The two sustainable and eco-responsible Australian brands have joint focuses for WORLD EARTH DAY to highlight the issue with overproduction within the fashion industry.
Both of the brands work on a pre-order business model and have partnered with their two best sellers; ESSĒN's The Foundation Flat & linden cooks fine/chunky chain to create this collaboration. Not creating a new product for the day but highlighting that made-to-order and pre-order fashion is one of the most sustainable ways of shopping.
"I met Georgie at linden cook a few months ago through a mutual friend, And we just mediately bonded over "running our own businesses". But also, early on in our conversation, we realized that we both produce on demand. Produce on-demand means that you only produce after you sold a product and therefore only produce what you need. No waste. Doing this with footwear I can eliminate the waste up to 90%, on calculations I have made with my factory’s". - Marre the founder of ESSĒN THE LABEL.
Customers are also able to share details about their feet such as width, arch height with ESSĒN who will customize the shoe to fit perfectly. Linden Cook is completely made-to-order, holding no stock which results in no waste throughout the jewelry brand.
"The main problem at the moment is educating customers. People say they want a product that is made exclusively for them, but they still want it right away. It’s about moving away from that instant gratification culture and teaching people about the process of the shoe. Because it’s like up to 15 components that go into one pair that I need to source from different suppliers, and that need to be sustainable or at least be focusing on ethical manufactories".- Marre the founder of ESSĒN THE LABEL.
"But the really positive thing is because they are made on-demand, I can tailor the fit quite scientifically. For example the other week I had a lady that came to me and had one foot in size 42 and the other 41. It’s impossible for her to find two shoes that fit perfectly. I said to her, “Look, the shoes are made to order, we can accommodate your request and tailor it perfectly to your feet”. I think that’s really exciting!"- Marre the founder of ESSĒN THE LABEL.
Is the producing by demand concept, something you can see other brands use?
"I think produces by demand is the future, I strongly believe that! There is so much waste, and I think the last year showed us that. Everything stopped, people were not going out anymore to buy things. And a lot of brands got stuck with huge piles of inventory and stock that ends up burned or inland field. So, by having a much more responsive production model you can tailor your needs to whatever your customer wants. There are so many benefits with producing by demand thru a business, financial and stock management point of view".- Marre the founder of ESSĒN THE LABEL.
What makes a successful sustainable designer?
"For me as a designer, talking personally in what has always driven me with Essen is designing better systems or better processes. Not just thinking about the product that you create witch I think a lot of the brands are focusing on at the moment. You can use an eco-friendly material but if you still like, H&M producing for mass consumption doesn’t make it sustainable. There are so many different layers to it so I think as a designer if you want to have a sustainable business you need to consider every step of the supply chain.
Another key skill is collaboration, the industry is so competitive and “everyone for themselves”, But if we are really interested in making a change there is no way we can do it all by ourselves. Even for me as a small brand I’m relying on other people and other innovations and sharing that knowledge to drive change".- Marre the founder of ESSĒN THE LABEL.
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