How ‘sustainability’ became a dirty word in fashion
Does anyone know what it actually means?
Truly eco-conscious brands like Maggie Marilyn (pictured) prefer not to use the word sustainable
Credit: Maggie Marilyn
Stella McCartney summed it up best in an interview with the Telegraph last year: “I barely know what the word sustainability means anymore,” she told my colleague Caroline Leaper.
Neither do I, to be honest. There is no formal definition for the word, and yet countless fashion brands attach it to their products - whether they are produced in a planet-friendly way or not.
In fact, it has become so synonymous with ‘greenwashing’ (marketing waffle that suggests environmentally conscious intentions but doesn’t actually deliver anything concrete), truly ‘sustainable’ brands are doing away with the word altogether, in favour of language that speaks more accurately to their actions.
Maggie Marilyn Hewitt has checked nearly every box in the “sustainable brand” criteria. She only uses organic, recycled, or sustainable materials; she avoids fur and leather; she visits New Zealand sheep farms to confirm the wool is sheared from happy, non-mulesed sheep; she ships her clothes in dissolvable bags made of cassava root; she holds her manufacturing partners to strict labor codes; and she’s aligned her strategy with 12 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. This year, she’s even rolling out a take-back program for her organic basics line, Somewhere, so worn-out garments can be collected and upcycled into new ones.