We look beyond the aesthetic qualities of the materials we use. As we navigate the deep complexities of fashion supply chains, through auditing and traceability activities and projects, we are gradually gaining a better understanding of where our materials come from and what impact they may have on the environment, people and wildlife. To this aim, all of our direct suppliers are required to comply with our sustainability standards. Find out more about our standards, auditing and traceability activities and projects in our Supply Chain section.
Today, over 90% of materials in our Ready-to-Wear collections are made from alternatives we prefer to use based on current industry best practice for their ability to deliver consistently reduced impacts and increased benefits for climate, nature, and people against the conventional equivalent.
For our collections, where possible, we mostly source alternative materials we prefer to use based on current industry best practice for their ability to deliver consistently reduced impacts and increased benefits for climate, nature, and people against the conventional equivalent.
As per our SS25 season, over 87.5% of main materials in our Ready-to-Wear are of such nature.
We take ‘main material’ to mean the primary material of a given product, which it is predominantly composed of, as opposed to a lining or smaller component such as buttons.
Where feasible, we pilot material and technological innovations, such as recycled options, plant-based alternatives or developments that make use of deadstock. An 'innovative' material, as the name suggests, is a material or practice/process that is advanced, improved or presents innovative solutions to problems in the fashion industry, as opposed to some conventional practices. This ranges from fibre (example: woven material obtained through textile waste) to dyeing innovations (example: dye obtained from textile waste), and many more.
Each season, our research and development teams actively seek out opportunities to include material innovations in our collections and will continue to do so. The following pages serve as illustration of our efforts and limitations.
We know the impact the cotton industry has on people and the environment, and how drastically their impact can vary depending on where the cotton is grown, how it is grown and how it is used as a fibre. Additionally, the use of pesticides and insecticides, soil degradation from over-production and excessive water use pose a risk to the environment, wildlife and local communities. As an example, water usage is one of the main issues with cotton production. The European parliament stated in an import report from 2023 that the production of a single cotton designer t-shirt requires up to 2,700 litres of fresh water, enough to meet one person’s drinking needs for 2.5 years.
In our SS25 RTW mainline collection, where cotton is used the most, over 75% of the cotton we buy is organic, while over 10% comes from farms with regenerative agriculture practices.
Organic fibres are natural fibres grown without strict rules around the use of synthetic pesticides, insecticides, or herbicides and GMOs (Genetic Modified Organisms).
We take regenerative agriculture to mean farming practices that revitalise the soil, in order to limit and counteract soil depletion, land degradation and improve the soil’s ability to store carbon. Our Responsibility, sourcing and development teams are continually following developments in best practice around cotton fibre growing and processing and we are working to understand how our cotton sourcing could best benefit farmers and the environment.
The environmental non-for-profit Canopy Planet estimates that annually 3.8 billion trees are logged to make paper packaging and wood-pulp derives fibres such as viscose, rayon and lyocell, threatening the survival of ancient and endangered forests worldwide.
Over 95% of the viscose in our main materials for the SS25 RTW mainline collection has been sourced through forestry guidelines that are environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable. 3% of viscose bought for this season is recycled.
Flax, the plant linen is derived from, is known to consume less water than cotton and for creating little waste as most of the plant is used. Our preference is to source linen from the EU for improved traceability and less transportation emissions, compared to linen outside of the EU.
With every season, our design and fabric development teams are seeking opportunities to include more linen in our collections, which includes research and evaluation of opportunities during the design and sourcing process
As part of our goal of eliminating virgin plastic from all our product categories, we are replacing, where possible, ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and synthetic rubber in our shoe soles with recycled or natural (e.g. natural rubber as opposed to synthetic rubber) alternatives. The maximum amount of recycled content we can currently include in components like soles, while preserving our uncompromising standards of quality, is 40%. However, depending on the style, this can vary between 20% - 40%. 69% of our offer of outsoles currently contain natural rubber.
FAll of our material suppliers are required to comply with our Animal Welfare Principles. Our Principles are based on the internationally recognised ‘Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare, which include the freedom from hunger and thirst, discomfort, pain, injury or disease, fear and distress and freedom to express normal behaviour. These Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare are a must for all our suppliers to ensure that we do not knowingly use any material or process in our products that inflicts suffering on animals or has a negative impact on biodiversity.
For our SS25 season, 27.84% of the wool used in our main materials for the RTW mainline collection was bought through suppliers who are certified against a standard that ensures wool comes from farms with progressive land management practices in place, protecting soil health, biodiversity, native species and the Five Freedoms of animal welfare.
We are deeply committed to our Animal Sourcing Principles that demand care and respect for the animals in our material supply chains. Our Principles are based on the internationally recognised ‘Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare, which include the freedom from hunger and thirst, discomfort, pain, injury or disease, fear and distress and freedom to express normal behaviour. These Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare are a must for all our suppliers to ensure that we do not knowingly use any material or process in our products that inflicts suffering on animals or has a negative impact on biodiversity.
In our current bags range for the SS25 season, animal leather makes up 49.38% of the whole collection. Our footwear collection is made of 56.85% animal leather this season.
During the sourcing process, our teams research industry standards suppliers may have in place that can guarantee high levels of animal welfare, and only source materials in accordance with our Animal Sourcing Principles and the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare.
The alternatives to real animal leather we accept include, but are not limited to, recycled and virgin synthetics, partially or fully bio-based leather alternatives and other innovations, where possible.
Silk is obtained from the cocoons of silk worms who feed on Mulberry trees. Silk is a key feature for our bridal collections. Our sourcing teams are actively investigating alternatives to conventional silk, such as organic or plant-based silk.
The sustainability standards for the Laminated Mother of Pearl used in our jewellery collections are strictly managed by the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries. The Mother or Pearl we use is sourced by Lumea, one of the only fisheries in the world with environmental management standards in place. Lumea carefully manage the complex ecosystems and have measures in place to protect against overfishing and exploitation of the seabeds by involving local communities.
We have been working to reduce virgin synthetic fibres in our products and these make up less than 10% of the materials used in the main materials that make up our mainline Ready-to-Wear collection for the SS25 season. Our main goal is to maintain this achievement.
Where we are unable to eliminate virgin synthetic materials, we aim for recycled synthetics instead. Currently, 100% of synthetics in our mainline RTW collection is recycled.
In our jewellery collection, we have continuously switched from plastic and resin-based pearls to glass pearls and, where possible, will continue to work towards replacing all virgin plastic in future collections. In our current collection offer, 79.4% of our pearls are made of glass, while 10.5% are synthetic.
While using recycled synthetic materials is good for tackling textile waste, microfibre shedding occurs from washing them so we aim to only use recycled synthetics for garments and accessories that do not require frequent washing and care. We are following research and innovation closely.
Silver makes up 11% of the metal present in our SS25 jewellery collection. 93% of silver in our collection is recycled. Silver scrap metal from the jewellery manufacturing industry is repurposed by our supplier Umicore in Thailand, who are members of the Responsible Jewellery Council and have been accredited by the LBMA (London Bullion Market Association).
From the Autumn-Winter 2023 collection, we have introduced recycled brass to our jewellery collection. In SS25, brass makes up 89% of the metal in our collection, 99% of which is recycled.
These percentages refer mainly to products such as pendants and rings.
Our research and development teams are researching recycled options for smaller components such as chains and clasps which are not yet made from recycled materials due to quality concerns.
