Sustainability. Of all the trends that have come and gone in my decade of reporting on fashion, this has proved to be the only one with real staying power. In fact, this year, it is everywhere. Sustainability was a theme for the graduation collections at Polimoda and other top fashion institutions. It has now become the defining principle of an entire fashion week in Helsinki. Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg won the first ever World Bloggers Award in Cannes for it. There is so much talk of sustainability, the subject has generated its own vocabulary. However, when it comes to the reality of it, for too many people “sustainability is a hashtag on a fast fashion t-shirt” as a colleague once put it. Fair Wear Foundation released its annual report and for three years in a row I noted a familiar name among the ranked industry leaders. Suitsupply, the Dutch maverick disrupting the bespoke tailoring market since 2000. I’ve written about the brand as it braved Silicon Valley brick-and-mortar amid the retail crisis and tactfully “scandalized” menswear advertising. It was time to sit down with CEO Fokke de Jong to talk about what makes a growing global fashion company sustainable.
Fokke de Jong, founder and CEO of Suitsupply
Courtesy of SuitsupplyDo you see sustainability as a trending way of doing business?
Sustainability is not new to us; we have been working like this since the very beginning. It is integral to our product and business model. We have been partners with several industry “watchdogs” for over twelve years, long before anyone was even discussing ethical production. Our vision and role have always been to be part of the solution, not the problem.
Upgrading to sustainable production could be prohibitively expensive for many brands and you were already working with top sources and mills. Is the cost worth the effort?
Sustainability is not an upgrade, but integral to the product. Seeing sustainability as an upgrade would never work, because it is not… well, sustainable. It means that you started with an idea that was deeply flawed to begin with. To us it’s not an extra or add-on, it is a matter of how we do things, the choices we make and the fact that we do not compromise on quality. Hence, our partnership with E. Thomas Mill on Lake Lugano and other acclaimed artisans around the world. Without their skill and dedication Suitsupply would not exist. We encourage them to adapt and evolve as well. Our unique integrated logistics and communications model allows us to identity and improve anything that needs to be better.
Suitsupply's Circular Strategy
Stephan RabimovCan you give an example of a business decision that improved sustainability?
It is almost never something flashy, really. We are changing our labels to be made from 100% recycled polyester. It’s a small symbolic step. We have set up a textile recycling program at almost two thirds our stores and worked to make over 70% of the fabrics we use biodegradable. To seriously reduce our CO2 imprint, we are reorganizing our shipping network to substitute flying with sea and rail routes as possible. We do not believe in good or bad factories. We believe in education and listening. We had 36 audits of our production facilities just last year in Macedonia, China and Vietnam. Over 600 workers got additional training on their rights. Sustainability is not a boardroom issue. Everything and everyone count.
Famous Italian Ormezzano Mill archives.
Courtesy of SuitsupplyWith over a hundred stores in almost thirty countries and 50+ factories, how do you differentiate yourself from being labeled a fast fashion company?!
Well… we are very responsive to market, effective and direct. It is partially correct that Suitsupply is perceived as fast. [Laughs] However, the product we make is the opposite of fast fashion. It takes a lot of time and skill and craftmanship where you just cannot cut corners. You can only work on optimizing your operations. In a way, this is how we merge true fashion and good business. Our suits can last a lifetime when handled properly. Plus, all our shops have specialized in-store tailors that repair and amend. We just introduced the World’s Lightest Suit. It took us some time to make sure it had all the classic style elements, but weighed only 525g or 1.15 lbs. We believe this is the future. There is nothing fast about thinking long-term.
How heavy is the standard suit?
It depends, but easily at least twice that weight I mentioned above.
Ferla, over one hundred years old Italian company that produces 'Made in Italy' uncompromising quality textiles.
Courtesy of SuitsupplyWow. Suits are often associated with luxury and luxury has the presumption of sustainability due to higher pricing…
…and that is a hard stereotype to break. Expensive doesn’t necessarily mean that workers have decent jobs and that products were produced with respect to the environment. It is an open secret. I think the only way to break this harmful pattern of misinformation is to be transparent about where and by whom the product is made. I invite you to see this video of our sartorial historian Jort Kelder visiting mills in Italy for a closer look. We report annually our step by step process all along the supply chain and let third parties audit us. Going the extra mile in creating systemic change within the apparel industry must be the new status quo.
Suitsupply has recently opened its flagship store in Paris, France.
Courtesy of SuitsupplyThis sentiment is echoed by Maria Birger, Columbia University and Harvard-trained energy and sustainability analyst. Recently the British government issued historic industry guidelines to combat pollution and injustice inflicted by the clothes manufacturing worldwide. In conversation about repercussions of this move, Birger noted that “real sustainability in the fashion industry is when brands incorporate their values into their DNA. Consumers today increasingly care not only about the convenience of a shopping experience. Brands who want to secure a solid reputation and position in the market must engage with the environmental and social impact of their products. Sustainability is all about the how.” Look like Suitsupply is a strong case study in doing the right thing in a right way on and off the runway.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephanrabimov/2019/07/24/the-latest-menswear-trend-is-about-protecting-fashion-artisans-and-our-planet/
2019-07-24 11:06:35Z
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