The Good Fight

With the declaration on a climate emergency and the fashion industry being dubbed the second biggest pollutant in the world (although this statistic has caused much debate) one thing is clear: we categorically need to adapt our consumer habits and demand change. Eileen Fisher, Matthew Williamson and initiative leader at Net Sustain, Elizabeth von der Goltz, are pioneering change in the fashion industry.

- Natalie Westernoff

Eileen Fisher

What are the biggest challenges you face being sustainable as a brand?

There are three main challenges that come to mind as a sustainable brand: availability of materials, fair cost of materials and human labour, and human behavior. Organic (or otherwise sustainably grown) fibers still constitute a small percentage of the world’s fiber crops, and many brands are competing for this limited volume. Additionally, sustainable materials can cost more than conventional because there’s more human labour involved in the growing and harvesting processes. We aspire for all people in apparel supply chains to be paid a living wage which can pose a challenge if consumers continue to prioritise low prices. In the end, every change required to make any brand more sustainable means shifting human behaviour. This means employees, suppliers, workers, policy-makers and consumers. This is a tall order for one brand to achieve, which means we all need to work together toward a common goal.

Sustainability has become a fashion industry buzz word, but what does it actually mean?

At Eileen Fisher, sustainability considers the entire design process from seed to garment and ensures that process causes the least amount of impact to our planet and every individual along the way. That means taking responsibility for everything in our supply chain, even when the finished garments leave our store doors. That’s why we have our takeback program, Renew, that works to keep our clothes out of landfills. We find it beneficial that the term sustainability is in the zeitgeist as we know that more and more people are shopping their values.

There are so many luxury brands who join in on the production of fast fashion. What would you say to those people in the industry?