Chloé Becomes First Luxury Brand To Achieve B-Corp Status
Gabriela Hearst is leading Chloé to a sustainable future with B-Corp status.
In a 2020 survey by First Insight, 73 percent of Gen Z respondents said they would pay more for “sustainable” items, with the majority of respondents stating they would pay as much as 10 percent more. As more consumers are prioritizing sustainability in their shopping habits, fashion brands are recognizing the profitability in implementing social and eco-friendly business practices. One such luxury brand leading the charge is Chloé. Under the helm of Gabriela Hearst, who was appointed to the Creative Director role in 2019, Chloé has been transforming their business operations in order to improve social and environmental sustainability, which is evident in the brand's latest collection which debuted at Paris Fashion Week in a runway show along the Seine.
Chloé is the first luxury brand to be certified as a B Corp—a business has that has met the social and environmental performance requirements, as well as public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. Chloé achieved their B Corp goal which was set earlier this year to be be accomplished by 2021. The B-Corp certification process takes anywhere from 6-10 months, and requires thorough examination of a company's financials, contractors, policies, and supply chains — only about 30% of applicants successfully achieve B Corp certification.
In terms of progress made on the brand's sustainability goals, 58 percent of this recent Chloé collection used environmentally lower-impact materials, which translates to more recycling and sourcing from farms that place an operational emphasis on soil health and animal welfare. This is compared to 40 percent for the brand’s winter 2021 collection.
With this recent show, the brand's Chloé Craft initiative was also featured prominently, which highlights the brands ethos under Hearst of having handcrafted pieces with texture and techniques that cannot be achieved by using machines.
For this Spring/Summer 2022 collection, Chloé collaborated with Kenya-based Ocean Sole to create the slides, and Mifuko, to create the woven bags that came down the runway.The knotted shell necklaces and harnesses were produced in Madagascar by Akanjo. “We believe luxury fashion has become overly industrialized, so the maison is expanding the number of our products handcrafted by independent artisans,” Gabriela Hearst stated in Chloé's show notes.You can watch Chloé's Spring/Summer 2022 show in the video below and learn more about B-Corps HERE.
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