Events: Sustainable Luxury Forum 2015

"Luxury in a VUCA World: How to address soaring inequalities, scarcities and complexities?", this was the theme of the SLF2015 that took place in Geneva on February 4-5. 

The organization team, including Christopher H. Cordey and Barbara Victorino, has the remarkable merit to have brought together more than 100 participants, including CSR managers, associations, teachers and industry professionals and to have put together an incredible program on advanced sustainability topics that was great "food for thought" for the discussions. 

"The Responsible Fashion Company" was there among other super-interesting books, including:

Super Intelligence by Nick Bostrom, Fin de l'Occident, naissance du monde by Hervé Kempf, Heidi réveille-toi by Robert Salmon and Christopher H. Cordey.  

It has been a great chance to strengthen the sustainable luxury network and to discuss about what's next, generating new ideas on innovative business models in luxury & fashion.

The full report is available here.

Interview published by "The Montreal Fashion Society"

Here is an extract of the interview just published by The Montreal Fashion Society.

What’s the difference between sustainable fashion and responsible fashion?

Sustainable fashion refers to the relation with two stakeholders: environment and society.

Responsible fashion refers to all the different stakeholders and contexts (including environment and society). Other contexts are added to fashion which characterise the sector itself: media; artistic, cultural and territorial; regulatory and institutional; and ethical value.

Do you think responsible fashion can only exist in bigger financially at ease companies?
On the contrary, it could be much easier for small-medium companies to implement a 360° responsibility. Transparency and traceability, for instance, could be implemented faster with a local manufacturing and knowing very well each single supplier. The more stretched is the supply chain, the longer it will take.
The link with the local territory is much stronger if the company has just one headquarter in the same territory and long term contracts and agreements with the same people.

What would be the impact of applying sustainable fashion guidelines in the industry on costs if retailers, buyers, customers and suppliers applied them?
The good thing of responsibility is that it is a journey and not a final objective. This implies that the responsibility practices can be modular, incremental and customized. For example the costs of making the stores more eco-sustainable could go from low, by renewing the lighting with led lamps, to higher, by acquiring a LEED certification. Same thing can be done in each activity of the value chain.

Do you think sustainable fashion starts with customers. Why?
Customers play an important role in the activation of the virtuous cycle of responsibility. Nowadays they are increasingly interested in scrutinising—and having detailed information about— the entire production chain. However, it is equally true that it is not often possible to find out everything about a product’s history, origin and manufacturing techniques. In the vicious circle, without a clearly developed demand, companies in the textile & apparel sector choose not to invest in innovation; buyers, in turn, do not attend fairs dedicated to sustainable fashion and shops do not devote space to these products.

As mentioned in your book, responsibility for companies is often seen as a public relations tool, can you give us concrete examples of its benefits?
If companies are able to go from step 1, responsibility=PR tool to the final step, responsibility=source of competitive advantage, several benefits will be obtained: improvement of risk management; greater capacity to attract human capital; improvement of the business climate and of employee performance; increase in efficiency and optimisation of costs; increase in capacity to attract financial resources; reinforcing brand value.
A best practice I would like to mention is Brunello Cucinelli, an Italian luxury clothing company that applied the responsibility guidelines since it was founded.
In the beautiful context of verdant Umbria, Brunello Cucinelli creates quality products with a shrewd use of natural materials, with the involvement of sensitive, motivated and properly rewarded collaborators in the production process, with an image that seems at one with the historic urban settlement of an ancient civilisation, and with an intact and enchanting landscape, the medieval village of Solomeo (see Chapter 8 of the book).
Among the most important factors that increased the market value of the company during the public listing we can find its humanistic philosophy. Ethical and humanistic entrepreneurial model places people at the centre of the production process. It encourages the creativity of each worker and simultaneously develops within them a sense of profound participation in the group’s success and goals. This commitment is shared at all levels of the company and in external relations with “façonisti” and with clients around the globe, creating a strong level of loyalty and trust towards the company.

You mention in the book that the definitions of “eco-friendly”, “ethical”, “sustainable”, “responsible” fashion and similar are often used improperly and indistinctly. What are the biggest misconceptions about responsible fashion?
This is not just about bamboo and hemp clothing. It is not just about having a conscience. The big potential here is related to the creation of shared value, as some scholars would say, or as I prefer to put it: integrating ethics and aesthetics across the value chain. Indeed, working towards more responsible fashion means trying to answer the specific needs of a wide range of stakeholders: environment, society, workers, consumers, art, culture, territory, media, institutions. It is all interconnected. This is what gives responsible fashion so much potential.

To continue reading the interview click here:  http://www.themontrealfashionsociety.com/fashion-news/interview-responsible-fashion-company-author-francesca-rinaldi

To read my article published on The Montreal Fashion Society click here: http://www.themontrealfashionsociety.com/fashion-news/responsible-fashion-company-integrating-ethics-aesthetics-value-chain

Interview published on Sustainable Today

Happy New Year to everyone! Here is the first interview on sustainable fashion in 2015, just published on Sustainable Today.

Italian Author Tackles Sustainablity Issues in Fashion 

 Catherine Kolonko

 

 Blog

 

 23 December 2014

 

TAG:  

• Fashion

By Cat Kolonko

After reading, researching and writing about the fashion industry for sometime, an Italian author and blogger determined that it was lacking a managerial model for building and maintaining sustainability in fashion.

The Responsible Fashion Company written by Francesca Romana Rinaldi and Salvo Testa attempts to provide a new way of managing a company that incorporates sustainability and responsibility not just for the owners and employees but also for everyone involved from the beginning of the creation process to product consumption and beyond. The new model presented in the book is based on ethics, aesthetics and economic efficiency. These are the three variables that fashion companies need to manage better now and well into the future, explained Rinaldi in a recent telephone interview.

"A new mindset is needed to make responsible fashion the future of fashion," she says.

Book author and blogger Francesca Romana Rinaldi

Rinaldi's first brush with the idea of sustainability happened several years ago during a trip to London to attend a fashion exposition. As she became more involved writing and teaching on the topic she noticed a gap in literature, a lack of a managerial model for responsibility.

"Since then I found out it's not just about product responsibility," she says. "It's about all the different activities of the value chain and managing a balance with all the stakeholders."

The book discusses the fashion sectors on several different dimensions, including environment, society, media,   art, culture and territory; and regulatory and institutions.  They all feed into the concept of a corporation that values responsible sustainability, says Rinaldi.

The author's managerial model puts all stakeholders in a system with what she terms neo-consumers at the center, interacting and interested in all phases of production. A consumer centric concept gives weight to transparency and traceability, which is important to neo-consumers who are socially conscious about how products are made, the environmental impact and fair trade and labor, she says.

"Consumers don't exist in the way they did in the past," says Rinaldi. "They need to be more involved and interested and informed."

Leading and influencing this trend are people who embrace lifestyles of health and sustainability. They pursue a lifestyle based on ecological sustainability for their own health and  planet earth, explains Rinaldi. They eat organic food, recycle, use green energy and look for certifications that indicate environmental sensitivity and fair trade in the products they buy. They also are largely urban and want to be involved in the creative process of products.

Unlike classic images of eco-minded people of decades back, the neo-consumer does not shun technology and fashion, Rinaldi notes in her book.

Some companies more than others have adopted new technologies and internet commerce to establish new relations with the neo-consumer. For example, Nike with NikeID and Converse allow customers to personalize their sneakers during the creation process.

Sustainable fibers and textiles is one aspect of responsibility but there are others that encompass ethics and aesthetics. Innovation is also essential for responsible and sustainable fashion to succeed, says Rinaldi.

"...You cannot ignore aesthetics because that is the first element that consumers evaluate when deciding whether to buy a product...

"We cannot lie about this. There is just a really really small percentage of consumers that buy a product just because it is good, and not beautiful."

Still, Rinaldi maintains that it's possible to combine ethics with aesthetics and get people invested in not just the product but the philosophy of sustainability. When someone buys a t-shirt from a responsibly sustainable company it becomes more than just a t-shirt, she says.

"It's an incredible t-shirt because it is also sustainable. So it's a super t-shirt."

 Today companies that want to keep a competitive edge need to adopt corporate social responsibility in a meaningful way. Examples of those that embrace this philosophy are Columbia sportswear, Patagonia, People Tree, and lastly, one of the book's case studies Brunello Cucinelli.

Known for his cashmere sweaters, the Italian designer sells top quality clothing while striving to keep concern for workers at the core of the company business model of responsible fashion. Brunello Cucinelli is a company that has in its DNA the values of responsibility and it declares this to its investors, says Rinaldi.

Rinaldi and Testa present other case studies in the book and share the writing of chapters with other experts who delve into  many aspects of corporate responsibility throughout the creation and distribution process. Rinaldi says she hopes the book will be used by managers and students alike and by anyone interested in learning more about sustainable fashion.

The Fashion Globe Magazine writes about The Responsible Fashion Company

My last interview just published by The Fashion Globe Magazine.

MILAN, Italy — The so-called era of ‘liquid modernity’ is now embracing a new era of complexity, uncertainty and systematic doubt. We are at the point of an economic revolution, where the paradigms and business models of consumption are changing and the neo-consumer — better described as a 'consum-actor' or 'consum-author' — is both a user and an active part of the complex consumption dynamics. This is positively contributing to rethinking, rebuilding and redesigning the rules of the market. Furthermore, a new slow fashion movement has started an era of critical and participatory consumption characterised by a strong new opposition between ‘to be’ and ‘to use’.

Continue reading the article on The Fashion Globe

My article on ecofashionworld

Consumers all over the world are becoming increasingly attentive to the environmental and social impact of the products they buy. They belong to the niche often known as ‘cultural creatives’ or LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability). 

When we speak of LOHAS we refer to a type of consumer that pursues, through daily choices, a lifestyle based on ecological sustainability and an attention to their own health and that of the planet. Consequently, when shopping, this consumer chooses carefully, is aware of the importance of quality and of the origin of products – and that includes fashion products. Understanding LOHAS customers – and segmenting them – is fundamental for the companies to be successful. Are they addressing a “fundamentalist”, a “health fanatic”, a “fashionista” or “moderate” consumer?

The book “The Responsible Fashion Company” (Greenleaf Publishing, 2014) has been written for students, researchers, managers, professionals, and, of course, for LOHAS consumers, with the intention of raising awareness and providing information on how to manage eco-sustainability in fashion. In short, it is about how to be a more informed and proactive consumer.

By interviewing many experts – after several years of research – I had the opportunity to discover some best practices. I would like to briefly introduce some of these with reference to issues which are particularly important for certain phases of the product life-cycle:

- Innovation in the value chain

- Reduction of environmental impact and use of resources

- Transparency and traceability of the value chain

To read more check out my article for ecofashionworld: enjoy your reading!

Events: "The Responsible Fashion Company" official book launch!

We are getting ready for the big event!

The Responsible Fashion Company

Book Launch

Thursday 30th October 6.00 - 8.30pm

People Tree, 5 Huguenot Place, 17a Heneage Street, London, E1 5LN

Program

h6-6.30pm Registration & Networking

h6.30-8pm Book presentation & debate

Francesca Romana Rinaldi, book co-author

The Responsible Fashion Company: integrating ethics & aesthetics in the value chain

Safia Minney, MBE, People Tree founder and CEO

Craft & sustainability light the path for Change

Simone Cipriani, Head Ethical Fashion initiative of The International Trade Centre (ITC)
Post-Luxury: people, responsibility and fashion

Orsola De Castro, Creative director at From Somewhere and Reclaim To Wear, co-founder and co-curator of Estethica at LFW
Rubbish and Revolution

Q&A

h8-8.30pm Toast  & Networking

RSVP

RSVP Neil Walker by 27th October 

neil.walker@Greenleaf-publishing.com

How to get to the event?

The Responsible Fashion Company...now in English!!

After more than 1 year of intense work for the update and the translation of the contents, we are finally glad to announce that "L'impresa moda responsabile" is now available in English. "The Responsible Fashion Company" is about to be launched!!

I would like to thank Greenleaf Publishing for the incredible work done together.

http://www.greenleaf-publishing.com/productdetail.kmod?productid=3985

Here are some great praises from the managers and opinion leaders that have already read the book. Thank you all!

“We are at the point of an economic revolution, and consumers are increasingly moved by the injustice of trade and the human and environmental costs of big corporate profits. Francesca Romana Rinaldi and her colleagues' book 'the Responsible Fashion Company' goes a long way to pulling together existing research on sustainable fashion and is full of positive examples of better practice in luxury fashion. An inspiring read for new economists, intellectuals, fashion people and consumers, alike.”

Safia Minney, MBE, People Tree founder and CEO

“Today, themes such as ethics and moral values are getting to the heart of society. Not only as an individual approach but also from a corporation’s perspective. This coincides with the will of driving change in the social environment. Companies in particular play a key role in this, and it is essentials for managers, professionals, researchers and students to have access to in-depth data ... I love this book because it provides a clear framework of how the fashion industry is moving, business and managerial models, and rich case studies.”

Rossella Ravagli,

Head of Sustainability Gucci

"Full of inspiring ideas and concrete case studies, this book is for anyone who wants to know how ethics and fashion can work together to define a new social agreement.  It is actually possible to go beyond the capital/labour dichotomy and reconcile environmental conservation and personal dignity, without renouncing either to profit or beauty."

Sara Tommasiello,

Finance, HR & CSR Manager Monnalisa Group

"All the ideas and cases shown in this book highlight how aesthetic is linked to ethics.  In a world where natural resources are getting close to an end each day more, it doesn't make any sense to think about fashion as a linear economic activity, despising its social, cultural and environmental aspects . More than ever it's necessary to see that the fashion industry - if well oriented- can work as a contemporary tool towards the development of an awareness trough which sustainability is central. And this book represents a breaking point against false dichotomies that , many times, lead to shallow analysis about what is fashion and its potential. Thanks to it, we can see how is possible to conciliate one of the most important activity in the world - that generates more 30 million jobs - with best practices."

Oskar Metsavaht,

Founder and Creative Director of Osklen and Instituto-E

“This book fills a gap in the market for students and employees of fashion that want to understand the industry's current cultural context and the role sustainability now plays within this. It also provides a good overview of sustainability models and initiatives that are relevant to fashion, as well as a breadth of brand case studies which help underline that strong ethics and environmental considerations now underpin the success of leading commercial companies.”

Allanna McAspurn,

CEO MADE-BY

"Nudie Jeans started as a dream about not having to compromise, making the jeans we want at the same time as bringing a consideration for the environment and human rights into every aspect of products. This book describes many good examples of how this is happening in our industry."

Henrik Lindholm,

CSR Manager Nudie Jeans

“As part of an industry which leaves a massive footprint on people and planet, the growing challenge we face is balancing the fast moving demands of the fashion world with the realities of a production system which struggles to keep pace. The book is a refreshing and relevant overview of the facts, bringing to life the dilemmas and challenges underlined by examples of how businesses can drive positive change whilst using it to their competitive advantage.”    

Rachel Hearson,

Account Manager Fairtrade Foundation UK

“Integrating ethics & aestethics in the value chain. This book provides everything you need to know about how to manage responsibility in the fashion industry.”

Diana Verde Nieto,

Co-Founder and CEO Positive Luxury

“Rinaldi’s and Testa’s book adresses a fundamental but neglected issue inherent in the fashion sustainability debate: the fragile and apparently impossible balance between beauty, values, and the economic imperative; the model it proposes merits plause. The book is a must read for managers  and academia determined to contribute to a better world through responsible fashion business practices and education.”

                                                                                             Michela Ornati, Program Director, Fashion & Luxury Sustainability Summer School, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI)

“The two authors place sustainable fashion in the wider context of responsible business practice, taking the debate beyond the exclusive construct of the fashion or luxury product, intelligently structuring a  snapshot of where we are now in the evolution of this complex discussion. They include a clear dissemination of the language and tools of sustainable fashion and CSR, and a comprehensive overview of the fashion industry's diverse approaches to ethics, environment, the branding of ethics, and the business case for sustainable business in fashion, with case studies, industry comment, and theory bringing the wider CSR context to the crux of business and sustainability in the  fashion and luxury industries. The Responsible Fashion Company is a book academics and CSR professionals in the sphere of fashion and business have been waiting for.”

Mo Tomaney

Subject Leader, Post Graduate Fashion & Business

University for the Creative Arts

Epsom UK

"An essential read to understand what went wrong in the fashion industry and how to make it right, this book highlights positive examples and clear steps towards a real, effective change. 

I would recommend it to all who are interested in fashion, from students to young designers to established businesses wanting to combine ethics and aesthetics for a more sustainable future, as well as the public looking to understand how positive buying choices can affect our environment. "

Orsola de Castro, creative manager

of From Somewhere and Reclaim To Wear, co-founder and curator of

Estethica LFW

"The Responsible Fashion Company offers a comprehensive picture of the challenges and opportunities of sustainability in the global fashion industry.

The discussion about the role of the neo-consumer, the "LOHAS" practitioners is particularly inspiring. Across industries,  enterprises have seen their sustainability initiatives fail or only develop into  a symbolic action because of a lack of consumer buy-in. The Responsible Fashion Company gives useful examples of how sustainable business models mat by created in the so necessary dialogue with consumers. Read, learn from others and develop your own innovative way of doing business the right way."

Mads Øvlisen, Chairman of the UN Global Compact’s Advisory Group on Supply Chain Sustainability

"As the fashion industry continues to hit the headlines due to its negative impact on both the environment and the people working to make our clothes, this book provides a focused and in depth overview of the challenges affecting the sector.   From cradle-to-cradle processing and triple bottom line strategy to maintaining brand integrity, the authors effectively illustrate the way businesses can address these challenges and move towards a responsible and commercial value chain."

Victoria Waugh, part of Ethical Fashion Forum and Director, SOURCE Consultancy

For those of you who are interested, you can pre-order the book using the promotional banner on the side of this post.

Enjoy your reading!!