up?

For the sake of stating the obvious – there is no use in talking about sustainable textiles production without first, addressing the financial infrastructure that makes all commerce possible. What is fashion if it is not first and foremost a business? In order to survive and thrive, sustainable fashion needs sustainable finance.

As ever, @WorkinFashion.me is the platform where fashion and macroeconomics collide. Looking at the recent announcement from HSBC that they would be issuing a new suite of green loans for ethical businesses – operating with the intention and aim to reduce their overall carbon footprint – I felt it imperative to dig a little deeper.

Why is a bank of HSBC’s scale wading into this arena?

“In June (2019) the UK became the first major economy to commit to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050”, Daniel Klier, HSBC Head of Sustainability, explains. This is an ambitious target. It also sheds some light on why the banking industry has suddenly woken up to the urgency in adapting their business models to better cater to the market and future demands of the next generation of entrepreneurs and business owners.

“An estimated $1 trillion of new spending by 2030 is required to transition to a low carbon economy”, Klier explains further.

“Without an intensive course of ‘green investment’ from the banking sector, this target will never materialise. “ 10th July, I awoke to the news that HSBC was launching a new suite of green loans for SMEs in the UK I couldn’t help but smile.

Speaking to Environmental Finance, Rob King, Head of Sustainable Finance at HSBC UK commercial banking, explains, “We have seen strong demand from businesses since launching the green loan pilot last year...

Our customers are asking for more green finance products to support their specific ambitions.”

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“We are committed to supporting responsible economic growth and enabling the low carbon transition using sustainable finance”.

(HSBC, 2019)

Many of the new emerging designers are building businesses from the ground up that incorporate upcycling, recycling, producing with low carbon emissions – a multifaceted product.

Increasingly, (and I’m not just talking about Christopher Raeburn and Priya Ahluwalia here) more and more start ups are appearing with the intention of using their creative power to transform waste into art.

“Waste is a design flaw” Ellen MacArthur points out that the flaws in the fashion industry’s business model occurs in the design studio. Increasingly, here in the UK, the design studio is where these solutions are evolving.

LVMH’s joint collaboration with Stella McCartney further confirms, that this next era of development has British designers at the very heart of it. Stella’s move was a power play as an entrepreneur and business owner – not an artisan. She retains control of her business via her majority stake, while leveraging the conglomerates financial muscle to grow her business.

Gone are the days of the textbook sale of a design house, or the designers who refuse to learn about the business in the

#PERSPECTIVE

#SustainableFinance

According to Environmental Finance, later that same month, Morgan Stanley boasted the launch of their new ‘Impact Quotient tool’ that they claimed was “the first to evaluate the environmental, social and governance The range includes: (ESG) investing based on the individual im Green loans for sustainable activipact preferences of its clients.” ties, starting from a minimum of The tool can also report alignment £300,000. with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. This gradual awakening in the invest Green revolving credit facilities ment community coincides with the wider (RCF), which enable companies to global economy. Where fashion leads.. The access pre-approved funds based world follows. on a rolling agreement, starting Many of you sustainability stalwarts from a minimum loan value of £1 may remember Kering’s launch of their Envimillion. ronmental Profit and Loss report in 2011, the first of it’s kind within the luxury fashion and  To comply with the Green Loan textiles industry in evaluating the socioecoPrinciples, customers can manage nomic and macroeconomic impact of their their green loans by using HSBC’s methods of production. Kering could argue, Green Framework. not Morgan Stanley, that they were the first to truly evaluate the environmental impact of commerce in macroeconomic terms.  Green hire purchase, lease and But let’s not get stuck in a tit for tat asset loans, which facilitates the row about who got there first. What this does financing of green assets. show, is that the financial sector—in their pursuit of realigning their objectives with the UN’s SDG’s will find themselves on the same wavelength of a heightened awareness of ethics and sustainability with the fashion industry at large –arguably one of the world’s biggest employers. A happy coincidence? It ““An estimated $1 trillion of could be. new spending by 2030 is required What it does reflect, as the journalists to transition to a low carbon economy”, at Environmental Finance pointed out, the Klier explains further. demand is now loud and present for the “Without an intensive course of financial services providers to integrate their ‘green investment’ from clients’ impact goals with their investments.’. the banking sector, this target will never materialise”.

With the UK’s fashion industry set to grow to pursuit of simply being preoccupied with creating. It also shows that the innovation coming out of UK fashion is worth investing in.

(Daniel Klier, HSBC, 2019)

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£76 billion by 2023, it appears the banking industry is ready to lend a helping hand to budding entrepreneurs and ethical start ups.

I mean – who wouldn’t want a slice of this sustainable pie?

[End]

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The Sustainable Luxury Report

by Yasmin Jones-Henry

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#TSLReportII

The Sustainable Luxury Report II “ *Design out waste. *Keep products and materials in use. *Regenerate natural Systems. ” Ellen MacArthur Foundation

In 2017 the global fashion industry was estimated to be worth $2.4 trillion (McKinsey, 2017).

In the UK, according to Walpole there has been a 49% growth in the UK’s luxury sector over the last four years. These numbers are huge. Make no mistake. But with size, power and influence, comes responsibility.

In the UK, there is estimated to be up to £30bn worth of unworn clothing hanging in our wardrobes. The UK purchases more new clothes than any of its European neighbours.

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the textiles industry recycles less than 1% of its textiles used, with over 70% heading straight to landfill.

In the midst of the Environmental Audit Committee’s justifiably scathing review of the UK’s fashion and textiles industry, we are suffering from an endemic (and global) case of overproduction and mass consumption. The call for ‘slow fashion’ is a growing one as both business leaders and designers collectively re-evaluate the very DNA of their business models to position themselves as part of the solution.

The explosion of the ‘Second Economy’ in luxury retail is evidence of this.

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The shift from ownership towards rentals in luxury fashion is driving a new chapter in retail where consumers don’t ‘consume’ at all, they merely lease, curate and circulate pieces of the aesthetic. This heightened sense of fluidity is driving the e-commerce on platforms such as Vestaire Collective, Second Life (Farfetch) and Depop. According to a recent Financial Times report, estimated that the designer resale market is worth $24 billion and is expected to mature to $54 billion by 2023 based on GlobalData’s evaluation of the US market.

According to The Real Real’s recent ‘Resale Report’, drawing on a data pool from the millions of sales transactions on their platforms, their findings reveals the real and tangible shifts in consumer tastes within the US luxury market as a result of increased consumer awareness about sustainability.

78% said that an awareness of sustainability had changed the way they shopped.

Meanwhile 32% stated that their purchases of second hand designer classics were ‘investment pieces’ and that these purchases were ‘substitutes for buying fast fashion trends’.

Their data also revealed that of all the brands, Gucci and Louis Vuitton topped the brands searches. In terms of PR, it’s been well publicised that Gucci (owned by the Kering group) has been moving away from the use of furs, exotic skins and investing heavily in more transparent and sustainable methods of production.

Both the millennials and the GenZ audiences (partly due to being raised in economic uncertainty and being laden with immediate student debt) possess less interest in ‘ownership’ as opposed to their parents’ generation. The acquisition of material assets are increasingly viewed less as a validation of success, but weighed upon the merit of the ‘experience’ itself. Their future and their present is in the pursuit of mindfulness as opposed to the mindless consumption – that had driven the retail boom in luxury and fashion over the last thirty years.

A recent report by Jing Daily into what Millennials in China’s luxury market were gravitating to, cited brands incorporating ‘wellness’ into the corporate narrative, as the preferable option for the next generation of HNWI in China. This is echoed in Europe too. In the UK, the wellness industry is now estimated to be worth 26billion Euros according to the Wellness Institute (2017). If this is the generation dubbed as ‘Generation Rent’ – through their transactions they are providing data that reflects a willingness to invest in products and services that enhance their experiences.

Reverting back to the growing trend/ demand/attraction to ‘mindfulness’ – it provides a new challenge to the luxury industry to evolve and adapt to this new approach to consumption. In the face of growing competition and in a crowded market – morality, ethics – will be viewed as a ‘value added’ asset to brands wishing to attract new business.

The materials we come into contact with are being re-evaluated on a molecular level. Consumers now care about the socioeconomic and environmental impact of the materials they consume. With the devastation of the Amazon rainforest through fire and deforestation, with the discovery of micro plastics in the mainstream water

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supplies , as well as the melting ice caps – driven by rising temperatures accelerated by greenhouses derivative of fossil fuel driven pollution: the luxury industry will have to reconcile itself to the new expectation that in order for something to be ‘luxurious’ and in order for it to ‘feel good’ it must by default be cruelty and guilt free.

In both Greenpeace’s (2017) and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s textiles reports (2017) they single out the lack of investment in recycling infrastructure as the biggest barrier towards the manufacturing industry achieving genuine circularity and sustainability. Please note, in the realm of luxury, textiles also covers upholstery be it in the automotive sector or in interior design.

Speaking to Cyndi Rhoades founder of Worn Again Technology, she is eager to reframe the conversation about waste in the textiles industry as new opportunities for creativity, innovation and investment. When discussing the fashion industry’s over reliance on polymer (fossil fuel based) textiles, Cyndi is eager to rephrase ‘plastic waste’ as “captured oil”.

This, she explains, is where the global manufacturing sectors have the opportunity to redeem themselves. Instead of the old linear and expensive models of take-make-waste, by adapting the principles of the circular economy, brands who are able to take back, reuse, and remake their garments by recycling the materials at a molecular level actually close a giant loophole – both in production and in future profits – if the expensive process of extracting natural finite resources are supplemented and eventually usurped by recycling plants – built to scale.

But our meeting was scheduled the week of the UK government’s announcement that they would not be implementing any of the recommendations proposed in the Environmental Audit Committee’s Fixing Fashion report. One of the recommendations suggested the investment in textiles recycling plants— delivered by a joint collaboration between the government through incentives - and the private sector through private investment. Naturally, Worn Again, could have provided assistance in building this infrastructure. But,

Cyndi, dissollusioned by rhetoric around Brexit, and the government’s slowness to respond to the environmental crisis, has now decided to open her first textiles recycling plant in Europe.

To refresh you memory—here are some of the other recommendations that appeared in the Fixing fashion report that the Government also chose to reject:

EAC Recommendations 

Moving from conventional to organic cotton and from virgin polyester to recycled P.E.T



The Government should investigate whether its proposed TAX on virgin plastics, which comes into force in 2022 should be applied to textiles products that contain less than 50% recycled P.E.T to stimulate the market for recycled fabrics.



Economic incentives for retailers to do the right thing. Taxation reforms to reward fashion companies that design products with lower environmental impacts and penalise those who do not.

“ Government intervention is 'necessary’.

Innovative businesses and designers in the UK face competition from businesses who are focused on reducing costs and maximising profits regardless of the environmental social costs.

“

(EAC, 2019)

Cont>

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“While the luxury segment only represents a fraction of the marketplace, there is still a disproportionate onus on the sector to deliver sustainable products and carbon neutral footprints.

In a world where every consumption choice is being increasingly scrutinized, nice-to-have products and experiences (versus need-to-have) must lead by example in their approach to sustainability; from the perspective of both product and communication.”

– Tom Punch, Global President & Chief Creative Officer, Spring Studios

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Tom Punch (Global President & Chief # Creative Officer, Spring Studios), offered us a succinct synopsis as to where we are right now with both the fashion and the luxury sectors. This new era of heightened consumer awareness brings with it greater scrutiny, louder calls for corporate responsibility and a paradigm shift in the idea of ‘things’. Material possessions themselves are being re-evaluated in context to their philosophical, socioeconomic and moral value in our lives.

This sense of introspection was the main objective on the agenda at Spring Studio’s Luxury Summit in June earlier this year.

With decision makers present from the likes of Harrods, Bentley Aston Martin, Walpole, Richmont, Swarovski, DeBeers and the UN – the all day event was the closest thing the luxury industry has had to an informal sit in, whereby senior figures felt, measured and evaluated the full – global scale of this new movement in favour of sustainability.

In the war against greenwashing and ill -thought out PR – it’s imperative that I stress the day began with a session on mindfulness.

Before the French Chambers of Commerce were permitted to open the proceedings, everyone present was asked to close their eyes and focus on their breathing. Feet on the floor, shoulders back – centring thoughts on the heart – it’s heartbeat and it’s rhythm: the ever so busy attendees were forced to open themselves up to ‘the experience’ of mindfulness. After all what is ‘luxury’ if not an experience?

“ The consumer has the power to fire every single one of you: From the CEO to the staff on the shop floor

” Megan Higgins, PwC Luxury Analytics Specialist,

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The first hurdle the industry must overcome is the failure to fully appreciate the reality that the millennials are now the generation moving into the space of ‘high net worth individuals’ – the demographic heritage brands need to pivot their attention towards, if they are to survive and thrive in this new era. Sustainability is not just about carbon emissions, its sustaining a business, one’s very existence.

The industry has been woefully slow to pitch to a younger generation both out of a reluctance and an ambivalence towards a demographic they have taken great pains to avoid.

Megan Higgins, PwC Luxury Analytics Specialist,

The consumer have the power to fire every CEO in this room, if your brand does not reflect their values’, the luxury markets expert for PwC announced as she fired up her powerpoint presentation. When notifying the c-suite seated in the audience of Spring Studio’s Luxury Summit, Ms. Higgins presented a list of the most predominantly used search terms. Words such as ‘Conscious’, ‘cruelty free’, ‘fur-free’, ‘recycled’, ‘green energy suppliers’ and ‘ethical’ appeared on screen. The effect was one of overwhelming evidence, that if these leading luxury brands did not incorporate these values into their own aesthetic, the sustainability of their corporations (let alone the environment) would be at risk.

The luxury and heritage brands in the room continuing to sell fur, diamonds, fossil fuel vehicles, unethically sourced/produced products in the pursuit of an ageing audience of Baby Boomers heading into retirement – will soon find themselves totally and utterly out of step with the current and next generation of high net worth earners.

For those who are unaware – the term millennial refers to anyone born between 1981 -1994. This spans across those approaching their 40’s to those in their mid 20’s. Both homeowners, first time buyers, and the aspirational – those just beginning the climb of their career ladders.

Cont>

Both the Millennials and the Gen Z audiences (partly due to being raised in economic uncertainty and being laden with immediate student debt) possess less interest in ‘ownership’ as opposed to their parents’ generation. The acquisition of material assets are increasingly viewed less as a validation of success, but weighed upon the merit of the ‘experience’ itself.

Their future and their present is in the pursuit of mindfulness as opposed to the mindless consumption – that had driven the retail boom in luxury and fashion over the last thirty years.

“The 20 warmest years on record have been over the last 22 years, with 2015-2018 taking up the top four”. In translation, the news stories and online footage of melting ice caps and starving polar bears is the fodder that Millennials and Gen Z consumers grew up with. There is a much clearer understanding and widely acknowledged correlation between culture, consumption and climate change. This, naturally is beginning to influence how the younger generation looks at and approaches luxury.

Not ignoring the economics, in the UK at least, with the likelihood of homeownership seeming ever further away, and substantial data to support the hypothesis that overall this generation are in fact fiscally worse off than their parents, it’s a tall order to ask a generation with less disposable income and more student debt to invest in a brand that will actually accelerate the depletion of world resources and thereby inadvertently reduce their quality of life.

We’ve all seen the figures where fashion is listed as one of the most polluting industries - more than aviation and shipping combined. Meanwhile less than 1% of materials used to produce clothing are recycled. The UN says that by 2050 the equivalent of THREE planets could be required to provide natural resources needed to sustain current lifestyles given to the growth in global population.

A recent report by Jing Daily into what Millennials in China’s luxury market were gravitating to, cited brands incorporating ‘wellness’ into the corporate narrative,

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as the preferable option for the next generation of HNWI in China. This is echoed in Europe too.

In the UK, the wellness industry is now estimated to be worth 26billion Euros according to the Wellness Institute (2017). If this is the generation dubbed as ‘Generation Rent’ – through their transactions they are providing data that reflects a willingness to invest in products and services that enhance their experiences.

Reverting back to the growing trend/ demand/attraction to ‘mindfulness’ – it provides a new challenge to the luxury industry to evolve and adapt to this new approach to consumption. In the face of growing competition and in a crowded market – morality, ethics – will be viewed as a ‘value added’ asset to brands wishing to attract new business.

G7 Fashion Pact In response to these seismic shifts both in the environmental devastation that is ongoing, but also in context to an increasingly vocal critique of the fashion/luxury industry’s slowness to respond to the data on their existence as one of the world’s biggest polluters – has led to the G7 Fashion Pact.

As the UK Government pledged £10million towards assisting the efforts in resolving the current crisis in Brazil following the devastation of their forest fires, 32 global fashion and textiles companies gathered to sign the ‘Fashion Pact’. Images of FrancoisHenri Pinault (CEO of Kering) leading the discussions amongst this group of global decision makers went viral on Saturday afternoon as photographs of the gathering were circulated and reposted across social media.

It’s difficult to ignore the correlation between deforestation to sustain cattle farming for the agricultural and leather goods industry which is tied to the luxury goods sector.

While such a political and clearly urgent gathering and consensus is necessary and long overdue, this joint commitment in achieving practical objectives in the areas of climate change, biodiversity and the oceans – is not, technically speaking a legal document. It’s a promise. Another promise, in addition to existing pacts and pledges to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals that were launched in 2015.

Robert Skinner, (Executive Director of the UN Office for Partnerships) was also present at the Spring Studios Luxury Summit. He seemed almost weary, as he repeated the same statistics over again, about the Earth’s temperature, their targets for 2030 and the realisation that as fashion was one of the biggest polluters, the UN could not deliver their goals on time, without the industry’s accelerated participation. In other words, this is now the chapter of ‘Facta Non Verba’ for the fashion/luxury industry: Deeds Not Words.

While the collective has been slow to act, Kering Group under the guidance of their Chief Sustainability Officer Marie-Claire Daveu, have moved on from their groundbreaking delivery of the industry’s first Environmental Profit & Loss report of 2011.

Marie-Claire Daveu Image Courtesy of Kering Group

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“ Sustainability has grown beyond a level of mere awareness , becoming a genuine strategic factor for the development of brands.

” Megan Higgins, PWC They have now evolved a streamlined investment portfolio – enabling them to collaborate with the innovating start ups developing the low environmental impact materials and tech required to assist them in their drive towards complete sustainability and transparency.

“The Circular Economy” Marie tells me (in my previous interview for the Financial Times), “It’s our main priority. It’s the Holy Grail.”

While Kering has been able to bask in the light of having been ahead of the curve in revaluating their business models to better reflect a corporate ethos that places ethical production and sustainable business practices as its cornerstones, they are not alone in this field of innovation within the fashion/luxury market.

Cont>

After being blasted in the media for burning excess stock last summer, Burberry announced a calendar year later, the launch of their new capsule collection featuring Econyl: regenerated nylon.

Speaking to the Fashion Network, Pam Batty, Burberry’s VP of Corporate Responsibility, explained that the collection featuring upcycled fishing nets and industrial nylon waste was “just one example of the 50 disruptions the company has announced that it is progressively auctioning throughout its supply chain.” Their recent announcement of their ambitions to be completely carbon neutral by 2022 – is both ambitious but also a reflection of their new awareness of the drastic changes in consumer tastes and expectations in CSR from the brands they spend money with.

“This collection is just one of the things Burberry is actively disrupting and improving every style of how we create our products because we know our industry can play a big role in building a more sustainable future through science and innovation.” Pam Batty further explained.

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Activism & Accountability As London Fashion Week approaches, so to does the debate swirling (internationally) around the necessity/relevance/ethics of a bi-annual showcase that essentially was set up to advertise new collections for consumers to by – at the precise moment for calls to slow fashion all the way down – from both demand and production.

Extinction Rebellion have been quite clear that they wish to use their proposed protests outside the British Fashion Council’s main events space in September, as a platform to challenge the wider UK textiles industry to acknowledge, address and reform their practices in light of the environmental impact of their very existence.

While this has sparked heated debate on both sides of the fence, in the spirit of solutions and innovation, many have also noted that this particular stunt may prove to be counterproductive – harmful even to London’s position as the undisputed influencer and driver of the sustainability movement in global textiles and luxury fashion.

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With innovative designers such as Christopher Raeburn and Priya Ahluwalia influencing the industry’s perception of upcycled textiles – bringing circularity into full view, or Bethany Williams incorporating biotech into her designs and even in the material used to manufacture her buttons and hangers (made from a lactose derivative that operates as a biodegradable substitute to plastic), the BFC has long been a consistent champion, platform and incubator for the designers who have sustainability at the very heart of their design philosophy.

If ‘Waste is a design flaw’ (Ellen MacArthur 2019) then, to target the platform elevating designers as solution providers to the fashion/luxury sector’s chronic widespread issues is again, counterproductive.

In the place of a boycott, other voices have called for reform.

Rather than abolish the bi-annual showcase – which is a vital platform for the pipeline of emerging designers in an industry that employs over 890,000 people in the UK: perhaps it would be wiser to evolveadapt the narrative the BFC/LFW serves –

making the focus on innovation and design – as opposed to merely producing for another season – which is still a strain on resources, in the midst of a global crisis. This current tension between the Extinction Rebellion faction and those in support of the British Fashion Council, has produced an insightful case study of when and where activism and accountability are needed in equal measure.

The fashion industry, as part of the wider design industry is the UK’s fastest growing industry – growing three times faster than banking or tech. It’s also one of the UK’s biggest employers. So any calls to effectively pull the plug entirely on an infrastructure (in the wake of Brexit uncertainty) that has helped to keep the wheels of the economy turning and stable – would be reckless.

As the global economy races towards AI and automation, where would these skilled labourers go in a shrinking global manufacturing sector? If in the wake of austerity, Universal Credits and the welfare state as a concept is now under immense strain – how would the economy cope with even more people out of work as a result of complete termination in production?

The simple reality is, even in the wake of the Financial Times’ expose into slave labour in brands such as Boohoo and New Look in the UK’s supply chains, outside of fast fashion, when it comes to luxury fashion, the UK is a world leader in transparency and ethics.

Katherine Hamnett, Anita Roddick, Vivienne Westwood are just a handful of trailblazing female entrepreneurs who were using their own platforms within the industry to call for more sustainable and ethical practices more than 30 years before the rest of the world caught on.

Stella McCartney’s recent partnership with the French conglomerate LVMH is further evidence of international fashion houses appreciating the value of British designers in their ability to innovate and evolve in a way that delivers sustainable and ethical practices not as an afterthought – but as the very basis of their brand philosophy.

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Only 1 in 8 Bangladesh garment factories passed international safety inspection: that’s 200 out of 1,600 factories. According to news reported by the Fashion Network, 400 have now subsequently barred from taking international orders – the conditions were so dire, as a result of their failure to meet the requirements outlined in the international accord on worker safety.

Considering it is predominantly high street fast fashion brands that provide the bulk of this demand for textiles manufacturing in this region, surely it makes more sense for Extinction Rebellion activists to focus their energy in this sector, where leading brands such as Primark, Boohoo and MissGuided are still, unapologetically driving this rapid over production and mass consumption of cheap, unethical and often toxic textiles manufacturing.

In the wake of Fashion Revolution Week earlier this year (April), the irrepressible rise in consumer awareness following the campaign ‘Who Made My Clothes’ has helped to accelerate this paradigm shift towards an era of personal, social and economic responsibility.

Brands who maintain a laissez-faire attitude towards transparency and poor communication of brand values will not survive in what is shaping up to be a new meritocracy where craftsmanship is the primary source of credibility.

The Age of the Artisan has returned.

Opposite page: L-R designers specialising in ethical fashion and sustainability supported by the British Fashion Council and showcase at London Fashion Week: Priya Ahluwalia, Chirstopher Raeburn, Saul Nash

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ALICE EARLY

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CARALARGA

“Something old, something new, something upcycled”

The Autumn19 #WLookbook features the sustainable brands we love.

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S DRESS WWW.SDRESS.COM 42

Everlane

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AYNI A Peruvian brand that specialises in ethically sourced knitwear.

The ‘fabiana’ Jacket (left) is made from the Peruvian alpaca, it is hand knitted by communities in the Cuzco region in Peru, under ethical conditions.

Enter: 85XWIF at checkout to receive 15% discount. www.85Paris.com

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Priya Ahluwalia

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Laura Ironside Studio

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Heritier Freres

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Interiors Supplement 2019

Sustainability Made Simple Venetia Berry, Akojo Market, IntoArt The New Craftsmen, IKEA _DesignCan_& SubjectMatterArt

What Do Millennials Want?

POSITIVE VIBES 49

INTERIORS SUPPLEMENT (2019) FORWARD In Defence of Millennials Pp. 51-53

PERSPECTIVE _DesignCan_ Pp. 54 Venetia Berry Pp. 56-57 IKEA Pp. 58-59 Art Collectors: The Next Generation

By Kitty Dinshaw Pp. 60-63

#WORKINFASHION PRESENTS...

Pp. 64-73 *Cover: LALLA rug Available via Akojo Market ©2019 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED URBAN FLOW DESIGNS LTD

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In Defence of Millennials

By Yasmin Jones-Henry “Listen up Baby Boomers: Millennials care about lifestyle.

We care about interiors.

We care about design.

We love the aesthetic too.�

51Pom-Pom Pillow Cover) (Candor

I don’t even know where this misinformation came from or who decided that because we were raised in a century that brought with it wi-fi and instant messaging, that as a result of our association with tech we have no aspiration for the finer things in life.

This topic is a source of irritation for a number of reasons. But mostly because it’s the epitome of #fakenews.

Some old person, filled with resentment for all that is young and new, sat in a darkened room, and invented that wretched label – and proceeded to assign a profile to everyone born after 1982.

Standing at a colleague’s leaving do last year, a friend (who is 7 years older than me and born in the 1980s) turned and began to vent.

“You know I really don’t get why they bunch us all together in the same age bracket. You were born in ’92.

A totally different decade to the 80s.”

Fair point. “Also, I graduated in the middle of the financial crisis in 2008. The world looked totally different for me, than it did for you.”

Taking another sip of my drink I raised an eyebrow to show that I had taken her point.

“Also...” there was more... “I’m in my thirties. I have (no offence) a higher salary and more disposable income than you. You rent. I just purchased my first property...”These words have been gnawing away in the back of my conscience ever since.

This is an epic oversight by brands and publications.

With every magazine, brand and ad agencies that fails in its attempt to relate to Millennials, they only show us, just how little they actually know us. Drawing from a demographic that spans such huge strides in technology and social engineering, is a big deal. It’s the difference between having an i-pod or cassette player and vinyl.

It’s the difference between going to the arcade, and having a PSP. It’s the difference between posting your prom pictures in a photo album on Facebook or sticking them into an actual photo album.

It’s the difference between being in a group chat with your school friends, and actually having to go to a park or a ‘place’ to play with friends.It is true, as a result of camera phones, social media, 3G internet – the

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Millennial’s social experience as an impressionable child walking into teenagehood is a very different experience to their elders...

But the fundamentals seldom change.

When selling anything, it a cardinal sin to presume. What do people want? Yet, when it comes to my brethren, the elders do it all the time. What do Milllennials want? Has anyone actually asked us?

Well, I’ll tell you. We want to live well. It’s that simple. For those of us who were in our early teens when the world plunged into the financial crisis of 20072008, many of us would have been embarking on sitting exams in the hope of future employment – without any security that there would even be a future, as we watched footage of grownups in suits, walking out of offices with boxes containing all their earthly belongings.

In London, property prices came crashing down. In England, we have a saying, ‘an Englishman’s home is his castle’ – well with the castles were under siege, we were left feeling vulnerable, unsafe and uncertain as to how long this instability would last. Then of course let’s not forget climate change...

I was 11 when my cousin was shipped off to Iraq. When I think back to 2000-2010 I reflect on the transition from an 8 year old to an 18 year old, trying desperately to make sense of a world that was evidently going through an existential crisis.

So is it any surprise that now, this same demographic have entered the job market, can vote and have some measure of consumer power, they are using their power to champion the very essence of stability itself.

Veganism is a symptom of a growing conscious and awareness that if we, the next generation do not break with the toxic habits of our predecessors, we will have no planet to call home. The dietary revolution is part of a wider movement often referred to as #wellness on Instagram.

Wanting to live well, to have good mental health, pleasant surroundings and and nothing but positive vibes - amounts to an industry estimated to be worth 26 billion Euros in the UK (Wellness Institute, 2017).

#PERSPECTIVE So whoever keeps touting that line that ‘Millennials don’t care about lifestyle’ clearly has no relationship with reality or no internet access to research the data.

Sitting amongst my peers last week, this topic came up over coffee. One friend laughed as she confessed she picks restaurants and venues based on the decor and the ‘vibes’. We might not be able to furnish country homes, but interiors – the aesthetic is still a big influencer when it comes

#Lifestyle to our senses and our spending habits.

It’s true, the actions of our parent’s generation, the state of the economy and job market we have inherited means we will be poorer than the Baby Boomers. But, that doesn’t equate to being poor.

Strap yourselves in folks! 2019 will see more ethical and sustainable luxury lifestyle brands and designers featured on @WorkinFashion.me and in the next edition of #TheCollective. If they won’t give the people what they want... then I will.

[End]

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#PERSPECTIVE

Did you know the UK’s design industry is 88% white and male? Did you know that diversity in design is on the decline?

Design Can, the new campaign and online tool calling for the design industry to be representative of the world it serves, is ready to engage with the world today.

Visit design-can.com for further details.

There you’ll find their manifesto, practical ways to help in a section called You Can and a resources section stacked with articles, reports and a growing archive of talented creatives.Follow on Instagram at @_designcan_ and using the hashtag #DesignCan. Photography: Holly Whittaker (on Instagram @_hollyphoto)courtesty of Zetteler PR

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#Design

Paradise Row www.paradiserowlondon.com/

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The Art of Sustainability According to Venetia Berry Interview by Yasmin Jones-Henry I first met Venetia Berry while sitting in my friend’s living room.

Nika Diamond-Krendell(founder of Paradise Row) had invited me to meet the artist she intended to feature as her guest for the first flagship event of her new venture ‘Paradise Curates’.

After bonding over the plight of the millennial and reminiscing about teenage angst, MSN and the general challenges we’re all facing under the current climate, I discovered I found another ally in Venetia.

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Not only was her work desirable, she’s extremely easy to talk to and relatable.

While I had shared the difficulties I had encountered in fashion in the realm of transparency and deciphering greenwashing while trying to ‘walk the walk’, I later discovered—thanks to one of her insta-story posts—she too, was going through a period of introspection.

So, in light of all things sustainable, I asked her if we could have another chat about it, the interview is what followed:

YJH: You recently shared an insta story about your investigations into cruelty free paint, what was the outcome? Have you found oils/acrylic that is non toxic/ free from animal fats?

VB: I was taught how to make and prime canvases at art school, we used three layers rabbit skin glue to prime the canvases for painting – skipping this step would mean the paint would be completely absorbed by the fabric of the canvas and eventually mould. I had been using this technique ever since, despite it being a slightly smelly process! However, I gave up meat last year and have since been interested in alternative art materials, for the sake of the environment and animal welfare.

When I started looking into it, I naively thought that it would only be the rabbit skin glue I would need to replace. In reality there are a startling number of art materials containing animal ingredients, whether it be the skin for glue, the bones for the deepest black, hog hair for brushes or ox bladders for paint thinners.

The best point of research I came across was a blog post by Jacksons Art pointing out some of the leading brands that create materials without animal products. It may be hard to believe but most brands don’t shout about this, these details are hidden away amongst the FAQS. Jacksons also now have a ‘Vegan’ filter on their site, which has proved extremely helpful. So far I have swapped my rabbit skin glue for Lascaux acrylic size, which provides a great base for oil or acrylic. paint and some inks from Schminke.

At the moment I use Michael Harding oil paint, when it runs out I intend to replace it with Langridge oils. Luckily I have never been a fan of the hog hair brushes, so I am okay on that matter!

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You can barely see it on the canvas, unlike the rabbit skin glue, which can give a slightly shiny reflection. I have also acquired a set of Lascaux acrylic I intend to use up all of the animal based products I do have, because throwing them away would not be help to anyone.

YJH: In terms of spaces (be it your own personal space at home or studio) what do you look for in your ideal surroundings?

VB: I am a real homemaker – I love rearranging my home and adding new things to improve the atmosphere. It is slightly harder to create this atmosphere in my studio, as it is my workspace, and considerably less tidy than my flat!

However, I found a big green velvet sofa on eBay, which has transformed my studio.

I also love having plants around, I love how they can break up the typical straight lines of a room as well as helping to clean the air, much needed in my Brixton flat and studio. Something else found in both my flat and studio is an abundance of books.

I am lucky enough to own a fair few beautiful art books which I can flick through for inspiration. I really can’t stand a bare wall; both my flat and studio walls are covered in framed exhibition posters, etchings and paintings. Mostly my own works at the moment, as I very slowly start collection the work of other artists.

So if you can imagine this, with a burning candle, a cup of tea and Desert Island Discs playing in the background – those are pretty much my ideal surroundings!

YJH: IKEA has admitted they're totally redesigning their business model to suit Millennials lifestyle/spending habits) what would you like to see more of/change from the interiors world?

VB: In the last few years there has been more of a push towards individuals as opposed to brands. In my opinion, this is wonderful and often collaborations can be integral to an artist, illustrator or designer’s success. It would be great to see large companies continue to collaborate with individual creative.

This is a win-win situation for everyone, as the buyer is able to own something with a limited edition. There is nothing worse than going to a friend’s house only to discover that its contents match your own!

[End]

IKEA + The Millennial Market The times are indeed changing. As IKEA looks to the future , they have also taken steps to future proof their business model by adapting and evolving their services and product range to better suit the taste of their Millennial and Gen Z audiences.

Hege Saebjørsen Country Sustainability Manager, IKEA Group, explains the ways in which IKEA is incorporating the philosophy of the circular economy into their wider brand narrative.

The first major seismic shift she notes, is the change in buying habits between the previous generationand their Millennial counterparts. As the Millennials socioeconomic standing means, they will become serial-renters, IKEA have responded to their needs in favour of access over ownership.

Already using 100% sustainable cotton that is GOTS certified.

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Investing in innovative textiles for their new products . For the past year and a half they have also integrated recycled polyester into their material mix.

As the younger more environmentally conscious consumer, looks for products to fill their personal spaces with—they are also search for an option that brings with it fewer environmental and socio-economic challenges.

Knowing your curtains were woven with cotton that is sustainable and ethically sourced; knowing that the recycled polyester has ensured virgin plastics haven’t gone straight to landfill to be incinerated, should help us all to sleep a little easier at night.

These are the value added traits sustainability brings to the ’lifestyle experience. https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/

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Art Lovers & Art Collectors: The Next Generation

by Kitty Dinshaw

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#PERSPECTIVE

As the world changes, so too must the artworld. Galleries can no longer rely on being exclusive and intimidating, the preserve of the wealthy, in an era where we consume art daily on our phones and are inspired to go to exhibitions by other people’s selfies.

There is no doubt that art is as relevant to the millennial generation as it has been to generations past, if not more so. Art is accessible in a way it never was before and the explosion of contemporary art, especially in mediums such as performance and installation work, has contributed to a growing democratisation.

When I was a child, a trip to an art gallery meant wandering through endless huge rooms with religious paintings that all looked similar, meant nothing to me, and were equally incomprehensible to anyone without an art history degree. When I took my seven year old son to see Lee Bul at the Hayward Gallery, some thirty years later, there were sculptural costumes hanging from the ceiling, brilliant and engaging performance films, and even the ubiquitous “selfie moment”.

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#Art

It’s art in a glorious, exciting, colourful form which is speaking directly to the generation that consumes it at an ever-faster pace.

Museums, galleries and art fairs have caught on in a big way. Yayoi Kusama’s pumpkins might be the most Instagramfamous artworks ever, but most museum and fair directors, curators and artists across the world are alive to the viral power of social media. And of course, art is finding an audience as never before.

Only a decade ago, if you wanted to see a new Tate show, you had to visit the Tate.

Now you can see most of it on your phones, either filtered through Tate’s own feed, or from those you follow.

Instagram has also opened up the market to artists in an incredibly positive way; particularly women or minority artists, long ignored or underrepresented by the art establishment. Now artists don’t need a gallery, curator, critic or collector to support them and their work - just some basic knowledge of how a fairly simple app works.

Artists can live and work outside the established art world and it makes little difference. We cannot underestimate the importance of this and the positive change that will flow as a result.

Major institutions are listening to their new audience: curating shows that people actually want to see, and inventing new ways of engaging with art.

Friday Lates have been happening for a number of years now, and are hugely popular. I was excited to attend (completely by chance) a twenty minute gallery tour by one of Tate Britain’s staff, picking out his favourite works by women artists in the collection. Apparently that tour was a twice-weekly occurrence!

Lunchtime tours and talks are now common at Tate, the National Gallery, and international museums too, designed to catch office staff on their lunch break.

In Britain, there is a logical thread that connects the explosion in art appreciation and enjoyment to the 2001 Act of Parliament that made all museums and galleries in the country free. The millennial generation have grown up knowing that art is not off limits to them, because it quite simply hasn’t been.

This relates back to my point about museums and galleries listening and engaging with a new audience - their whole model,

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their whole raison d’etre, changed in 2001. They needed to rely more on government and Arts Council funding, rather than ticket sales, and for that they needed to show they had a larger purpose than just hanging great art on the walls.

Special exhibitions (which are still ticketed and often expensive) have to be truly exceptional now, as museums know that if they aren’t...well, their visitors can always get their hit of art by viewing the permanent collection for free.

So how do we, in the commercial area of the art world, encourage this new generation of art-lovers to become artcollectors - and therefore help a new generation of artists to thrive?

For starters, there simply has to be less snobbery, particularly around price. I still struggle to understand how it can benefit artists (except at the truly blue-chip places where the work is sold “behind the scenes” anyway) for a potential buyer (someone who has seen an artist’s work on Instagram, for example) to walk into an intimidating space where no-one greets them, no-one talks to them and where there are no prices on the walls.

At the end of the day, galleries are selling art. Very few are actually non-profit, and so most need to pay their rent to survive. So why try to disguise that fact?

Enjoying art is a beautiful and rarefied experience, yes, but so is shopping at Liberty or Dover Street Market. No-one would ever suggest that they remove the price tags from their clothes.

At Subject Matter, we’re also pretty evangelical about the role online galleries play in democratising the art world; possibly because we are online ourselves! The popularity of online art galleries is growing year on year, as are third-party platforms such as Artsy.

You can browse, buy and frame art, all from the comfort of your sofa. Yes, we don’t have a physical space, so we have to be innovative: pop-up exhibitions to provide that still-necessary offline experience, photoshopping artworks into clients’ room shots for them, or DM-ing with clients on a Saturday afternoon when they are home, they have time, and they need your advice! And of course the obligatory free shipping and free returns, vital for any online enterprise.

This is all valuable work: we are contributing to a more open art world, we are embracing change, and most importantly, we are making art-buying easy, fun and enjoyable.

The more people that enjoy buying art, and do so regularly, the more artists will be able to give up their second, third or fourth jobs and do what they love full-time.

Ultimately, one cannot disconnect art from the artists who make it. That amazing Instagram image was taken by someone, somewhere in the world. That artist you saw in the blog article is making but also wants to be selling. That solo show you saw a while ago has now closed but you loved the artist and want to follow their development.

The more people that buy art, the more artists will thrive. We are at a moment where we can effect real, lasting positive change - both as art-lovers and art-buyers. Let’s do it!

[End]

Click HERE to view the exhibition in the Subject Matter Art Gallery

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#WorkinFashionPresents

#Interiors

Amaya Ducru Clouthier and Ines Olaechea, Founders of 85˚, Paris

85° is the mean of degrees of latitude and longitude that covers the Latin American territories.

“We want to be the bridge between these 85° of cultures and Europe. So, we created a concept store based in Paris that introduces a curated selection of contemporary design from Latin America that merges craftsmanship and sustainability with a unique modernity of line and redefinition of luxury.

As a fashion and design omni-channel business in the European market, 85° is supported by its cross-media divisions such as e-com, pop-up shops and events, showroom, and image consulting. We value working with designers who are conscious of their surroundings, who are dedicated to a timeless vision of luxury, and together, we celebrate the exchange of knowledge they practice with their craftsmen and women, and their studio.”

Amaya & Ines Contact: Email: info@85paris.com Instagram: @85Paris Web: www.85paris.com

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MAKUA ALMA

ATELIER FOLKLORE

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#WorkinFashionPresents

#Interiors

Akojo Market: Ethics and Artisans

by Yasmin Jones-Henry 1.

What was the motivation for starting Akojo Market?

Our co-founder Natasha traveled frequently to Ghana and always returned with beautiful products and amazing stories of basket weaving women’s collectives in the Volta region, recycled glass bracelet initiatives in Accra and the female founders inspiring positive change within artisanal businesses.

She wanted to bring these products to a UK audience and champion the makers by creating a platform and a community where brands can draw on her knowledge, particularly in supply chain compliance, to grow internationally whilst improving the transparency and sustainability of their operations. Partnering with Annie, our co-founder and Creative Director’s skills in marketing, curating and digital communications, was a natural fit!

2. There has definitely been a gap in the market for creating an ethical luxury ecommerce platform for artisans in Africa. How has it been received?

The platform has been received extremely well by customers, potential investors and our brands. We have had many sales in the first month and interest from the industry. At present, there are many “buzz words” around ethics, transparency and sustainability in retail, and this can confuse customers.

We break this down as simply as possible, using clear criteria that determines at a high level a company’s ethos and accountability in business. Anyone can download our free guidance on vetting business partners and suppliers from our website’s APPROACH page.

Most importantly, through our conversations and due diligence processes, our brands and artisans are understanding what they need to implement and achieve to be “ethical”, and that is the driver to real change

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– change that enables women to be financially independent, to send their children to school and to be in business in five years time with a growing workforce.

3. Your launch date is set for June 4th, what are your plans for the future?

Our core objective is to generate sales for our brands and support their needs as they grow. With increased profits, these brands’ ability to do good in their local communities are endless. So, expanding our customer base in the UK to become a well known platform for beautifully curated, unique African inspired/made products is our immediate goal. We will then expand to the EU, US and Rest of World, tackling two primary challenges: meeting customer demand without compromising on quality and sound work practices; and managing a seamless shipping and logistics operation, carrying this out in the least environmentally polluting way possible. [End]

Don’t just take my word for it – check them out for yourself! https://akojomarket.com/

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JOHN SMEDLEY KNITWEAR

#WorkinFashionPresents

#Interiors

Into Art

In Conversation with Ella Ritchie, co-founder of IntoArt YJH: What inspired you to launch Intoart in 2001?

ER: Myself and Sam Jones founded Intoart in response to a lack of high-quality arts education and limited opportunities for artists with learning disabilities. We had both just graduated from Central St Martins in Fine Art Printmaking. Alongside studying in my third year of the BA course, I had been working on summer projects with people with learning disabilities through recreational activities but when it came to the arts activities the resources being made available and expectations of people were very poorly invested in.

Determined to challenge preconceptions and overturn prejudices, we set up the first 8week Intoart project in Peckham in 2001, with a commitment to working with adults with learning disabilities for whom there was limited access to the visual arts and art education.

We have remained committed to our founding values and expanded to work in the design field.

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Intoart aims to provide a platform for people with learning disabilities to become both visible and equal in the art and design world – not merely applauded for participating, but recognised and respected as creatives in their own right.

Over the past 18 years Intoart has grown to become a permanent, full-time programme and studio space, moving into our new space at Peckham Levels earlier this year. We support the work of 21 artists and designers, working across a range of media including painting, print, illustration, fashion, ceramics, product and graphic design.

Intoart have realised exhibitions, commissions and research projects with contemporary art galleries and museums in the UK and internationally, including to date, V&A, Tate, Southbank Centre, Whitechapel Gallery and Studio Voltaire.

YJH: Describe what Intoart offers in 3 words ER: Ambition / Craftsmanship/ Integrity

#WorkinFashionPresents YJH: What are your long-term plans?

Where would you like Intoart to be in 5 years time?

ER: For more people with learning disabilities to be recognised and seen as artists and designers in their own right. We will continue to develop innovative programmes and new partnerships.

In five–years’ time we would love to have a number of new and exciting high profile collaborations under our belt that align with our practice and are experienced by many people who had never previously heard of us and what we do.

YJH: What advice would you offer to anyone looking to launch a social enterprise/initiative of their own?

ER: We have built up the organisation incrementally and had a close eye on maintaining the quality of our practice whilst increasing the ambition. We have always valued our partnerships, collaborations and working with individuals who contribute ideas, widen networks and opportunities – it’s really important to nurture new relationships and invest in long-standing ones.

YJH: What can projects #W readers look out for next from Intoart?

ER: This November, we launch a new capsule collection Intoart X John Smedley of nine garments designed by Intoart artists.

The collection will be launching in John Smedley stores on 15 November in time for their flagship Christmas window displays. It’s the first collaboration of its kind for both Intoart and John Smedley, as well as the biggest commercial impact that Intoart has had on the design industry to date. We are really excited to work with a major design brand to realise the potential of Intoart’s artists and designers, and hope that it will lead to further opportunities and collaborations.

The collaboration came about through renowned designer and creative director Holly Fulton, who, alongside her partner, illustrator James Lambert, have had a relationship have enjoyed a long-standing collaborative relationship with both John Smedley and Intoart.

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#Interiors

Andre Williams’ knits feature his attentiongrabbing typographical style and wry wit, using Azure Blue to add emphasis to his high-impact comical messages.

Yoshiko Phillips draws on mythical creatures and animal imagery to create a series of eye-catching patterns in Blaze Orange that evoke the notions of predator and prey. With accents in Cerise Pink, Ntiense Eno Amooquaye’s designs explore the iconography of fashion and its embodiment in the image of the fashion model.

It was important to us that the original lines drawn by each artist, and that their distinctive styles are prserved throughout the transition from paper to wool. The resulting nine garments have been successful in achieving this and we look forward to seeing the public’s response to the collection.

The collection will available to buy from johnsmedley.co.uk and John Smedley shops on Brook Street, Jermyn Street and New Cavendish Street, London, from 15 November 2018 Social media Instagram: @intoart_uk

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#WorkinFashionPresents

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#Interiors

Catherine Lock

Mark Henderson

Founder & Creative Director, The New Craftsmen

Co-Founder & Executive Chairman The New Craftsmen

Prior to founding The New Craftsmen, Catherine spent 15 years as a product, trend and brand developer for British high street brands such as Sainsbury’s and Habitat . Her global travels exposed her to a colourful array of making, and makers, within workshops and homes which fuelled her fascination for the human and cultural aspects of craft, whilst merging it with that for her love of beautiful, well designed objects.

In 2010 Catherine shifted her focus, touring the British Isles to meet regional craftsmen and traditional manufacturers. Having built her knowledge of materials, processes and provenance, she now works with craft makers to develop exclusive collections and bespoke products.

Mark has worked in luxury goods for most of his professional life. He is Chairman of Gieves & Hawkes, No 1 Savile Row, Chairman of the London Luxury Quarter (Mayfair & St James’s), and a Director of Walpole (the UK luxury industry association).

In 2004 Mark established the Savile Row Bespoke Association.

His commitment to encouraging and nurturing emerging makers is renowned throughout the sector, and he is also a trustee of Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) and a patron of the Heritage Crafts Association (HCA). Mark firmly believes that craft makers and making can be enhanced by dynamic exhibitions and the cross germination of skills and experience. www.thenewcraftsmen.com 34 North Row, Mayfair London W1K 6DG

Adam Ross

Cameron Short (Printmaker)

Catarina Riccabona

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Bristol Weaving Mill

Featured Art/Stockists/Social Ahluwalia Studio

Guy Morgan Apothecary

https://www.ahluwaliastudio.com/ Instagram: @Ahluwalia_Studio

www.guy-morgan.com Instagram: @GuyMorganApothecary

Akojo Market

Lakwena Maciver

https://akojomarket.com/ Instagram: @Akojomarket

Alice Early

(‘The Future is Gold’) https://www.subjectmatterart.com/search? q=Lakwena Instagram: @Lakwena

https://aliceearly.co.uk/ Instagram: @AliceEarly

Laura Ironside

Ayni

https://www.lauraironside.com/ Instagram: @LauraIronsideStudio

https://85paris.com/search? q=Ayni&type=product&submit_search=Search Instagram: @AyniUniverse

Bethany Williams http://www.bethany-williams.com/ Instagram: @Bethany_Williams_London

https://mashu.co.uk/ Instagram: @Mashu

Mother of Pearl (AW18)

Birdsong, London

https://motherofpearl.co.uk/ Instagram: @MotherofPEarl

https://birdsong.london/ Instagram: @birdsonglondon

Paradise Row London

Bottletop

https://www.paradiserowlondon.com/ Instagram: @ParadiseRowLondon

https://bottletop.org/ Instagram: @bottletoppers

Saul Nash

Burberry

https://www.saulnash.co.uk/about Instagram: @Saul.Nash

https://uk.burberry.com/the-econyl-capsule/ Instagram: @burberry

Subject Matter Art

Caralarga

https://www.subjectmatterart.com/ Instagram: @SubjectMatterArt

https://85paris.com/collections/caralarga Instagram: @Caralarga_mx

Christopher Raeburn https://www.raeburndesign.co.uk/ Instagram: @Raeburn_design

Everlane https://www.everlane.com/ Instagram: @Everlane

Heritier Freres https://heritierfreres.com/ Instagram: @HeritierFreres

IKEA https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/ Instagram: @IKEAUK

IntoArtUK https://intoart.org.uk/ Instagram: @IntoArtUK

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Mashu

Sdress Fashion https://sdress.com/ Instagram: @SDressFashion

Sourcemap https://www.sourcemap.com Instagram: @sourcemap

The New Craftsmen https://www.thenewcraftsmen.com/ Instagram: @TheNewCraftsmen

Venetia Berry https://www.venetiaberry.com/ Instagram: @VenetiaBerry

Zetteler PR/Design Can https://www.zetteler.co.uk/ Instagram: _Zetteler_// @_designcan__

©2019 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED URBAN FLOW DESIGNS LTD

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