Stella McCartney’s vegan fashions Stella McCartney is a true militant, who has married technology and sustainability in her quest to defend an organic and vegan approach to fashion. You won’t find any fur or silk amongst her fabrics and the brand’s organic cotton, wool and cashmere are subject to a highly selective sourcing process. Viscose comes from sustainably managed forests and the brand invests in research to invent new, environmentally friendly materials. Stella McCartney also introduced “Clevercare” that gives customers advice on how to extend the life of their clothing. Whether it’s sewing on a button or washing at the right temperature, all you need is some basic common sense to ensure garments last a lifetime. Her objective is help us reduce our consumption and in so doing lessen our impact on the planet. But the British designer’s fight doesn’t stop at the environment. Recently her advertising campaigns have been featuring a child with Down’s syndrome as a way of showing that the only labels she accepts are the ones in her clothes. Vegetable tanning, natural rubber and transparency As far as leather is concerned to produce sneakers because they symbolise things are also changing: brands our generation and our times. They are also now favour vegetable tanning. a product that, because of its manufacture, distribution and usage, crystallizes everything that is at stake in globalisation.” Chrome tanned leathers that are disastrous As part of its strategy, Veja decided to stop for the environment and harmful both for advertising to reduce costs. “By stopping the consumer and the people who make advertising we can produce sneakers that cost them are becoming a thing of the past. Easy 5 times more to make and yet still sell them Peasy’s baby shoes are soft and gentle on the at the same price as those of leading brands.” feet and parents don’t need to worry if baby The money saved is reinvested in sourcing puts them in his/her mouth: the vegetable fair-trade raw materials, implementing tanned booties are assembled using water- an environmentally friendly production based glue. Léo et Violette are fighting the process, doing research and providing better same battle: the Parisian handbag designer wages for the company’s partners. Veja buys is proud of its Italian and Tunisian partners. wild natural rubber directly from producers Using organic materials goes hand in hand in the Amazon and cotton from organic with establishing a virtuous circle: cotton growers assisted by NGOs, which provide technical support to help them to Organic materials are produce organic fair-trade cotton. Veja synonymous with socially leather sneakers are either vegetable tanned responsible manufacturing, or use safe levels of chrome. The brand is decent working conditions currently developing new fabrics made from recycled materials such as B-mesh, which it and more transparency. created in 2014. However the commitment goes much further: when the finished The latter epitomises the struggle of sneaker sneakers leave Brazil, they journey to France brand Veja (“look” in Portuguese), which was to a social enterprise, which is Veja’s logistics launched in 2004 by Sébastien Kopp and partner. In addition, the company only works François-Ghislain Morillion. “We decided with banks that have no activities in tax doog gniod ,doog gnikooL