Lower impact materials

We look beyond the aesthetic qualities of the materials we use. We are working to know where they come from at every stage of their lifecycle and consider both social and environmental impacts as we get a deeper understanding of our supply chain. All of our suppliers are required to complete our sustainability standards and traceability tool.

Today, over 90% of materials in our Ready-to-Wear collections are made from alternatives to conventional materials that offer a solution to some of fashion’s social and environmental challenges.

Where possible, we trial material innovations, and we are continually researching to deliver the most thorough standard of sustainability across every product we make, in every category.

COTTON

We know the impact the cotton industry has on people and the environment, and we understand this impact varies depending on where the cotton is grown, how it is grown and how it is used as a fibre.

In our current RTW mainline collection, where cotton is used the most, over 90% of the cotton used is certified as organic (88%), recycled (9%) or from farms with regenerative agriculture practices (10% of our cotton certified as organic also from farms with regenerative agriculture practices).

We introduced poplin made of regenerative agriculture cotton for the first time in 2022 and we want to increase and expand the use of fibres from regenerative practices in general across our lines.

We are also committed to increasing the amount of recycled cotton fabric in our collections. Our focus on recycled cotton pertains particularly to our denim ranges.

For our recycled denim range, the recycled cotton yarn used comes from the production waste of our supplier. After the indigo dyeing process, there is always unavoidable waste and our supplier transforms it into new yarn. Their production method saves 70% of water consumption, 85% of chemical consumption, and 60% of CO2 emissions compared with a conventional cotton denim fabric.
We are following developments in best practice around cotton fibre growing and processing closely and we are working to understand how our cotton sourcing could best benefit farmers and the environment.

VISCOSE

More than 150 million trees are logged every year and turned into wood pulp-derived fibres such as viscose, rayon, lyocell and modal fabrics, threatening the survival of ancient and endangered forests worldwide.

All non-blended viscose fabric and some of blended viscose we use in our clothing is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC™) certified. We aim to eliminate blended fibres, but where this is not possible we aim to reach 100% certified viscose across blended and non-blended, which could be FSC™ but could also be ECO VERO or equivalent.

This guarantees wood fibres used in fabrics we source come from FSC™ or other certified forests that have been audited by a third-party. We work with the environmental organisation Canopy and fully support their goal of protecting the world’s forests by transforming unsustainable wood fibre sourcing for fabrics and packaging.

LINEN AND HEMP

We always aim to source linen from the EU. Derived from flax, linen requires no fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides for growing its fibres. Hemp also requires little-to-no use of fertilisers, herbicides or pesticides, controls topsoil erosion and does not need irrigation. Hemp production can regenerate vital nutrients in the soil and act as a carbon sink – meaning it can absorb more carbon from the atmosphere during its growth than is emitted by the equipment used to harvest, process and transport it. Our design and fabric development teams are continuously seeking opportunities to include more linen and hemp in our collections.

RUBBER

As part of our goal of eliminating virgin plastic from all our product categories, we are reducing, with a view of phasing out where technically possible ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) and synthetic rubber in our shoe soles. We are therefore increasing the use of natural and recycled rubber in our shoe soles.

WOOL

We are phasing out the use of wool from farms that practice mulesing (a painful method of protecting certain breeds of sheep from a deadly fly infestation, which involves removing strips of skin). Of all the wool in our current collection, 89% is mulesing free and we are working to a 100% mulesing-free goal by the end of 2023.

In 2022, we introduced wool certified by NATIVA™. Every step of the supply chain from farm to brand is certified under the NATIVA™ Protocol. This ensures high levels of animal welfare, farmland-management and the socio-economic welfare of farmers and their communities.

The majority of our NATIVA™ wool comes from farms that take a regenerative approach, focusing on enhancing local ecosystems and strengthening the health, vitality and fertility of farm soil. We want to increase and expand the use of regenerative practices across our lines.

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LEATHER

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’ for animal welfare. They 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.

We do not currently use any real animal leather in our clothing collections, but we do use it for our shoes, bags and small leather goods for its quality and durability.

We require all leather in our products to come from farms with high animal welfare standards. However due to industry-wide concerns about animal welfare, deforestation and hazardous chemicals used in leather processing, we are reducing the use of new virgin leather in our accessories.

The alternatives to real animal leather we accept include, but are not limited to, recycled polyester, part bio-based PU leather or, for our footwear ranges, innovations such as bamboo and apple fibres.
We continue to explore alternative materials – such as cactus leather, apple leather, cotton canvas, wool and recycled synthetics – in an effort to reduce the amount of leather we use overall.

Where we cannot replace leather, we aim for Leather Working Group (LWG) certification, as this gives us assurances about our tanneries’ environmental performance and traceability capabilities.

SILK

Silk is a key feature for our Bridal & Couture collections and peace silk is used for a select number of styles. Also known as Ahimsa silk, it is produced slowly according to the natural cycle of the silkworm, allowing them to hatch as butterflies from their cocoons before the silk is collected.

MOTHER OF PEARL

The mother of pearl used in our jewellery is sourced from Lumea, one of the only sustainably managed fisheries in the world, overseen by the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries. Lumea's harvesting practices are in line with local heritage and laws put in place to protect complex ecosystems against overfishing and exploitation of the seabed.

SYNTHETICS

We have been working to eliminate all virgin synthetic fibres from our products and these now make up less than 30% of the materials in our mainline Ready-to-Wear collection.

All fully synthetic materials in our Mainline Ready-to-Wear collection are 100% recycled. Our preferred certification for recycled synthetic fibres across all product categories is the Global Recycle Standard (GRS).

Our goal is to substantially increase recycled synthetics where we are unable to eliminate virgin synthetic materials.

In our jewellery, we have continuously switched from plastic and resin-based pearls to glass pearls and will continue to work towards replacing all virgin plastic in future collections.

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 in hope and anticipation of an industry-wide set of protocols for addressing microfibre pollution.

METALS

All sterling silver in our jewellery collection is from certified recycled sources. 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). We are currently testing the feasibility of switching to recycled alternatives for the other metals used in the collection.

LOWER IMPACT MATERIALS