Fashion brands have been under close public analysis recently – with news of the harmful environmental impact of fast fashion and the importance of fair pay for workers, an increasing number of brands have been showing their support for ethical and societal issues. Big name designers such as Michael Kors have been campaigning for years to tackle issues such as world hunger – but who else is stepping up? Here, we’ve taken a look at which fashion brands have been supporting ethical causes and what they are doing to help:
Charles Tyrwhitt – The Prince’s Trust
Charles Tyrwhitt, who specialise in men’s shirts and suits, have put their support behind The Prince’s Trust. This is a charity in the United Kingdom, founded in 1976 by Charles, Prince of Wales. It focuses on helping vulnerable people get their lives back on track and find work. The brand released a special collection of scarves, ties, umbrellas and of course their iconic shirts — all dedicated to raising funds for the charity. Where each item in the collection is sold, £5 is donated to The Prince’s Trust.
The label have been raising money for the charity for a number of years now. In fact, business founder, Nick Wheeler, raised over 100,000 when he completed an 874-mile bike ride from Land’s End to John O’ Groats in the UK. And, members of the company attend and recruit individuals through The Prince’s Trust ‘Get Hired’ Days. This is where young people who have been through The Trust’s programmes have found themselves ready to move into work and are actively looking for work.
Stella McCartney – Ethical and sustainable fashion
Ethical fashion is one of the main talking points in the industry right now, with Stella McCartney at the forefront of the cause. Using the latest in eco-friendly technology, she changes attitudes to sustainable fashion and demonstrates how eco-fashion can be done.
The label has never used leather or fur in its products, instead using new and innovative materials in their place. Take her latest swimwear range for example, in partnership with Adidas. The swimsuits are made from Lycra Xtra Lite fabric, which is resistant to chlorine and uses recycled Parley Ocean Plastic yarn. Stella announced her partnership with Colorifix in April 2018, she is working closely with them to reduce the environmental impact of the dyeing process. They do this through isolating the DNA that creates colour in nature and uses 10 times less water than the traditional process.
Lacoste – The Save Our Species campaign
The Lacoste Save Our Species campaign began in 2018, as a way for the brand to help endangered animals across the globe. As part of this, they replaced their classic crocodile logo with images of endangered species on their classic polo shirts. The campaign was started to mark a three-year partnership between Lacoste and the International Union for Conservation of Nature — whose mission it is to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature.
The animals that were selected for the campaign were carefully chosen from 10 of the most threatened species on the planet; the Vaquita, Burmese Turtle, Northern Sportive Lemur, Javan Rhino, Kakapo, Cao-vit Gibbon, California Condor, Saola, Sumatran Tiger and the Anegada Ground Iguana.
The limited-edition shirts were unveiled at Paris Fashion Week and sold out almost instantly. The money from the shirts was donated towards the fight for wildlife conservation worldwide.
Gucci – Campaign for tighter gun control
In early 2018, Gucci showed their support for tighter gun control by donating half a million dollars to the cause. The brand announced that it would do so following a tragic school shooting in February last year at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. It’s possible that Gucci’s generous donation was motivated by the death of Gucci salesman, Javier Jorge-Reyes, and injury of Gucci store manager, Leonel Melendez Jr — both caused by gun violence.
Talking about the March For Our Lives campaign, a statement for Gucci said: “We stand with March For Our Lives and the fearless students across the country who demand that their lives and safety become a priority. We have all been directly or indirectly impacted by these senseless tragedies, and Gucci is proud to join this movement with a donation of $500,000.”
Michael Kors – Watch Hunger Stop
The Watch Hunger Stop campaign by Michael Kors was first launched back in 2013. According to the Michael Kors website, they’ve helped the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) deliver 15 million meals to children in need.
The brand worked with Kate Hudson in 2018 to support the cause in Cambodia. There are many ways that people can donate — through the purchase of a timepiece, a Snapchat using a store geofilter or through posting a photo wearing a Watch Hunger Stop T-shirt. Each action donates a certain amount of money and corresponding meals to children in need — the programme supports 16 million children over 70 different countries.
We’re very proud to bring you this feature in association with Charles Tyrwhitt. For more fashion news, please pay a visit to our fashion page.
