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.
For our collections, where possible, we strategically 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.
This is reflected in our SS26 season, where over 60% of main materials in our Ready-to-Wear collection 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 trial 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. Introducing new ways of thinking, new processes, new customs. 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 preferred materials and innovations in our collections and will continue to do so. The following pages serve as illustration of our efforts and limitations.
We recognise the impact the cotton industry has on people and the environment, and how drastically this impact can vary depending on where the cotton is grown, how it is grown and how it is processed. Conventional cotton farming can involve synthetic pesticide and insecticide use, contribute to soil degradation, and require substantial water inputs, potentially affecting local ecosystems and communities. As an example, water usage is one of the main issues with cotton production. According to a 2023 report by the European parliament, producing a single cotton t-shirt can require up to 2,700 litres of fresh water, depending on regional farming practices and production methods, enough to meet one person’s drinking needs for 2.5 years.
In our SS26 RTW mainline collection, where cotton is used the most, over 80% of the cotton we buy is either recycled, from farms that practice regenerative agriculture or grown with organic farming practices in place. Organic fibres are natural fibres grown with strict rules concerning the use of synthetic pesticides, insecticides, or herbicides and GMOs (Genetic Modified Organisms).
Our Responsibility, sourcing and development teams monitor best practices/ developments in cotton farming and processing standards including organic and regenerative practices to guide our cotton sourcing decisions.
According to the environmental non-for-profit Canopy Planet, each year, an estimated 5.1 billion trees are logged to make paper packaging and wood-based fibers like viscose, rayon, and lyocell, threatening ancient and endangered forests. In 2021 alone, the world lost over 25 million hectares of forest, releasing 10 billion tonnes of CO₂, as a carbon-heavy ‘take, make, waste’ system drives climate-critical forests toward collapse.
Over 20% of the viscose in our main materials for the SS26 RTW mainline collection has been sourced through forestry guidelines that are environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial and economically viable.
Woven undyed linen textile made from flax is a cellulosic bast fiber found in the stems of the annual plant Linum usitatissimum. Unit processes for the production of linen begin with the seed at field, cultivation, then retting/degumming followed by decortication to obtain raw flax fiber.
Every part of the flax plant has traditionally been used to create a worthwhile product with little waste, and production is cost effective. Flax is a resilient plant, flourishing in poor soil and with less water than cotton.
With every season, our design and fabric development teams are seeking opportunities to include linen in our collections, which includes research and evaluation of opportunities during the design and sourcing process.
When recycled or natural materials meet our performance, safety, and quality standards, we replace ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and synthetic rubber in our shoe soles with recycled or natural alternatives such as natural rubber. We currently use 20-40% recycled components, the maximum possible while retaining quality control. Currently, over 55% of our offer of outsoles currently contain natural rubber.
Where applicable, our material suppliers are required to comply with our Animal Welfare Principles which 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.
Our Animal Welfare Principles also contain considerations for types of animal-derived materials we prohibit or allow the use of and other provisions in place for a thorough due diligence approach, where feasible.
We are deeply committed to sourcing leather through 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.
In our current bags range for the SS26 season, animal leather makes up over 55% of the whole collection. Our footwear collection is made of 59% 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 source materials in accordance with our Animal Sourcing Principles and the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare.
If they meet our quality and performance requirements, 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.
Silk is a key feature of our bridal collections. Being a natural protein fiber, silk mainly consists of fibroin, which is a protein that certain types of insect larvae secrete to make cocoons. Silk rearing – raising the silkworms until they form cocoons – can have high emissions and can adversely affect workers’ health and produce risks related to forced labour. Animal welfare concerns for the silk worms is also still widely disputed.
Organic farming practices may reduce the use of fertilisers and pesticides and offer a viable alternative. In our SS26 Bridal collection, 51% of silk is sourced with restrictions of such chemicals in place. For the SS26 Soft Accessories collection, this percentage reached 91% for yarn and greige materials only. For future seasons, this will be extended to finished fabrics.
The Laminated Mother of Pearl used in our jewellery collections is sourced through Lumea in New Zealand, a fishery operating under environmental management standards overseen by the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries. These standards ensure that all harvesting practices meet national sustainability and environmental requirements.
Lumea manages the marine ecosystems where Mother of Pearl is collected by implementing measures to avoid overfishing, protecting seabeds and involving local communities in responsible resource management.
Synthetics made up over 20% of the total materials used in our mainline Ready-to-Wear collection for the SS26 season. Our goal is to maintain this proportion in future seasons.
Where the use of virgin synthetic materials is currently unavoidable due to performance or design requirements, we source/buy recycled synthetics instead. Currently, 10% of synthetics fabrics used in our mainline RTW collection are recycled.
In our jewellery collection, we have been transitioning away from plastic and resin-based pearls, toward glass pearls, where feasible. In our current collection, 86.8% of our pearls are made of glass, while 2.5% are synthetic.
While using recycled synthetic materials avoids the extraction of new fossil fuels, we recognise that they can still shed microfibres when washed. To help minimise this, we use recycled synthetics primarily in products that do not require frequent washing, such as accessories or structured garments, and continue to monitor external research and industry innovations.
Silver accounts for over 40% of the metals used in our SS26 jewellery collection. 97% of this silver is recycled, sourced as scrap metal from the jewellery manufacturing industry and processed by our supplier Umicore in Thailand, who are a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council and have been accredited by the LBMA (London Bullion Market Association).
From the Autumn-Winter 2023 collection, we have incorporated recycled brass into our jewellery collection. In SS26, brass makes up almost 40% of the metal used in our collection, 75% of which is recycled.
These percentages primarily refer to products such as pendants and rings.
Our research and development teams are evaluating recycled alternatives for smaller components such as chains and clasps which are currently not made from recycled materials because existing options do not yet meet our quality standards.
