red choker necklace
red choker necklace

Enjoy luxury with a conscience with pieces that keep the sustainable and ethical sourcing of materials in mind

gold and crystal ring

Alighieri prides itself on its sustainable approach to every aspect of its jewellery making. The Shattered Moon Ring, inspired by the rocky terrain of Dante’s Inferno (the brand’s muse), is handmade on commission and features diamond shards cast in a gold band.

alighieri.co.uk

elaborate hat pin

London-based designer Anabela Chan makes delightfully eccentric wearable art pieces crafted from lab-grown and created gemstones. This padparadscha parrot bloom pin is part of her floral-inspired collection, utilising recycled aluminium as the base metal.

anabelachan.com

delicate gold necklace

All of Octavia Elizabeth’s jewellery is made by hand sustainably and is designed to be worn every day. Part of the label’s Nesting Gem collection, this dainty necklace features five diamonds on an 18ct gold chain. It looks great worn solo or layered.

octaviaelizabeth.com

diamond earrings

Founded by former sculptor and performance artist Wing Yau, New York brand WWAKE uses recycled and fair-mined gold in its jewellery. These Posy earrings are a contemporary take on a classical aesthetic, with a trio of diamonds hanging from a vivid blue sapphire at the centre.

wwake.com

ruby earrings

The jewellery of VanLeles uses gemstones ethically sourced from African countries. These bold stiletto earrings from their Out of Africa collection are one of a kind, with white diamonds and vibrant Mozambican rubies and rubellites intricately set in 18ct rose gold.

vanleles.com

gold bracelet

All of Futura Jewelry’s products are made with 100 per cent certified Fairmined Ecological gold, which is mined with no toxic chemicals, protecting both the miners and the environment. This intricate Elena bracelet features an ancient motif known as palmette.

futurajewelry.com

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2021 issue.

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women on a farm
women on a farm

Marie-Claire Daveu with Elodie Brunstein of ecological engineers Solicaz in French Guiana. Image by Magneto.

The Kering group, owner of Gucci and Bottega Veneta, led the luxury industry by pioneering a sustainability strategy years ago. Marie-Claire Daveu, who spearheaded this move, explains how environmental accounting and the blue economy are good for business, consumers and the planet

DEUTSCHE BANK WEALTH MANAGEMENT x LUX

woman smiling

Marie-Claire Daveu. © Benoît Peverelli

The fashion industry is dependent upon nature’s resources to manufacture. It is also a vast industry and, unfortunately, one of the most polluting. This means we have a specific responsibility to act now and transform our business model to mitigate the diminution of resources, loss of biodiversity and climate change that we already see affecting our industry and our planet. Sustainability is not an option; it is a necessity. And it demands definitive action from the fashion industry and beyond.

The blue economy in particular has to be a huge focus for everyone. The oceans are the lungs of the Earth, producing more than half the world’s oxygen and helping regulate our weather. But in the past few hundred years they have absorbed vast amounts of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions, raising their temperature and changing their chemistry and ecosystems. Marine animals and humans rely on the oceans to live, and the only way to mitigate the harm being done is to change the way we operate here on land – from reducing plastic and chemical waste to choosing renewable energy sources where possible.

Follow LUX on Instagram: luxthemagazine

Kering has already implemented a series of measures specifically in recognition of the rapidly degrading ocean environment. We have been working for years to preserve ocean biodiversity via programmes and partnerships with recognised associations – most recently, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). And in 2017, our chairman and CEO, François-Henri Pinault, presented the Fashion Pact to the G7, incorporating ocean protection as one of its main environmental goals. It proposes a set of concrete actions, such as the adoption of pollution controls to safeguard the rivers and oceans from chemicals released through the fashion production processes; and compels companies to develop innovations that will eliminate microfibre pollution from the washing of synthetic materials.

Such innovation is vital to growing a sustainable blue economy. In 2017, we committed to reducing our environmental footprint by 40 per cent by 2025, and half of that reduction will come from innovation, which is crucial if we want to bring new solutions into our business model.

Today, we are looking for and investing in innovations that can address blue economy challenges, including closed-loop recycling, alternative materials and sustainable sourcing. But there is still a long way to go. One of the main challenges the blue economy is facing is plastic, used to pack, transport and store garments. The fashion industry needs to urgently tackle polybag-packaging waste. One possible innovation has been developed by the Plastics Packaging Project – a Fashion for Good initiative supported by a coalition of companies, including Kering. The project aims to reduce the impact and use of plastic packaging, and recently launched a pilot for the collection and recycling of garment polybags. They will be transformed into new plastic film products, closing the loop and dramatically reducing the amount of plastic waste that often ends up in our waterways.

hands holding material

Kering’s Materials Innovation Lab. Image by Jean-Luc Perreard

Transparency will be vital to the longevity of such initiatives. Studies show that millennials and Generation Z are very sensitive to sustainability – with a keen focus on traceability. They also have very high expectations. Generation Z entering the workforce, together with increasing sustainability questions from consumers, will drive further efforts in the fashion industry and increased transparency around a product’s origins.

Read more: These photographer-activists are capturing underwater beauty

Corporate sustainability agendas must take into account a product’s entire impact, from the raw materials to products reaching clients. At Kering, this has become an essential part of our products’ excellence, and we have made that process transparent through the creation of our Environmental Profit and Loss (EP&L) system, which measures, monetises and monitors the full environmental impact of a company’s operations across the entire supply chain, including greenhouse gas emissions, water use, water and air pollution, waste production and land use change. When you think about what is behind luxury, sustainability is often already built in: we use the highest quality raw materials; our products are made by skilled craftspeople; and some of them are passed down from generation to generation. They have to be perfect; even their sustainability must be perfect.

Building a sustainability strategy is about taking your whole supply chain and its impacts into account, and activating programmes to mitigate these impacts. The blue economy can be fully part of an environmental policy, and sustainability as a whole should be very much integrated in a company’s strategy. As an example, we know that the high-quality raw materials in luxury goods are ‘pre-designed’ for circularity, because of their value and versatility. But brands can extend product life cycles even further by employing recycled and upcycled materials. One blue-economy example within our supply chain is our collaboration with Econyl, makers of regenerated nylon yarn made of recycled fishnets, textile and industrial nylon waste. It has the same high quality as less sustainable alternatives, but can be endlessly regenerated.

Innovative collaborations such as these are the answer to accelerating sustainability. Our collaboration with IPBES is helping to strengthen the evidence base for better informed decisions about nature. And our EP&L hackathon in October 2019 brought developers and sustainability experts together to create digital tools that provide greater transparency around fashion’s footprint.

The message is clear: we want to play a pivotal role in leading the shift towards a sustainable future, but we can’t do it alone. Our action must be science-based and results-oriented. The private sector, governments and international organisations need to collaborate to protect nature and build a globally sustainable economy.

I am a very optimistic person, and I can see that a real shift has happened recently. Sustainability is at the heart of every conversation, both from companies and media, and this is a very good sign. Now it’s time for implementation, with unwavering determination. Fashion’s influence holds the key to accelerating those sustainable practices, both within our industry and beyond.

Marie-Claire Daveu is Kering’s chief sustainability officer.

Find out more: kering.com/en/sustainability

This article originally appeared in the LUX x Deutsche Bank Wealth Management Blue Economy Special in the Summer 2020 Issue.

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Reading time: 5 min
shop interiors
shop interiors

Loquet’s London shop located at 73 Elizabeth Street, SW1W 9PJ

London-based jewellery brand Loquet is renewing the concept of a keepsake locket with sustainable, modern designs that consumers can personalise and pass through the generations. Here, Abigail Hodges speaks to co-founder Sheherazade Goldsmith about the brand’s ethical ethos, her love of vintage fashion and collaborating with the Wild at Heart Foundation

1.How does your environmentalist background inform your approach to making jewellery?

women portrait

Sheherazade Goldsmith

I’d say it informs everything. Environmentalism isn’t something you frequent; it’s a way of life and seeps into everything you do. Once you understand the repercussions of not protecting our future and that of our children, it’s impossible to ignore. As a fine jewellery collection, Loquet is part of a luxury world and to me, luxury is sustainability. Our process informs that message by taking the time to source the very best materials, crafted with care and implementing practices that create longevity. Our jewellery is for the generation that makes the purchase, the next generation and the generation after that. It’s about preserving someone’s story to be told, treasured and passed on. At Loquet we are preserving what is important to an individual, without sustainability there would be no point in what we create.

Follow LUX on Instagram: luxthemagazine

Our first port of call is the office itself, we use recycled or recyclable materials wherever we can, and we create a product that has no existential timeframe, it is recyclable and has no waste. The problem with so much of what we consume is the waste, but in jewellery there are no seasons and the sentimentality of the pieces make them heirlooms.

2. What inspired you to reinvent the classical locket form?

I already had a classic photo locket and a charm bracelet. My locket was an Indian antique made in 18kt yellow gold with elaborate coloured enamelling on the inside. I love Indian jewellery for this reason. They believe that everything should be as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside. My charm bracelet was fun and gregarious, full of charms that patted against my laptop keyboard. On a visit to a fairground my son bought me a present, a pendant made with dried flowers, something I use to do with hedgerow flowers when my children where little. It inspired the idea of being able to combine the two and personalise it myself.

locket necklace

The hexagonal locket with a selection of charms

3. Is there a particular piece that you feel best expresses the story you set out to tell through your work?

Our sapphire crystal lockets are our signature. They allow our customers to be there own designer and create a piece that tells their story, in essence a unique talisman of everything that brings them luck and makes them smile, to be worn close to their heart. We’ve recently relaunched our 14kt collection to include some of my favourite pieces to date, that elegantly translate from day to night. Each of these geometrical shapes is hand cast in 14kt gold encasing a clear faced sapphire crystal facade and can be opened to personalise with our endless selection of meaningful 18kt charms.

charms

A selection of charns

4. How do you ensure that the elements of your design process are ethical?

I spent a lot of time visiting jewellery studios all over the world before deciding to work with our current ateliers. This was to insure that the working conditions where healthy and vibrant, and to also talk through the designs with the artisans that were selected to make our jewellery. The companies I ended up choosing are all members of the responsible jewellery council or similar organisations and are, therefore, required to adhere to certain workers rights and high environmental standards.

Read more: British-Iranian artist darvish Fakhr on the alchemy of art

The human connection behind what we do is paramount to the Loquet design. Our pieces are emotional and as such need to be made that way. So many of us jewellers won’t work with a company unless they have the same ethos and it’s important to champion those that have worked hard to campaign for their workers and implement high standards that look after both their employees and the environment.

Locket necklaces

Loquet’s pear and hexagonal locket necklaces

5. Besides purchasing from you, how would you advise a consumer looking to shop more sustainably?

Sustainability is about longevity and well-designed things don’t have seasons. Whether that be furniture, clothing, accessories or jewellery, if something is worthwhile it will last through time and trends. With luxury items, less is most definitely more and that is my philosophy both in the way I decorate my house, my jewellery and wardrobe. Admittedly, I wear mostly designer clothing, but much of it is purchased from secondhand websites such as Vestiaire Collective, Hardly Ever Worn and The Real Real. I love vintage fashion, but you can also find all kinds of past-admired items for a quarter of the price. The buying and selling aspect makes you feel part of a community, almost like an exchange and gives your clothes a limitless life.

6. What’s next for Loquet?

We have a very exciting year ahead with some brilliant collaborations. The first launches in October with Nikki Tibbles and the Wild at Heart Foundation. We have put together a charm collection of Nikki’s favourite flowers chosen for their association with her beloved dogs, each epitomising the way we feel about our pets. A percentage of all sales will be donated to her very special dog charity that was set up a few years ago after rescuing a stray from the streets of Puerto Rico, who became her beloved Rose. The charity is now global and works tirelessly to end the unnecessary suffering of these much-loved pets.

Find out more: loquetlondon.com

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Product image of glasses and fishing nets
Product image of glasses and fishing nets

Sea2See turns discarded plastic fishing nets into high-fashion eyewear

François van den Abeele had a dream – to turn discarded plastic fishing nets into high-fashion, hand-finished eyewear. People once laughed at him, but now, as he leads a swell of eco-entrepreneurs, his products are in increasing demand around the world. He tells LUX how he created an ecosystem around his brand, Sea2See
Portrait of man holding glasses

François van den Abeele

“My love of water sports nurtured a passion for the ocean and brought me to focus on the problem of plastic contamination in our seas. I had spent a lot of time reading about the degradation of our oceans, the problems surrounding marine plastic, and about the brands trying to implement circular economy in the way they produce.

Follow LUX on Instagram: luxthemagazine

“I began to investigate ways of using plastic waste as a raw material to produce something that people would use and potentially wear. Sustainability is non-existent in the optical world; the main raw material used is plastic and 40 per cent of the population wears glasses. It was a perfect win, win, win.

“All this, along with a personal motivation to change my profession and do something positive with a sustainable impact culminated in the creation of Sea2See Eyewear.

“We have agreements with 27 ports in Spain, six in France and now we are starting in Ghana. We collect on average half a ton of plastic waste per day that we recycle to produce all of our optical frames in Italy.

Fishermen standing on a boat deck

“The market is changing, and consumers are more and more worried about the future we will leave to our kids. The proof is that in three years we are being sold in more than 2,500 optical stores across Europe and North America, and the numbers are growing.

Read more: Highlights from the 3rd edition of NOMAD St. Moritz

“People laughed at me four years ago when I had the idea of producing glasses with recycled marine plastic. Today we get calls daily from stores or brands that want our product or to collaborate with us.

“There is a global awareness that we must treat our planet better and consume differently, and Sea2See, thanks to its customers, is doing its part. Sustainable glasses will not change the world. People that wear them will.”

Discover the collections: sea2see.org

This article was originally published in the Spring 2020 Issue.

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Reading time: 2 min
Man and woman walking through stubble field
Models posing in casual clothes on beach

Looks from Collection 03 by Riley Studio

Sustainable luxury fashion brand Riley Studio creates elegant gender-neutral wardrobe staples using recycled waste materials and natural fibres. Following the recent launch of brand’s third collection, Rosie Ellison-Balaam speaks to the brand’s CEO Olivia Dowie about the importance of production transparency and the challenges of making eco-friendly clothing luxurious.

Portrait of young woman in white tshirt

Olivia Dowie

1. How important is it for people to understand the production process of clothes?

Hugely important! We work hard to be radically transparent so that our community can understand the work that has gone into making each garment. We really believe in adding respect back into the clothing that we wear, and it is important to us that our community understands the production process and the many hands that have carefully crafted each product. From our yarn mills, our fabric mills, our factories to the Riley Studio team, we want to celebrate everyone. When you understand how a product is made and the complex supply chain involved, you understand why a sustainable and ethically made product costs what it does. We hope it also enables consumers to cherish their products for years to come.

Alongside this, the eco-innovation and research that goes into our materials is fascinating and we love sharing how each material is made and how sustainability is at the core of our business.

Follow LUX on Instagram: luxthemagazine

2. What are the difficulties in working with recycled materials?

An incredible amount of research goes into finding recycled materials that are both durable and versatile.

The problem at the moment is that in most cases there isn’t the technology to have 100% recycled fabrics, because they aren’t strong enough. For example, our t-shirt fabric uses recycled cotton, but it has to be mixed with organic cotton to strengthen it. We have our fingers crossed for some breakthroughs though! Recycled materials are definitely more expensive as well, but we’re committed to doing things the right way, not the easy way.

As a small brand, the other issue we find is with high minimum order quantities, ordering lots of fabric also goes against our ethos of producing in limited quantities to tackle overproduction.

Model wearing cosy jumper hat and scarf

Look from Collection 03 by Riley Studio

3. How are you working towards a Butterfly Mark?

We have a series of policies in place to make sure that our sustainability standards are consistent across our supply chain. We will always stand by them and will never compromise. We recently got awarded the Eco-Age Brandmark in recognition of championing gender neutrality through unisex garments, promoting circularity through garment take-back schemes and education, upholding material traceability through extensive sustainability reporting and longstanding relationships with suppliers, and designing with recycled, regenerated and organic fibres.

We are continuously challenging ourselves and developing new processes so that we can create sustainable solutions at every stage of our journey, and we will look to apply for the Butterfly Mark in the near future.

4. How have you made recycling luxurious?

First and foremost, we are a fashion brand, aiming to bring elevated, timeless designs to consumers who are conscious about the state of the planet. We have strong values, so everything we make has to meet our design criteria and brand aesthetic, as well as being eco-innovative. We focus on creating gender-neutral wardrobe staples that are durable and versatile. With simple designs, we don’t follow trends, instead we focus on pieces that we hope will be cherished for years to come, designing for life, not just a season.

Our new collection features our first ever recycled cashmere, which is incredibly soft and made from textile waste. We worked with a small, family-owned factory in Scotland to develop our new beanie, scarf and sweater.

Models posing in corn field

Looks from Collection 03 by Riley Studio

5. Can you talk us through the journey of a ‘Make Good’ t-shirt?

Our ‘Make Good’ t-shirt is created from recot²® made by Gebrüder Otto in Germany, which is a mix of 25% recycled cotton and 75% GOTS certified organic cotton. Adding recycled cotton to organic cotton mix improves the eco-balance of the fabric. The recycled cotton fibres come from textile waste including yarn discards and fabric scraps. By using recot²®, you can save 5000 litres of water per 1kg, which has helped us achieve a total saving of 2,075,129 litres of water across our products.

Lurdes Sampaio in Portugal then make it into a fabric, which is sent to Wonder Routine in Portugal where the t-shirts are made!

6. Favourite piece of Collection 03?

It has to be our Recycled Cashmere Sweater, which comes in Charcoal and Cloud. It is incredibly soft and a piece that represents the best in eco-innovation, craftsmanship and heritage.

View Riley Studio’s collections: riley.studio

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Reading time: 4 min