The ordinary consumer is evolving into a conscious consumer who demands to know more about the sustainable
Arch & Hook Hangers
The world’s first sustainable hanger company Arch & Hook is keen to take part in creating a circular fashion system by raising awareness and offering a solution to the damage that happens behind the screens of visual merchandising in the fashion industry. Founded in Amsterdam by Sjoerd Fauser and Anne Bas in 2015, the Dutch company believes that the clothes hanger can be sustainable both from an ecological and an economic point of view.
Co-Founder and Creative Director, Anne Bas, says: “Brands need to know that there is an accessible, beautifully designed, economically friendly solution to put an end to the production of harmful products in retail, by investing in long-lasting, sustainably made hangers.”
They are offering groundbreaking solutions to brands so they can display clothing in a way that compliments their brand identity. Arch & Hook is turning the hanger industry on its head by presenting a sustainable solution to the tens of billions of clothing hangers that end up in landfills annually. All wooden products are FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council) labelled, and all plastic used is 99% recycled and recyclable.
Sustainable Living: Leaf Shave Razors
More than 2 billion plastic razors are thrown away each year. Wait, what’s that? 2 billion plastic razors?! This is a problem that Leaf Shave co-founder Adam Simone wants to solve with their modern, beautiful, sustainable (100% plastic-free) shaving razors.
Designed for both women and men, the company has reinvented the razor allowing us to step away from the cheap plastic handle that brags over-engineered plastic cartridges. Offering a more sustainable option Simone said: “Our technology leadership in the zero waste movement places us ahead of the curve for sustainable personal care”.
The three-blade all-metal razor with pivoting head right is a durable tool that promises sustainable design, simple pleasures and timeless quality because disposable plastic razor cartridges just don’t cut it anymore.
Sustainable Recourses: Proof Eyewear Wooden Glasses
A unique collection by Proof Eyewear, founded in 2010, gives sustainable fashion a cool edge. Headquartered in Boise, Idaho, USA, the startup takes pride in its products handcrafted from durable materials including sustainably-sourced wood, cotton-based acetate, recycled aluminium, and repurposed skateboard decks. Proof stands firm on three principles: heritage, sustainability, and giving back.
The conscious shopper will be drawn to the Wood Collection. It is a line of sunglasses handcrafted from the woods available, including zebra wood, lacewood, ebony, mahogany, walnut bamboo, and stained bamboo. The woods used in the frames are sustainably sourced, making them environmentally friendly. All the glasses feature spring-loaded hinges, a hand polished frame and coated with a water/sweat protective layer.
All Birds Sneakers
For All Birds, mother nature is their muse. They use wool from merino sheep because it means that their process uses 60% less energy than materials used in typical synthetic shoes. When it comes to the drive behind their success, reincarnation is a beautiful thing, so they use recycled bottles as the material of choice. One recycled plastic bottle equals one pair of All birds laces. They also believe that every box deserves a second chance, so all their packaging is made from 90% recycled cardboard.
Now about the shoes, All Birds have found a way of making shoes out of trees. This is thanks to the magical eucalyptus tree fibre, which gives them a material that is breathable and silky-smooth, complete with a cooling effect to keep things breezy. Naturally-derived and renewable, the All Bird’s trainers are much friendlier to the environment than traditional shoes.
Elvis & Kresse Cufflinks
The Torpedo cufflinks by Elvis & Kresse are made from decommissioned firehoses. Designed to make a statement, the unique cufflinks brag hand-stitched detail and the option to personalise them via laser etching.
Why firehoses? “We fell in love with London’s decommissioned firehose back in 2005 through a chance encounter with the London Fire Brigade. We took this lifesaving material home determined to breathe new life into it and save it from its otherwise inevitable end in landfill, and vowed to donate 50% of our profits to charity,” states their website.
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Kresse Wesling MBE, the Co-Founder, adds: “We need more consumers to support circular producers, we need designers to create new circular goods…we need governments to raise landfill taxes or create other incentives to drive circularity. Like solving climate change, it is going to take everyone.”
The firehose pieces are more than just a collection; they represent a whole new kind of luxury, one that is sustainable, ethical, transparent, generous and kind.
Founding editor-in-chief of FashNerd.com, Muchaneta is currently one of the leading influencers writing about the merger of fashion with technology and wearable technology. She has also given talks at Premiere Vision, Munich Fabric Start and Pure London, to name a few. Besides working as a fashion innovation consultant for various fashion companies like LVMH Atelier, Muchaneta has also contributed to Vogue Business, is a senior contributor at The Interline and an associate lecturer at London College of Fashion, UAL.