sustainability

Fashion far from consumerism

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Spring-summer 23: bringing back meaning

Can we think about fashion far from consumerism? Indeed, there’s a way of conceiving the fashion industry cleared of its toxic downsides.

Spring-summer 23, a sense of re-birth comes with the new season. And so, we want to take you with us on our journey out of the blob of mass-produced clothes. Come with us to discover rarities and excellence to bring back meaning in an industry that, as it is now, has lost it.

Fashion & consumerism

If fashion mirrors our society, what we see is growth mania. The industry brainwashed people into overconsumption and disposable culture. In fact, there is a constant need for novelties which has much in common with addictive behaviours. But this massified fashion comes with a cost. It has a polluting and destructive impact.

So, we want to take you with us on a different path, which we’ll hone season after season. There’s no perfection but the commitment to doing better, stepping away from pointless labels or empty claims.
Good design, well-made clothes are for those who can see them. But, attention to design, details, and materials are fundamentals to bringing meaning back into fashion.

Spring-Summer 23: niche fashion #formodernhumans

Come with us to explore the Spring-Summer 23: garments made with care and passion. Indeed, the sense of tailoring prevails. Silhouettes are slightly more defined but always comfortable. Specifically, materials have a pleasant hand feel, and lines don’t make your body feel compressed.

There are drapings, a design detail that adds a special touch to t-shirts and dresses, making them suitable for different body shapes. But also, cool military pants and exclusive knitwear. And shirts, timeless garments par excellence, improved with a modern twist, in multiple lengths. Plus comfortable flat leather shoes for your summer walks.

The selection is accurate, essential and in limited quantities. A design-focused slow fashion, far from consumerism. Indeed, garments feature a carry-over design, becoming made-to-last stylish classics.

What if the perspective of what you considered new so far is wrong?

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The retail impasse

Fashion business: the therapeutic obstinacy for an almost-dead patient

The retail impasse and the problems emerging in fashion these days revolve around two main topics: late deliveries and markdown strategies. 

However, both issues are indicators of a fashion system that is basically dead, but everyone pretends not to see it. Or they refuse to accept it. So every operator in the field is on a kind of therapeutic obstinacy for a patient that is almost gone. And which, by the way, has a huge impact on the planet.

Two main points of the retail impasse

One: many stores have received a small percentage of the Spring-Summer pieces, which makes it complicated to assemble outfits. Why does this happen? Top brands monopolise good manufacturers. So smaller brands get materials late (for the same reason) and consequently are left as the last link of the chain. Therefore, they cannot deliver on time.

Two: markdown strategies and how to get rid of the stock in excess that stores keep purchasing. Even though retailers are perfectly aware that the number of people entering a store isn’t the same as in the pre-pandemic time, they don’t stop overstocking. Of course, it gets more complicated to sell discounted items! They are available online and offline throughout the year. Markdowns aren’t attractive anymore. And a discount isn’t the only reason people purchase a product.

The excessive stock policy is harmful to the planet and business. So, we must change it.

Can we find solutions to revive the fashion business?

These solutions need to experiment with new ways of operating the fashion business. 

First: a dramatic reduction in consumption! Let’s face reality: if we do not consume less, much less, we can forget to have a future. So, there’s no point in procrastinating the change.

Second: a shift to artisanal garments and made-to-order clothes and accessories, having the chance to reorder during the season. It’s about choosing tailoring over mass-produced garments – quality over quantity.

If we want to overcome the retail impasse, overtreating fashion with more overproduction will take us nowhere. We need a completely different strategy: it’s a matter of reducing the number of pieces while providing a higher value.
Less but better.

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EU Commission: a plan against greenwashing

Can non-mandatory rules fight greenwashing?

On March 22nd, the EU Commission released a plan against greenwashing claims. But these new rules leave some leeway that will probably generate more confusion. 

Environmental claims aren’t reliable!

Over the last five years, we started digging deep into sustainable matters. And how tricky it is for people to understand which label is sustainable or not. That is because of greenwashing: the process of brands and companies deceiving consumers to believe they are green when they are not. Obviously, brands release fake green claims to sell more. Indeed, the sustainability business is flourishing! And perhaps, those who believe in fairy tales are happy with it!

The plan to fight greenwashing

These are the data:
53% of green claims are vague, misleading or unfounded information.
40% of claims have no supporting evidence.
1/2 Half of all green labels offer weak or non-existent verification.
There are 230 sustainability labels and 100 green energy labels in the EU, with vastly different levels of transparency.

Hence, the new criteria want to make green claims reliable across the EU, protecting consumers from greenwashing. Also, contribute to creating a circular economy based on reuse, repair, and recycling.

Expected impacts

“With certain consumers purchasing products that will be truly better for the environment, it is estimated that the impacts on the environment will be highly positive.”

Now the above statement may sound like greenwashing, too! In fact, the only “better for the environment” is a drastic reduction of new products and not more eco-products!

The controversial point

“However, it remains a decision of companies to include (or not) environmental claims in their voluntary commercial communications. This means that the companies can control their costs by determining the scope of the claim (if any) considering its expected return on investment. In short, the costs of substantiation are of a voluntary nature to companies as they are part of one’s marketing strategy and therefore credible estimations of the overall cost for the Union market are difficult.”

Therefore, rules aren’t mandatory for companies. Indeed, businesses have been given leeway on how to provide their evidence. Likewise, governments will be able to decline the guidelines when they transpose them into national legislation. 

In conclusion, without unified regulations, the EU plan to fight greenwashing won’t stop greenwashing!

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The White Shirt

Revisiting a timeless garment for a minimal lifestyle

Today we introduce a timeless garment: The White Shirt by Good Neighbors Shirts.

This Japanese shirt brand creates timeless pieces with an edgy touch. Its design code is innovative and conceived for a minimal lifestyle. Indeed, it provides stylish and comfortable details, but the image is quite understated. Also, born as a unisex brand, it talks to those who feel free to express their personality through style but do not care about gendered labels.

Discover The White Shirt

About the design
This shirt comes in two versions: a button-down or a mao collar. The silhouette is wide, with a comfortable fit. One front open pocket and one slip pocket on the right side for your cell phone or wallet. A contrasting rubber band along the back adds a point of graphic design. It is detachable, and you can wear it as a belt or as you like. Also, the hem design makes it look well untucked.
Takase shell button front closure. These shell buttons are the byproduct of the food manufacturing process, which would be otherwise wasted. Therefore they are considered sustainable.

The White Shirt
The White Shirt by Good Neighbors Shirts

About the material
100% cotton.

About the colour
The base is white with an orange or blue detachable rubber band.

Laundry
Wash by hand. Easy care product.

Styling tips
Shirts are seasonless. So, you can wear The White Shirt throughout the year by mixing it with seasonal pieces to make it suitable for a specific occasion. Also, the white colour is a true classic, easy to mix and match in limitless styling options. In springtime, try it underneath a cotton vest or a blazer. Unbuttoned and untucked above a tank top for your casual style. But don’t forget to take it with you to the beach!

International Shipping available!
We are based in Milano but ship our niche fashion selection #formodernhumans everywhere.

How to order:

Drop us an email or WhatsApp for any further information. Also, you can book your private shopping experience – physical or via video call. We’d love to help!

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The climate time bomb

Economic growth, decoupling & fashion industry

The latest IPCC report, AR6 – Sixth Assessment Report, is a survival guide for humanity to defuse the climate time bomb. Will it awake people’s conscience?

The report & the climate time bomb

“Scientists from the authoritative UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), urged for immediate action that can be taken now, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to human-caused climate change.”

The study – “Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report” – calls for urgent climate action to secure a liveable future for all. 
Antonio Guterres declared that the climate-time bomb is ticking, but we have the knowledge and resources to tackle the climate crisis. Only drastic action can avert irrevocable damage to the world. If we act now, we can ensure a livable planet for the future. 

The solution proposed by the IPCC is “climate resilient development,” which involves integrating measures to adapt to climate change with actions to reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions in ways that provide wider benefits.

In supporting sustainable development, the discussion is about the decoupling of production and emissions. 

Decoupling – what happens in the fashion industry?

Recently Kering Group launched a climate change adaptation strategy that uses a science-based framework. So, the group set the goal to cut emissions across their supply chain by 40% by 2035. In other words, Kering will keep growing while cutting climate impact.

But here is the point! Can developed countries achieve economic growth decoupled from environmental pressures?

The economist Timothée Parrique replies to that question by debunking this theory.
We quote the closing lines (but we suggest you read the full article here).

So, “the jury has reached a verdict,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres during the release of the report. For me, the AR6 is the last nail on the coffin of the green growth hypothesis, which I consider to be a broken promise, one of the “empty pledges that put us firmly on track towards an unliveable world,” as Guterres says. 
What if we could time travel to Galileo’s trial today? Which voice would we give credence to? I think the situation concerning decoupling is dramatically similar. Give a few years (hopefully less) for the smoke to disappear, and we’ll soon realise that, just like the Sun doesn’t revolve around the Earth, the continued pursuit of economic growth in rich nations is not compatible with a stable climate.”   

Timothée Parrique

The climate time bomb is ticking, but green growth is not the answer. Though a reduction of consumption may seem utopic, we are afraid it will be too late when we will realise that was our way out!

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