3 Eco-Conscious Luxury Streetwear Labels Worth the Price Tag
If you’re going to splurge, here are the top three crowd favorites worth the buy!
Streetwear has come a long way. Once found in LA skateparks and Brooklyn block parties, the cultural and fashion movement now graces runway shows and high-fashion windows of Gucci and Dior.
But there’s something different about today’s version of urbanwear. Traditionally, luxury and street fashion rely on their positioning as “cultural status symbols” to drive market demand. However, as luxury thrives through high pricing, streetwear wields demand through know-how.[1]
“Particularly with early streetwear, very few consumers knew what to buy and even fewer knew where to buy it,” explains a 2019 streetwear impact report.[2] “This insider game set the foundation for a model that would be easily elevated to the level of luxury.”
From “street” to “high street”, today, the likes of Justin Bieber, Rihanna, LeBron James, and many other A-listers don 4-figure white tees.[3] But which hype brands are people flocking to, and do greener alternatives exist? Let’s take a look.
The best of both worlds
The luxury brand Stella McCartney recently launched an urban collection labeled the “Shared capsule”. The latest drop remixes the brand’s iconic pieces with vibrant streetwear-inspired designs to promote youth and genderless values in the face of climate change.[4]
Stella’s commitment to using only eco-friendly materials continues to drive the responsible fashion movement. Her jersey t-shirts and sweatshirts – made from 100% organic cotton – require up to 70% less water than conventional cotton and contain no harmful chemicals or pesticides.[5] The brand continues to be a beacon for aspiring urban labels around the world.
Green at the heart
Heron Preston is a streetwear brand that partnered up with Eileen Fisher, a leader in sustainable clothing, to understand how to incorporate eco-friendly practices into its production and supply chains.[6]
Heron Preston’s latest collection of Spring/Summer 2022 placed sustainability at the heart of the capsule, where the pieces were ranked into three categories depending on their environmental impact. The “eX-Ray” items are nearly 100% sustainable, as it considers all the touch points from sourcing and manufacturing to shipping and working conditions of the product.[7]
Capsule releases that take the environment into consideration helps push the streetwear movement in the right direction.
Upward progress
On the luxury side, French conglomerate Louis Vuitton and the billion-dollar streetwear company Supreme have collaborated on various collections, including clothes, shoes, accessories, and more.[8] Although both fashion houses aren’t known for their environmental advocacy, they are taking important steps forward.
As of 2021, Louis Vuitton reuses or recycles 93% of its event and window showcasing materials, of which more than half are certified sustainable.[9] On the other hand, David Quass of VF Corporation – the group that owns Supreme – wants the brand to look beyond its own operations, invest in alternative materials to scale faster, and collaborate with competitors to drive progress on sustainability.[10]
References
[1] “Streetwear Impact Report” | Strategy&. Available at: https://strategyand.hypebeast.com/streetwear-report-executive-summary
[2] “Streetwear Impact Report” | Strategy&. Available at: https://strategyand.hypebeast.com/streetwear-report-executive-summary
[3] “The ultimate game-changer: How Streetwear revolutionized Luxury Fashion” | Murtas. Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ultimate-game-changer-how-streetwear-revolutionized-luxury-murtas/
[4] “Our Stella McCartney Shared capsule is rising up” | Stella McCartney. Available at: https://www.stellamccartney.com/it/it/stellas-world/our-stella-mccartney-shared-capsule-is-rising-up.html
[5] “Our Stella McCartney Shared capsule is rising up” | Stella McCartney. Available at: https://www.stellamccartney.com/it/it/stellas-world/our-stella-mccartney-shared-capsule-is-rising-up.html
[6] “How Heron Preston is bringing sustainable practices to the streetwear industry” | Glossy. Available at: https://www.glossy.co/sincerity-sustainability/how-heron-preston-is-bringing-sustainable-practices-to-the-streetwear-industry/
[7] “Heron Preston SS22 is a time capsule” | Highsnobiety. Available at: https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/heron-preston-ss22/
[8] “Supreme x Louis Vuitton Collaboration” | GQ. Available at: https://www.gq.com/story/supreme-louis-vuitton-collaboration-2017
[9] “Louis Vuitton Handbags and the future of sustainable fashion” | Sotheby’s. Available at: https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/louis-vuitton-handbags-and-the-future-of-sustainable-fashion
[10] “Greening Supreme, Vans, the North Face and Timberland” | Vogue Business. Available at: https://www.voguebusiness.com/sustainability/greening-supreme-vans-the-north-face-and-timberland-vf-corporation
Author: Naomy Gmyrek
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