The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
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When it comes to sustainability, the fashion industry has long relied on self-regulation rather than external enforcement. But oftentimes, these self-defined targets create a “convenient fantasy,” Blackrock’s former chief investment officer of sustainable investing Tariq Fancy said in a talk at BoF VOICES 2022. This gives the appearance of positive movement, but not necessarily real progress. Indeed, activists like Fancy, as well as consumers and investors are calling for government regulators to intervene.
“Many companies are playing dirty,” he said. “It’s time we called in the refs.”
This week on The BoF Podcast, BoF’s chief sustainability correspondent Sarah Kent speaks with Fancy; Maxine Bédat, director of the New Standard Institute; Baroness Margaret Omolola Young, activist and a member of Britain’s House of Lords and Ken Pucker, former chief operating officer of Timberland to explore the role that regulation can play in creating a more sustainable fashion industry.
The brand’s hyperrealistic (but fake) animal heads sparked outrage this week, highlighting the increasingly delicate balance brands must strike between provocative marketing and shifting consumer values.
Shifting weather patterns are making shopping behaviour harder to predict, adding to inventory management challenges for brands and retailers.
The company faced questions about how rabbit felt, which is made from the animal’s hairs, fit with its no-fur policy.
This week, a spoof press release claimed Adidas had appointed a co-CEO to address rights violations in its supply chain, a sign of more disruptive and confrontational tactics from advocacy groups focused on the industry.