Sustainable fashion has attracted tremendous focus in the last decades. In recent years, McKinsey identified sustainability as one of the key priorities for the fashion industry.
Sustainability in fashion is maintained not only in materials but also in the whole process of manufacture and long-term engagement with customers.
It is about manufacturing clothes that care for customers while minimizing the impact on the environment and enhancing laborers’ working conditions.
The COVID-19 pandemic also increased global awareness of the importance of protecting the environment. Kantar’s CX+ 2020 Retail research found that sustainability was the second greatest global driver of fashion brand preferences.
New generations of customers now research carefully before buying a product. They increasingly care about its transparency and origin, as well as seek a lifestyle and spiritual values associated with the products. In this case, artisanal fashion is the right fit, as it serves sustainability and brings a feeling of originality to customers.
With fast fashion facing criticism for its negative impact on the environment and poor treatment of garment workers, consumers seek a new model that offers ethical, stylish essentials and accessories Whether it’s making luxury or everyday fashion, the attention to detail and originality artisans provide is unmatched.
From high-fashion runways to workshops in Europe, artisans are considered important for luxury fashion, as “the value of a manufacturing company is not based on the plant and machinery, but mainly in the know-how of the workers”, said Prada’s chairman and executive director Carlo Mazzi.
Artisanal is considered important for luxury fashion.
There has been a shift in artisanal manufacturing from Europe to Asia, and China remains a top destination. Yet, Southeast Asia, the fastest-growing apparel hub in the world, is rising as a potential manufacturer. And in the region, Vietnam, where fine traditional crafts are embedded in its culture, proves itself to be a wonderful center for beautiful craftsmanship.
Leinné came as a new breath for the Vietnamese artisanal industry. The Paris-born brand produced in Vietnam identifies itself as an eco-luxury brand with craftsmanship as core value. “Leinné” is the combination of the English word “leisure” and the French word “inné”, a passion for living, a desire to see the world with courage, passion and intuitiveness.
At Leinné, you can find thoughtfully hand-crafted hats and bags, made by craftsmen with no less than 20 years of experience. They use eco-friendly materials that come from supply chains that they know and understand. Raffia, a type of yarn from Madagascar, has been used as the main materials for signature hats and bags lines thanks to its outstanding characteristics: non-damp, anti-UV, durable, and easily dissolves into soil when not used anymore. Under the hands of experienced craftsmen, these raw materials will be manipulated to be unique artworks that gratify the senses.
Raffia has been used as the main materials for signature hats and bags lines. This is the high-grade natural palm fiber from the remote Madagascar land in Africa with precious properties: non-damp, anti-UV, durable; you can easily discern bland smells of raffia in every touch.
With the respect for traditional craftsmanship, Leinné seeks the finest fabrics from craft villages all over Vietnam. Organic silk, hand-woven linen, and cotton fabrics are selected and colored from selective ingredients and vegetable dyes, creating original and rustic beauty that no chemicals can bring. The brand usually organizes meaningful campaigns to raise awareness in the environment, such as Refinity by Leinné. In this campaign, old clothing items are collected and turned into cool everyday objects like headbands, lunch bags, coffee cup carriers and other endless possibilities.
Leinné takes action to promote a sustainable lifestyle.
From the first physical space to interact with customers located in an ancient French building in District 1, HCMC, the only apartment renovated with its rare authentic structure, Leinné has extended to sales channels in France, Hongkong, Thailand and continues to be stocked in the most beautiful and selective boutiques in the world.
Recently, Leinné proudly announced its collaboration with Ka-pok, the most famous and trendy retailer from Hong Kong. This collaboration of Leinné marks the first footstep in the journey of bringing Vietnamese craft design out to the international market as well as affirms that Leinné products meet the quality and sustainability standards, which are significant selection criterias of the fastidious modern store that stocks on-demand brands like Maison Kitsuné, A.P.C. and Common Projects.
Before Leinné, Ka-pok welcomed various sustainable brands like Kowtow and Veja. Kowtow is a New Zealand based label committed to creating positive change, using only renewable and sustainable fibres and ethical manufacturing. The French label Veja’s makes shoes and accessories from organic cotton, wild rubber from the Amazon, vegetable-tanned leather and recycled plastic bottles. Despite difference in backgrounds and origins, the brands share the same mission of contributing to a greener fashion industry, where sustainability is as important as the products’ quality.
As the fashion industry is changing in a more sustainable way, the customer’s trends have also shifted – they look for meaningful, ethical products with original values. This shift has driven transformation in production, as the brands are heading for destinations all over the world to tell stories of sustainability and craftsmanship.
Contributed by Vy Tran