Restless, irreverent, and passionate, Dame Vivienne Westwood has garnered quite a reputation in the fashion industry. She became a fashion reference during the punk era and now, with a clothing brand that bears her name, she has also become a reference for climate change activism.
The Vivienne Westwood brand (VW) aims to “capture the imagination, promote innovative design and campaign for protecting life on Mother Earth, Gaia.”[1] This, through a three-front approach: Quality vs. Quantity, Gaia, and Arts & Culture.
It is certainly quite refreshing to hear that luxury brands are walking hand in hand with sustainability, but if there is one thing we know, it is that not everything is what it looks like and that we need to beware of greenwashing. There is no doubt that Westwood is a woman of strong convictions, but some have pointed out contradictions between the designer’s values and her business practices.
So, is Westwood just talking the talk or walking the walk? Let’s put the brand under the loupe and find it out!
Quality v. Quantity
Mass production is probably one of the main reasons why fashion is one of the most damaging industries in the world. But it’s not all the evil corporations’ fault, we have ourselves to blame as well. Raise your hand if you haven’t left a store with three or four bags in your hands! Yes, we thought so…
On this issue, back in 2014, Westwood told the Observer that she was “more interested in quality rather than quantity” and that all she wanted was for people to “buy well” because “if everyone wore just a few beautiful things, there would not be such a climate change problem.”[2]
To be in line with its creator, VW now focuses on four key areas[3]:
- Craft and Heritage: Creating partnerships with local industries and artisans as well as bigger Italian factories.
- People Power: Committing to working with partners that share the brand’s values. Among other things, the brand has adopted a Code of Labor Practice based on the conventions of the International Labor Organization, and a Modern Slavery Policy to ensure slavery and human trafficking are not a part of its supply chain and business in general.
- Materials & Processing: Enhancing their efforts in sourcing raw materials with minimal social and environmental impact. This can be classified into four main fronts:
- Animals: Upholding high animal welfare standards in the raw material supply chain and not allowing the use of exotic skins or fur in their products.
- Certifications: Working with certifications and standards for fiber and textile sourcing.
- Fabrics/fibers: Increasing its use of organic cotton and fabrics like hemp; researching and sourcing the latest sustainable fabric/fiber innovations; reducing the use of polyester and acrylic fabrics; opting for natural or recycled alternatives; and avoiding blended fibers.
- Packaging: Eliminating single-use plastic from transit packaging and using shredded cards made from used boxes for protective inner packaging; working to change plastic hangers and polythene garment covers to more sustainable alternatives. To date, all VW’s retail packaging is plastic-free.
- Reimagining Waste: Making the most of the resources used to tackle textile waste.
Gaia
Gaia is the Greek goddess of the earth, one of the most important goddesses of Olympus. How romantic that Westwood chose this name, don’t you think? But do you want to know what is NOT romantic at all? How we are destroying Gaia!
Fortunately, our goddess has an army that is willing to protect her at all costs and Dame Westwood seems to be one of the Sergeants. For some years now, the designer has actively participated in the fight against climate change. By way of example, Westwood inaugurated in 2012 the ‘Climate Revolution’ at the London Paralympics closing ceremony, she is an eager supporter of Cool Earth, and an ambassador for Greenpeace (she even designed their official ‘Save the Arctic’ logo in 2013).[4]
But it doesn’t stop there, over the last 20 years Vivienne has campaigned and fundraised for the Environmental Justice Foundation, Friends of the Earth, Amnesty International, and War Child, and through VW shows and products has raised money and awareness on the issue.[5]
Fashion SWITCH to Green
For the brand itself, Fashion SWITCH to Green is its flagship campaign “to lead ambitious climate action, for a safer and greener future”. Together with The British Fashion Council and the Mayor of London, they are reaching out to fashion brands and businesses to commit to switching UK offices and retail stores to a green energy supplier or to a green energy tariff.
The aim of the campaign is to be a catalyst for global change through collaboration. Apart from VW, other brands have already committed, namely, Christopher Raeburn, E.Tautz, Harvey Nichols, Kering, Marks & Spencer, Oliver Spencer, Positive Luxury, Selfridges, Stella McCartney, steventai, and Teatum Jones.
The moment of truth: Is Vivienne Westwood the Queen of the Greenwash?
The ‘Queen of the Greenwash’ title was coined by Eluxe in 2018 and it all started with the “Dame Westwood’s Climate Revolution Charter”, a call to action that was left on every seat of one of the designer shows. The piece calls out some of the designer’s contradictions, for example, that most of her products are made from petroleum-based materials and a large number of looks she shows on the runway (despite her commitment to “quality v. quantity”).
The same year, Remake ran VW through their own sustainability index (which measures impact through categories such as transparency and traceability, maker well-being, and environmental sustainability) and the brand failed with a score of 21 out of 100.
That said, it seems that the brand is not as sustainable as one would like to think. However, it is worth noting that the articles we just referred to are 3 years old and, according to the brand’s official website, VW is on the right track and has a genuine interest in changing. Although the brand is not quite there yet, issues such as the use of petroleum-based materials and the number of show looks are being targeted.
As consumers, it is up to us to continue investigating to avoid falling into traps and pressuring brands to take real action.
Now… are you buying VW? Let us know in the comments below!
