11 Stand-Out Sustainability Moments from Fashion Week
The fashion industry has been urgently starting to address its impact on the environment as we move through each season. Some promising developments have taken place this year all seen at the autumn/winter 2022 catwalks which featured several designers with new initiatives.
The fashion industry is starting to make changes that will affect our world for generations.
This season saw familiar names such as Gabriela Hearst and Stella McCartney leading the sustainability conversation alongside younger designers like Bethany Williams, Ahluwalia and Harris Reed who all have strong commitments towards eco friendly practices in their work - while also showcasing innovations about how there can be more investment into greener projects within this field at large.
The following 11 moments are worth noting:
1/11 Stella McCartney debuts grape leather bags
For the past few seasons, designer Stella McCartney has been using vegan alternatives to leather in her designs. This time around its grapes that she turned into monogrammed bags for autumn/winter 2022 with waste from Italian wineries serving as input material.
2/11 Chloé teams up with a community of quilters
With the launch of its latest collection, Chloé once again placed emphasis on craftsmanship. This time around designers collaborating with Gee’s Bend Quilters - a small community made up primarily of Black women in Alabama who practice piecing together used fabric to create one-of-kind pieces.
3/11 Diesel showcases fully-recycled denim
It's always great to see brands leading the way and Diesel is one of them! The new collection features recycled denim, organic cotton fabric as well elastane which were dyed without using water.
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4/11 Balenciaga unveils its first mushroom leather jacket
Demna Gvasalia’s show for Balenciaga was a comment on the climate crisis. The creative director has addressed this issue in previous seasons, too-- but what you might have missed is his leather-look coat made from a mycelium-based (made from mushroom roots) developed for the brand.
5/11 Vivienne Westwood launches Reimagining Waste
Vivienne Westwood has a long-standing commitment to sustainability, which is reflected in her brand's values. For autumn/winter 2022 she introduced Reimagining Waste as an alternative concept for deadstock materials from previous seasons and 71% of the collection comes without any animal or environmental harm.
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6/11 Coach’s trench coats are made from upcycled leather
In the fall/winter 2022 collection by Coach’s creative director, Stuart Vevers incorporated upcycled leather pieces that were created from taking apart vintage finds.
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7/11 Ahluwalia holds her debut runway show
Priya Ahluwalia's first runway show was undoubtedly a major moment for the designer. Featuring her signature upcycled designs, the designer proved that sustainability can be luxurious as well.
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8/11 Harris Reed uses leftover upholstery fabric
The Harris Reed team are known for their Found collection, which uses pre-loved bridal dresses from Oxfam. This year they stumbled upon the Bussandri upholstery empire's archive of fabrics during a holiday in Italy and were able to continue this practice with new finds!
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9/11 Bethany Williams shines a spotlight on makers
In an effort to promote sustainability, Bethany Williams turned the spotlight onto makers for autumn/winter 2022. The vibrant prints featured in her collection told a story about those works with which she produced garments-from San Patrignano rehabilitation centre Italy and Mending For Good initiative UK.
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10/11 Marine Serre showcases her brand ethos
Her practice of repurposing pre-existing materials is an innovative way to make sustainable fashion more accessible. During Paris Fashion Week, Marine Serre showcased her work by holding a two day exhibition and demonstrating ohow we can create beautiful designs from what others throw away.
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11/11 Atlein takes an unusual approach with discarded Nespresso pods
In the collection for Atlein, founder Antonin Tron wanted to create something that could be both sustainable and fashionable. He decided to only use materials that were already in his studio for autumn/winter 2022. The stand-out pieces from this collection are a top and dress made up of Nespresso pods which he pieced together.