Wess

Women clothing, to compose a capsule wardrobe. They ship anywhere in the European Union. Marine Vicenzotti and Rebecca Parienti started Wess in 2017, originally as an online store for ethical, sustainable and vegan clothing, creating capsule wardrobe. At the end of 2018, they decided to stop reselling other brands and create their own. “It made sense because we really wanted to push minimalism consumption via the concept of capsule wardrobes developing our idea of 5 pieces that can be mix and matched to create 30 different outfits as well as our fashion basics line with co-designed fashion staples. The whole idea behind the concept of selling capsule wardrobes came when we started to change our personal way of consuming fashion and realise that one of the main problem in the fashion industry is overconsumption. We wanted to show women that you don’t need to have overloaded wardrobes to feel good and be stylish”, says Rebecca. “I was working in the fashion industry at the time and when Marine and I decided to launch Wess, we wanted to use this fashion experience to help other women. Back then, we were both living in London as flatmates and discussing ethical fashion quite often. The project of Wess appeared quite quickly to be honest. Marine is a born entrepreneur and what I was personally imagining as a side hobby for us was a viable company for her. One day at the pub between 2 gin and tonics we decided to create Wess. We wanted to use all this energy, skills that we had learnt somewhere else to work toward something that we believed in and to help other women take the leap toward ethical fashion”.

“During the year, at no particular moment, we also launch fashion basics that we all need in our wardrobe (the crisp white shirt, the day to night dress, the so-chic breton top …). For these fashion basics we ask our community to vote on every aspects for few month and then avail the product in a preorder campaign. When the pre-orders are done we produce the item in an ethical, sustainable and vegan way. That is what we did with our first product: the reversible breton jumper, it we were very happy with the results”. They also add personal advice on clothes sent (for example, what to wear with them or how to personalize it), so when someone buy it, there is more chance for her to cherish it and wear it as much as possible. Always in order to fight against overconsumption.

For now they only use organic cotton, labeled GOTS, produced by various partners in India with whom they have been collaborating for years. The production of clothes is made in India by a cooperative of women from the slums of Mumbai, who can work with a real salary and with safe and pleasant working conditions. “In the cooperative there is also a school, a creche and a sponsorship program for the women grow kids to send them to university. There is also a medical center, a mutual fund and so on. It is a real social project that go way beyond the manufacture of clothes”. As packaging they use regular recyclable big envelops.

The challenges they face: The main one is linked to the very high cost of developing a sustainable business (raw materials, factories, packaging …). Furthermore, the final cost of the products is, of course, higher than that of fast fashion. “Sometimes people don’t understand why, because they have been used to fake prices for so long. So there is also a part of education”. The other challenge is to find the right partners to make sure they are as involved in sustainability as them.

Next steps: They are working for a more sustainable packaging. They want to develop the pre-order system more, in order to produce quantities as close as possible to the demand. For the new collections they are exploring other materials like Tencel and recycled fibers. They want to expand sales to other countries.

UN Sustainable Development goals: 5, 12.

Link to website

Zola Amour

Women clothing, with essential and quality garments (shipping all over the world). Emilie Evans decided in 2016 to dedicate herself to this project after working for the fashion industry, also for a well-known shoe brand, shocked by a system that causes damage to people, to the environment, to consumers, by the drive to buy more and more. At work she realised the number of collections to be released, four times a year, with products that have to be always different in order to encourage new purchases. On a business trip to Hong Kong, she was impressed by the smog that blurs the sky, thinking at the beginning it was simply foggy. It is during the journeys that Emilie became aware of the shocking footprint of the industry. “As we walked up a narrow backstreet near a factory entrance, we were met with towering heaps of off-cuts from the recent production run. Rubber, PU, foam, expanded polystyrene, leather, polyester, insole board, outsole board… you name it, it was there. This was only a few of the many discarded mountains of waste we would see during our travels. All of which contribute to the staggering 12 million tonnes of textile waste thrown into landfills each year”. Emilie decided not to contribute to all this. She resigned and worked for two years in two coffee shop jobs while she was studying for her project. This is how was born Zola Amour, which offers clothing to wear long, simple, in natural biodegradable fibers, certified: organic cotton, linen, hemp, bamboo. In the “Transparency” section of their website, suppliers and certifications are indicated. Even the thread is natural: 100% GOTS certified organic cotton. The zips are in recycled polyester. Clothes are handmade in the UK. The packaging is in recycled tissue paper and the box in recycled cardboard. The articles of the collection are inserted little by little as the need arises to insert a basic piece, not every season several times a year.

Next steps: Coming soon a top that can be worn in five different ways. Organising more pop up stores, also in other countries (Germany, Holland for example). Find a fixed sales space. Improving the site, especially the section on transparency. Introducing a charity program as soon as possible.

UN Sustainable Development goals: 12.

Link to website

Menesthò

Sustainable and luxury swimwear (shipping all over the world, free in Europe). This brand was not among the finalists, but we would like to tell you the story. Vicki Griva has studied and worked for a while in Italy and we can interview her in our language. She also had professional experiences in fashion companies, before starting her own brand, which impressed her and pushed her to undertake something different. She tells me of two episodes that were the straw that broke the camel’s back. The first one was in an Italian company of the Luxury Fashion sector: for the new fall/winter collection she found a whole chinchilla in front of her… She felt bad and from that moment decided “no animals, it is an absolute cruelty and it is not necessary”. The second episode was in a fast fashion brand. It was the end of April 2013, the Rana Plaza plant in Bangladesh collapsed. The head of the company convened the employees and the only thing he wanted to communicate on that tragic occasion was: “We do not produce in that establishment”. Vicky then says: “It’s enough, I want to do something myself”. With her brother, Giorgos Grivas, she began in 2014 with clothes (now no longer in the catalog) and swimwear, producing to order to minimise waste and to satisfy customer requests when possible. Even in design she applies the zero waste philosophy, limiting fabric waste to a minimum. They have chosen Vita, an Econyl fabric produced in Italy from the recycling of plastic bottles and fishing nets recovered in the seas, created in such a way as to minimize the release of microfibres. Fabric printing and production are in the UK. The costumes are reversible: you buy two in one, choosing the combinations. The packaging is in organic cotton. 

The challenges they face: What they find most difficult is to reach customers with the message that a sustainable choice is better not only for the planet, but in the long run also for their wallets. In a world where mass-produced companies sell at very low prices, it is difficult. But buying low quality items, the consumers will have to replace them in a short time, and this will result, in the long run, in a choice that is not cheaper than buying a quality, handmade, long-lasting garment right away. Another challenge: finding sustainable materials for other aspects of the business, such as stationery, shipping etc. “The choice is really limited, so unfortunately sometimes we have to proceed with what is available, even if it is not the best from an eco-friendly point of view”.

Next steps: A software that allows the customer to better evaluate in the purchase phase how she will look with the swimwear she wants to buy. They are also thinking of a fabric that can be used again at the end of the product life cycle. They plan to expand their collections soon, becoming the “go to” brand for every aspect related to the “aqua outfit”. In the long term, instead, they aim to add a collection program for the used swimwear to recycle them. “Every day we focus on doing something more towards absolute sustainability. The objective is to create a company that does the least possible harm to our environment and to our planet in general, while we try to remain economically sustainable”.

UN Sustainable Development goals: 12, 14.

Link to website

Una delle convinzioni che ho è che per scrivere su un sito sia necessario leggere, studiare, informarsi sempre su ciò di cui si scrive. Certo non ci sente mai pronti: stare al passo con quello che accade nel mondo richiede attualmente ritmi rapidi, essere aggiornati sulle nuove tecnologie e scoperte comporta un impegno costante, leggere tutto ciò che al giorno d’oggi è facilmente a disposizione su un argomento è un’impresa, selezionare le fonti sicure è sfidante. Ma ritengo sia necessario per comprendere, proporre, descrivere, raccontare, spiegare, confrontarsi su un tema di cui ci si occupa. E praticamente diventa un obbligo se come nel nostro caso si tengono lezioni e workshop. Nel percorso di aggiornamento rientrano anche i corsi (nell’ultimo anno ne ho seguiti 5 sull’argomento moda, moda sostenibile, design, sostenibilità). Leggerei tre libri al giorno su queste tematiche!

Da una parte, il corso sulle strategie sostenibili di business (Harvard) mi ha rincuorato con un bellissimo messaggio positivo e la possibilità di cambiare la gestione aziendale orientandola a un solido scopo sociale e/o ambientale (diverso dalla formale mission) con risultati economici positivi nel lungo termine. Si può essere sostenibili e profittevoli, si può gestire in modo efficiente un’azienda prestando attenzione alle persone e all’ambiente. Credo in questo fortemente, al punto da voler orientare un nuovo modo di fare consulenza ad aziende e altre piccole/grandi organizzazioni verso forti obiettivi sociali e ambientali, con risultati positivi per tutti gli attori coinvolti, per le comunità in cui operano, per la natura circostante. Una domanda di un compito del corso: “Una singola azienda che agisce da sola può avere un grande impatto su clienti, dipendenti e comunità. Ma può avere un impatto al di là del suo mondo particolare? Se sì come?”. Così ho risposto al compito:

“Sì, penso che il loro impatto sia come una pietra gettata in un lago, producendo cerchi sempre più grandi che creano onde e muovono l’acqua intorno. È come un effetto a catena: se hanno un impatto su clienti, dipendenti e comunità allora clienti, dipendenti e comunità a loro volta creeranno un impatto simile, moltiplicando e diffondendo l’effetto. Se le singole aziende valorizzano la sostenibilità e il rispetto per le persone e l’ambiente, tali valori – attraverso i loro comportamenti e le loro azioni – influenzeranno i clienti, i dipendenti e quindi le comunità”.

Dall’altra parte, il corso teorico e pratico presso il London College of Fashion (University of Art London) sul design sostenibile nella moda mi ha fatto toccare con mano le sfide dei designer di oggi e riflettere su quanto sia in fondo stimolante vivere in questo momento, in cui la creatività è la chiave per individuare tutte le opportunità che abbiamo per cambiare il sistema della moda (e non solo). Vedere da vicino le opzioni tra cui possiamo scegliere in fase di creazione degli indumenti mi ha portato a riflettere ancora di più sulla responsabilità dei designer.

“In molti modi, la crisi ambientale è una crisi del design. È una conseguenza di come gli oggetti sono fatti, gli edifici sono costruiti e i paesaggi utilizzati”. (Van Der Ryn, 2004)

Abbiamo gli strumenti per ideare e realizzare soluzioni per vestirsi (e in generale per vivere) minimizzando il nostro impatto negativo sulla natura, oltre che sulle persone coinvolte e sugli animali.

Un gruppo di studio internazionale (siamo arrivati da Ucraina, Spagna, Italia, India, Brasile, Ungheria, Singapore, Giappone, Regno Unito) dà speranza di diffondere buone nuove pratiche di settore nel mondo! Grazie all’insegnante Noorin Khamisani, fondatrice del brand sostenibile Outsider, per tutti gli input creativi. Abbiamo provato insieme ad applicare l’upcycling, inventandoci nuovi usi di giacche da uomo destinate ai rifiuti. Abbiamo sperimentato la sfida del design zero waste, per creare senza produrre alcuno scarto con i tessuti a disposizione. Abbiamo fatto il pieno di stimoli per creare e di positività sul futuro del settore nonostante le complesse sfide!

Un modo nuovo di progettare, produrre e gestire è possibile (e necessario), ci crediamo fortemente.

Più sotto le foto dell’esperienza.

English – Dress Ecode’s lifestyle: Behind the scenes – A new way of designing, producing and managing is possible

One of the beliefs I have is that to write on a website it is necessary to read, study, always inquire about what is written. Certainly you never feel ready: keeping up with what is happening in the world currently requires rapid rhythms, being up to date on new technologies and discoveries involves constant effort, reading everything that is readily available on a topic today is a company, selecting the trustable sources is challenging. But I think it is necessary to understand, to propose, to describe, to narrate, to explain, to confront oneself on a theme we are dealing with. And practically it becomes an obligation if, as in our case, lessons and workshops are held. Courses are also included in the growing path (in the last year I have followed 5 of them on the topic of fashion, sustainable fashion, design, sustainability). I would read three books a day on those issues!

On the one hand, the course on sustainable business strategies (Harvard) has encouraged me with a beautiful positive message and the possibility of changing business management, orienting it towards a solid social and/or environmental purpose (different from the formal mission) with positive economic results in the long term. You can be sustainable and profitable, you can efficiently manage a company by paying attention to people and the environment. I strongly believe in this, to the point of wanting to orientate a new way of consulting companies and other small/large organisations towards strong social and environmental objectives, with positive results for all the actors involved, for the communities in which they operate, for nature surrounding. A question of a course homework: “Individual firms acting alone can have a great impact on customers, employees and communities. But can they have an impact beyond their particular worlds? If so how?”. That was my reply:

“Yes, I think their impact is like a stone thrown in a lake, producing circles larger and larger that create waves and move the water around. It’s like a chain effect: if they have an impact on customers, employees and communities then customers, employees and communities on their own create a similar impact, multiplying and spreading the effect. If individual firms value sustainability and respect for people and the environment, those values – through their behaviours and actions – will affect clients, employees and then the communities”.

On the other hand, the theoretical and practical course at the London College of Fashion (University of Art London) on sustainable fashion design made me touch the challenges of today designers and reflect on how stimulating it is to live in this moment, in which creativity is the key to identifying all the opportunities we have to change the fashion system (and not only). Seeing the options we can choose from when creating garments has led me to think even more about the responsibility of designers.

“In many ways, the environmental crisis is a design crisis. It is a consequence of how things are made, buildings are constructed, and landscapes are used”. (Van Der Ryn, 2004)

We have the tools to design and implement solutions to dress (and generally live) by minimizing our negative impact on nature, as well as on the people involved and animals.

An international study group (we arrived from Ukraine, Spain, Italy, India, Brazil, Hungary, Singapore, Japan, United Kingdom) gives hope to spread good new industry practices around the world! Thanks to the teacher Noorin Khamisani, founder of the sustainable brand Outsider, for all the creative inputs. We tried together to apply the upcycling, inventing new uses for men’s jackets that were going to be wasted. We have experienced the challenge of zero waste design, to create without producing any waste with the available fabrics. We have been full of inspirations to create and be positive about the future of the sector despite the complex challenges!

A new way of designing, producing and managing is possible (and necessary), we strongly believe in it.

A) Dal legno.
È di pochi giorni fa la notizia del nuovo video dell’attrice Michelle Yeoh, ambasciatrice delle Nazioni Unite, su come la scelta di vestire sostenibile non comporti rinunce. “Made in Forests” racconta del suo abito realizzato dal designer Tiziano Guardini, che nella Cittadellarte lo ha creato con un tessuto dalle fibre a base di legno proveniente da foreste sostenibili, il Tencel. Tiziano utilizza tessuti naturali e materiali ecosostenibili per creare abiti di lusso (seta cruelty free, ricami creati da radici di liquirizia o con vecchi cd lacerati, plastica e reti da pesca recuperate, corteccia di pino, rami di ulivo, spighe di grano, ecc.). “ECOuture. Rispetto e Sperimentazione. Questa è in sintesi la filosofia di Tiziano Guardini, brand attento da sempre alla Ricerca in tutte le sue forme. Ricerca di materiali, di lavorazioni, di forma e contenuti, ricerca etica ed estetica”.
https://www.tizianoguardini.com

In Francia, Do you green produce intimo biologico  dalla fibra di pino, derivata da foreste sostenibili francesi.
Nessun prodotto chimico tossico è impiegato, neppure nel processo di trasformazione.
I prodotti sono incartati nei fogli utilizzati per disegnare gli schizzi delle nuove collezioni e spediti in altri paesi via nave.
Adoro questo marchio!
Per uomo e donna.
https://www.doyougreen.com/en/behind-doyougreen/

B) Dall’arancia.
Orange Fiber produce in Italia per il settore moda lusso tessuti sostenibili dai sottoprodotti agrumicoli , che altrimenti andrebbero smaltiti, con costi per l’industria del succo di agrumi e per l’ambiente. “Dall’aspetto serico, del tutto simile alla seta, può essere stampato e colorato come i tessuti tradizionali, opaco o lucido, usato insieme ad altri filati – come il cotone o la seta – o in purezza”.
http://orangefiber.it

C) Dagli scarti del latte, Antonella Bellino e il suo team creano un tessuto morbido, resistente e idratante (sembra che si prenda cura della pelle idratandola) attraverso un processo di riciclo ecologico che trasforma la caseina in fibra. Due di latte è un brand italiano che vi stupirà con le sue collezioni in tessuti dai nomi “latte intero“, “latte parzialmente scremato“, “crema di latte” e “latte di riso“.
Che ne dite di una t-shirt a manica corta fatta di latte parzialmente scremato?
Per donna e bambino.
http://www.duedilatte.it

D) Dagli scarti della soia, cinque giovani indonesiane (Soya Couture) hanno trovato il modo di realizzare un tessuto simile alla pelle, evitando quindi lo smaltimento di quanto inutilizzato da uno degli alimenti più consumati nel paese sudest asiatico. Un processo molto semplice e a basso impatto ambientale che consente di creare un materiale adatto per l’abbigliamento e per le calzature.
Ecco qui il loro video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOhNM2Y2Auc

E) Dall’uva.
Wineleather, ancora un’idea Italiana, è il primo tessuto creato al 100% dal vino. Prodotto da Vegea a Rovereto dagli scarti della produzione del vino, è simile alla pelle e trova impiego nell’abbigliamento e nell’industria automobilistica. Nel processo produttivo non sono utilizzate sostante tossiche né inquinanti, né è consumata acqua.
https://www.vegeacompany.com/en/

F) Dai funghi, Muskin è una pelle vegetale ricavata dagli estratti della parte superiore. Il processo di trasformazione è del tutto naturale, non impiega quindi sostanze chimiche tossiche. È un materiale igienico, morbido, assorbente, adatto per creare abiti e scarpe. Un’altra dimostrazione della creatività italiana (Muskin è un’invenzione di Grado Zero Espace, di Montelupo Fiorentino).
http://www.gradozero.eu/gzenew/index.php?pg=consultants&lang=it

Non vi sembrano idee geniali? Sono solo alcuni degli esempi di materiali sostenibili e vi racconteremo di altre scoperte.
Cosa possiamo fare nel nostro “piccolo”? Invitare designer a usare materiali sostenibili o se siamo designer sentire la responsabilità del nostro bellissimo lavoro. E nel nostro armadio bilanciare il ricorso alle diverse fibre!

Articolo pubblicato anche su ecoscienti.org