So, why is Hearst exiting Chloé now? While there have been some suggestions that sales were a factor, revenues at the French fashion house have actually risen 60% in the past two years, in part thanks to the popularity of the designer’s low-impact Nama sneakers (seen on the likes of Katie Holmes) and Woody tote bag.
Still, there will be some who wonder whether sustainability is anathema to the extremely ambitious financial targets set by companies nowadays. Given that circular business models such as resale and rental are not currently profitable, the only way for fashion houses to grow is to continue shifting more and more products. Maybe it’s no surprise, then, that there are so few eco-minded designers at the forefront of major luxury houses.
Indeed, for many younger designers who care about the industry’s vast footprint, helming a major brand is not necessarily an ambition anymore. Instead, having their own small-scale brand that they can control is arguably more desirable than getting on fashion’s hugely pressurized hamster wheel, which involves producing up to eight collections a year.
Even for brands that are doing work to reduce their environmental impact behind the scenes (such as Gucci-owner Kering), it’s rare to hear their creative directors talk about sustainability, making it hard to connect the dots between company-wide initiatives and the products that actually hit the runway and stores. If the brand’s primary spokesperson is not speaking out on the subject, it’s difficult to create momentum for change across the industry.
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