What is Sustainable Luxury?

Sustainable Luxury is The Way

On the first thought, sustainable and luxury are two very different words. They can almost be termed as oxymoron in our dictionaries. The word luxury often comes with an undertone of excess and waste and is often associated with words like ‘couture’, ‘extravagance’, ‘indulgence’ and the ‘high life’. While we think of sustainability, we think of words like ‘environment’, ‘long term’, ‘economy’ or even ‘climate change’. Then how is it that two such different words come together?

But between all the pomp and grandeur of luxury, luxury shares certain qualities like long term, creative and extraordinary designs with sustainability. When you’re buying a $2,500 worth Gucci bag you will look for qualities like uniqueness, elegance and long term! Similarly, sustainability is related to use of exceptional materials, classic designs and quality but with focus on long term and use of fewer and better.

Jean Noel Kapferer is the author of ‘Kapferer on Luxury’ and a renowned French Marketing professor. He explains the connection between Sustainability and luxury by saying, “Luxury is at its essence very close to sustainable preoccupations because it is nourished by rarity and beauty and thus has an interest in preserving them.”

As the saying goes, Ethics + Aesthetics= Sustainable Luxury.

Why does luxury have to be made at the expense of depleting resources and innocent hardworking hands? It has to be created in such a manner that all those affected by its creation have a positive impact-whether people or planet.

In recent times, as people are becoming more and more aware of the ecological imbalance and climate change, they’re getting more conscious regarding what they consume. We all know the frightening fact that the fashion industry is the second most polluting industry after the oil industry. Luxury brands are not unaware of this and are actively participating to fulfil this demand of consumers who are looking forward to buying less but better and for longevity.

Check out these Cool Luxury Vegan Accessories by Anita Dongre

Luxury fashion brands as well as fast fashion brands like Gucci, Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Prada and H&M Group and Zara have come together and joined hands by signing up a fashion pact to fight the climate crisis and protect biodiversity and the oceans. This is a major step by the fashion industry towards sustainable luxury. Without this action, the industry would be accountable for a quarter of the world’s carbon budget by 2050.

Sustainable Luxury and the Millennial.

A study showed that the millennial and the Gen Z are accountable for at least 30%of the sales of luxury brands. This is expected to rise to 45% by 2025. A study from Nielsen also showed that 73 percent of millennial consumers would willingly spend a little more on a luxury product if it comes from a sustainable luxury brand or a socially conscious brand. This shows that the millennials are getting more conscious of the issues faced by the world and would want to take a step for the better of the world.

“Every time you spend money, you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want.”- Anne Lappe

The millennials are in a way casting a vote and choosing their side to a better world and luxury brands should step up and do something towards a sustainable and conscious living if they don’t want to fade out.

Sustainable Luxury is Not just another Fad.

Sustainable Luxury is not something we can translate into another trend or a fad. It is here to stay. Sustainable Luxury is the future. The demand for luxury goods is on rise since some years now and this has led to change in biodiversity and impact on the environment. Due to this, there is an increased demand for other factors like resources, cheap labour, etc. As the pressure increases, it is high time that the Luxury brands embrace the new standards of labour and environment. After all, sustainable luxury is all about satisfying your individual needs by making smarter consumer decisions and protecting the environment.

Sustainability sets you Apart from the Rest.

Sustainability luxury is when a luxury brand takes up measures to make the product sustainable and not when an eco-friendly product tries to become a luxury product by raising prices. Luxury as well as sustainability looks at longevity and hence it helps the luxury brands differ from fast fashion. In the long run, sustainability will be the key to differ between a good and responsible brand and a reckless money-making brand.

Sustainable Luxury promotes Transparency.

Something about luxury brands have always had a mystic aura around them, but no more. Nowadays consumers expect transparency. They need information about every detail, the process of creating the luxury product, the materials used, the back hand labourers, and the rest.They want to make sure that their purchase decisions reflect their ethics.The head of Diamond Supply at Tiffany, Andy Hart, asks a introspective question and says, “I just ask myself, if I had to pull back the curtain on our factories, would I want our customers to see what’s there?”

Sustainable Luxury- Issues faced by Brands

Going green and creating sustainable luxury might be appreciated by the consumers but working with small-scale workers requires determination, patience and creativity. Of course, the organizational and managing skills can’t be forgotten. It is of course not easy for such brands to compete with other brands who do not have the same values and continue the old way-especially when it comes to cost. For them it is difficult to find a balance between cost, production and yet not compromise on the design and creativity.

Difficult as it is, Sustainable luxury is the need of the hour and a necessity now.

Here are some luxury brands who’ve taken efforts to become sustainable

Stella McCartney

 “As a designer I like to work with fabrics that don’t bleed. That’s why I avoid all animal skins.” —Stella McCartney, fashion designer(Elle 2012)

A sustainable luxury blog will be incomplete without the mention of arguably the pioneer of sustainable luxury- Stella McCarteny. Stella McCarteny’s namesake brand has been a vegetarian brand since its inception and uses recycled nylon and polyester, organic cotton and  sustainability-source fabrics such as recycled nylon and polyester, organic cotton, and skin-free and fur-free materials to create her creations.

Tiffany

After facing a lot of heat for bringing conflicts to communities in Africa. This luxury jewellery brand was one of the first brands in its industry to bring in its diamonds and metals from responsible mining companies. It has a zero-tolerance policy for  purchasing diamonds from countries with human rights infringements. Tiffany also has a foundation created to spread awareness about responsible mining and working on reef conservation.

Rolex

The luxury watch brand is famous in it’s field to take a step towards a sustainable future. The brand launched ‘Rolex Award for Enterprise’ through which they give large sums of cash prizes to entrepreneurs  between 18-30 who take up projects that bring a conscious change in the environment and cultural change. By doing so, Rolex doesn’t only improve the life of that individual but it also helps the planet as a whole.

NAK

NAK stands for ‘No Animal Killed’ and is a luxury shoe brand. This brand proves that you don't need animal skin to create a pair of sleek and classy shoes. Unlike many other eco-friendly brands, NAK exclusively serves a luxury and fashion-conscious clientele. All NAK shoes are created by Italian designers who believe in their idea of cruelty-free fashion.

Conclusion

It is often argued that sustainable luxury is easy in theory and when it comes to practicality it is one difficult task. But that’s what this is all about. It's high time our luxury brands step up and give back to the environment from whom they've been so dearly taking resources from. Sustainable luxury is yet in the process of becoming a norm but it’ll soon overtake the general standards of production and selling. Brands need to change with the changing times to be relevant.

“One day we’ll wake up and Green will not be the new black, it will be the new invisible. Meaning, no longer will sustainable be the exception or something that’s considered au courant; instead it will be a matter of course – something that all designers incorporate into their design ethos.” —Summer Rayne Oakes, world’s first ‘eco’ model and serial ecopreneur. (from her book ‘Style, Naturally‘)