Progressive Fashion: February Round-Up

From adopting a more charitable outlook to promoting the beauty of body ‘imperfections’, the fashion industry has finally started to wake up to informed consumers’ expectations.
Here’s a round-up of our favourite progressive initiatives from the past month, which other brands would do well to learn from.
- London-based brand Ninety Percent is rewriting the rules of business by prioritising people over profit. The responsibly made womenswear label – founded by Bangladesh clothing factory owner Shafiq Hassan – shares 90% of its profits with charitable causes and the people who make the clothing. Customers also have the option of voting for the causes they wish to support.
- Macy’s has become the latest major US retailer to launch a clothing line aimed at Muslim women. The Verona Collection – made in collaboration with Muslim influencer Lisa Vogl – consists of modest essentials including hand-dyed hijabs.
- H&M continues to further its sustainable fashion credentials with its 2018 Conscious Exclusive collection, which is inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement in Sweden. The range consists of premium garments created from recycled polyester, organic linen, sustainable fabrics Tencel and Econyl, and recycled silver.
- UK-based fashion retailer Missguided’s #MakeYourMark campaign, which encourages women to celebrate their physical differences, has been taken one step further with the launch of realistic in-store mannequins. The new and diverse range of mannequins will now represent an array of ethnic backgrounds and feature natural physical ‘imperfections’ including stretch marks, freckles and vitiligo.
For more on the lucrative opportunities inclusivity presents to brands, read our report A Fashion A’Woke’ning. For more on diversity, sustainability and the challenging fashion environment, see our Industry Trend The New Fashion Landscape 2017.