Fashionable

Our generation’s attitude to fashion has been undoubtedly influenced by social media. People feel the need to invest in every micro-trend and, maybe even more alarmingly, people feel like they can only wear their outfits once. If these are both predicaments that you find yourself falling into, renting could be the perfect solution. If you like to wear something new for every night out, then you really should be renting these pieces. Not only does it allow you to express yourself through fashion but, as previously stated, it is a much more economic and sustainable option to buying something new every time. Similarly, if you want to try a trend-piece that you know won’t be a staple in your wardrobe, you can hire it and style it with the core-items that you already own and return it for someone else to try after.

Another fashion-orientated benefit to renting is that it allows you to experiment without commitment. Is there a certain style that you’ve been wanting to try but don’t want to fully commit to? You can rent pieces and see how wearable you find them, test whether they work with your current wardrobe and make an ultimate decision afterwards. This allows you to really play with fashion in a way that buying items doesn’t. This way you can have some fun with different styles and trends without having to buy into them if you’re unsure. Similarly, if there is a certain item or style that you like but it doesn’t really fit in with the rest of your wardrobe, you can still give it a go without having to work it in with your pre-existing items.

£ 119.32

Hurr Collective Isabel Marant Leather Knee High Boots

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£ 104

By Rotation Perfect Moment Metallic Jacket

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£ 47.86

Hurr Collective Coucou Lanai Co-Ord Set

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£ 87

By Rotation Paco Robanne Silver Bag

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Economical

It will be no surprise to you that we are currently navigating a cost-of-living crisis; with this in mind luxuries, such as fashionable clothing, have become much less accessible for many households. While this context is very important and prevalent right now, the economic benefits of renting clothing pre-dates this current crisis. Take formalwear as an example, if you are attending an event and need an outfit specific to that dress-code, it just makes sense to rent your look rather than invest in an outfit that you won’t have many opportunities to wear. By Rotation, even has specific sub-sections for you to shop from depending on the event you’re attending. Whether it be a wedding-guest look or even a ski trip, By Rotation has you covered. Saving money by renting these less-wearable looks then allows you to re-invest this money into the staple pieces for your wardrobe.

Similarly, is there a designer piece that you have had your eye on but can’t afford to buy it? Would it be the perfect look for your birthday or engagement party? Again, renting could be an economic solution to this problem; you can find pieces from Fanci Club, Reformation and even Jean Paul Gaultier all available to rent for a fraction of the retail price. 

Another economic benefit to renting is that you can rent out your pieces as well and actually earn some of the money back from the item. Think of all of the things that you’ve bought for specific events that you have never worn since, or those summer dresses that spend 8-months at the back of your wardrobe. You could be renting these pieces out instead of allowing them to gather dust in your home. Renting truly is a win-win system.

£ 52

By Rotation Indian Yellow Dress

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£ 625

Farfetch Marchesa Notte Strapless Appliqué Gown

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£ 361

Farfetch Euro Sciapra Delhy Paisley Silk Scarf

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Environmental

The fashion industry is one of the main contributors to the climate crisis, in 2020 World Economic Forum reported that the “fashion industry produces 10% of all humanity’s carbon emissions and is the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply.”

Similarly, The True Cost has shared that:

“The world now consumes about 80 billion new pieces of clothing every year. This is 400% more than the amount we consumed just two decades ago. As new clothing comes into our lives, we also discard it at a shocking pace. The average American now generates 82 pounds of textile waste each year. That adds up to more than 11 million tons of textile waste from the U.S. alone.” 

It goes without saying, then, that something has to change within the industry. One of the most beneficial things that we can do to limit the environmental impacts of the fashion industry is to consume less. Investing in long-lasting staple pieces for your wardrobe and renting the rest when you need it, is the perfect way to cut-down your consumption as well as giving a new lease of life to items that may not be worn to their full capacity otherwise. 

It’s Vintage Darling!

Finally, renting also offers access to some great vintage pieces. This means that you can track down and borrow some fantastic looks that you simply cannot buy anymore. In the same way we see celebrities and their stylists dipping into the archives, renting means that you can too.

_{Words by Amelia Gregory}

^{Header Image by Hurr}

The post Why You Should Be Renting Your Wardrobe appeared first on Voir Fashion.

Caroline Rush, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council explained during her statement: “The British Fashion Council is committed to strengthening British fashion in the global economy…British fashion talents are known for their creativity, innovation and responsible business and London produces some of the most exciting designers in the world.”

Participating in the showrooms in Milan are the following designers: 

Priya Ahluwalia

Priya Ahluwalia’s namesake brand, Ahluwalia, exploring the possibilities of sustainable manufacturing by sparking new life into deadstock and vintage materials. 

Ancuta Sarca

Womenswear brand, Ancuta Sarca, is known for her footwear collection designed through up-cycling trainers into kitten heels. 

Completedworks

Completedworks use recycled materials to create sculptural jewellery in unexpected and refreshing shapes. 

Duran Lantink

Duran Lantink possesses a zero-waste philosophy, choosing to reuse pre-loved garments and deadstock fabrics to primarily create an ethical clothing brand. 

Edward Crutchley

Edward Crutchley is grounded in his knowledge of menswear, with pieces remaining loyal to the fabric used for their construction. 

Helen Kirkum

Helen Kirkum creates handmade, bespoke sneakers from discarded and recycled shoes. 

Jordan Luca

Jordan Luca merges the craftsmanship of Italian heritage with the intensity of London, adopting a cathartic approach to producing menswear. 

Maxmilian Davis

Maximilian Davis, the Trinidadian-British designer celebrates the beauty of black elegance, creating sculpted and sultry pieces. 

Palmer//Harding

Palmer//Harding supports sustainable practices whilst adopting social responsibilities; their garments are romantic classics updated with interesting silhouettes and extravagant detailing. 

Saul Nash

Menswear brand, Saul Nash, is bridging the gap between luxury and activewear to create pieces enhanced for movement. 

SweetLimeJuice

SWEETLIMEJUICE handcrafts jewellery pieces across London through experimental craftsmanship and contemporary inspirations. 

These young British brands will have the opportunity to introduce their creations to a new audience in Milan, whilst increasing support back at home simultaneously due to the collaboration between London Show Rooms and White Milano. 

Words by Caitlin Sahin

_{Photo Credits: @ahluwalia}

The post British Designers Soar To Milan with London Show Room Collab appeared first on Voir Fashion.

Its no doubt that our attitudes and mindset towards sustainable beauty is adapting as we become more aware of the impacts that plastic has on the environment. We’ve all read the statistics that over 800 tonnes of plastic is dumped into the ocean each year. With this statistic, beauty companies are calling to action that affect that the beauty industry can have on the environment. While some brands are adapting their packaging using eco-friendly ingredients, some a using a refill system. Is this the feature of sustainable beauty? 

Fiils core mission is to minimise the amount of single-use beauty waste that is contributing to a 120-billion-unit system. Recognising that the majority of millennials now are actively searching for brands and products that are both economically friendly for the environment and for themselves, Fiils is a pioneering and new-age beauty brand that is redefining beauty and the way we treat the industry. Once you purchase a Fiils bottle, they are reused with the Fills refill pouches that se 80% less packaging. The customisable bottle colours come in Rose Gold, Copper and Silver, aesthetically pleasing for your #shelfie, while its contents are made from over 75% pure plant extract. 

This is how the founder of Fiils, Anna Priadka, redefined sustainable beauty and created a product that commits to a eco-friendly feature without sacrificing your beauty needs. 

What were you doing before Fiils?

I’ve been in the beauty industry for over 15 years, predominantly in makeup, working for the largest D2C brands in various sales and global roles.

What inspired the idea behind Fiils?

From 2010 onwards, I began to witness a change in the beauty industry. All of a sudden, indie brands erupted from nowhere on a scale that I’d never seen before. It was fuelled by the growth of social platforms like Instagram and YouTube which democratised the industry in a big way.

The main beauty players that I’d grown up with, and worked with, were starting to lose relevance in the sea of emerging brands and influencers. Whilst this was really exciting for a few years; bigger brands started competing to regain relevance. They launched more products to satisfy the demand, and coupled with the emerging indie brands, the industry reached a level of saturation which I’d never seen before.

I grew tired of endlessly pushing products for the brands that I worked for and became hyper aware of the detrimental impact that all of this “stuff” was having on the environment – especially the unnecessary packaging waste and nasty ingredients. When I did some more research, I discovered just how much waste the industry produces compared to what is actually recycled. I was shocked! From that moment onwards, I knew we had to change things and start consuming our beauty products with a more considered approach.

What makes Fiils different to other beauty brands?

At Fiils, everything we do goes in full-circle with a “planet-first” mindset. We also believe that you shouldn’t have to compromise when it comes to sustainability. That means we make it easy for our customers to make small changes that have a positive impact on our environment. We offer familiar beauty and personal care essentials with a convenient refill and reuse solution. We have found that other beauty brands just offer one or the other: buy single use plastic or switch to zero waste completely- or if they do offer reuse/refill, it’s usually a complicated process. With Fiils, you get the non-toxic, cruelty-free and vegan-friendly formulas you know and love wrapped up in our super Instagrammable, low-waste packaging that we recycle for you. We never launch products just because they are on trend; our mission is to provide products that serve an essential need to keep customers looking and feeling great, whilst knowing they’ve done their bit for the environment, too.

Can you tell us a bit about your formulas?

Aside from offering completely natural formulas, we’ve upped our game and included a mix of organic, vegan ingredients made with over 75% pure plant extracts. As a result, we’ve also been able to reduce a lot of the water content that is often the main ingredient in other formulas. We don’t use any parabens or sulphates as these can have eco-toxicity of over 80% and are the biggest causes of carbon emissions in shampoo manufacturing. We started with the familiar bathroom essentials including shampoo, conditioner, body wash and hand wash. This year, we are set to extend our range with more fresh scents like coconut, pomelo and lemongrass and new products, as well as multi-use beauty essentials across bodycare and skincare.

£ 30

3 Refill Kit

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£ 40

Build Your Own Kit

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£ 40

The Full Lineup

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What can the beauty industry do to be more sustinable?

The beauty industry still has a long way to go but there is definitely hope for it to do better. In terms of disposing of used products, brands must offer easy ways for their customers to recycle their packaging. Similarly, they need to educate customers on how to recycle their beauty packaging in a more direct and engaging way. As a brand, they need to reuse packaging components where possible and minimise the amount of wasteful packaging used. At Fiils, we also believe that it is important for both the consumer, and our planet, to use non-toxic ingredients in order to ensure that our environment remains safe and free from pollution. We would advise other brands to follow suit in terms of implementing a carbon offsetting program, like we have, in order to reduce their impact on the environment.

£ 6

Bodywash

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£ 10.80

Bodywash

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£ 6

Conditioner

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Why is refill beauty better for the environment compared to a standard beauty model?

Refillable beauty is a great way for customers to make easy sustainable changes to their everyday routine. We are already seeing the early signs of how it will become a huge part of the D2C beauty scene in the next few years. Refillable models offer less packaging waste and keep packaging materials in circulation for longer which means that they stay out of landfill and our precious ecosystems. The Fiils refillable model reduces our customers’ carbon footprint by over 30% per year (compared to a standard single-use beauty model). We use flexible lightweight materials for our primary refills and we’ve been able to reduce single-use plastic by over 80%! We’re proud to say we’re carbon neutral too.

How have your customers responded to the idea of making their beauty routine more sustainable so far?

We’ve had an incredible response from our customers so far! When I initially had the idea for Fiils, I wanted to see if this was a model that customers would buy into, so I launched an MVP. In just six months, we had acquired our first 2,000 customers and hit close to £70k in revenue. This proved that the market was ready for change in how it consumed beauty. Our customers are very vocal in their feedback and constantly tell us what theywould like us to do better. I think this is because we have fostered a community of transparency from day one. We made every element of our supply chain visible to them, so they knew exactly how we were delivering on our sustainable promises. Our customers love that our model is easy to use, and are proud to show off our sleek aluminium bottles in their bathroom, like a badge of honour, to demonstrate how they are reducing their environmental impact, and looking good while they do it, too!

What do you think the future of the beauty industry looks like? Are refills the future?

I think we will start to see an explosion of niche and established players trying to solve the packaging waste issue in the beauty industry. I think refillable beauty will be one arm of it, both online and offline, with brands offering different options to suit their customers’ lifestyles. I also think we will see a lot of product formulas reinvented, to allow for minimal packaging use, in either powdered formulas or waterless products.

The packaging industry will also make huge advancements, so we may not even need to purchase refills, but instead have an effective primary componentry that can be reused safely or that composts naturally. Multi-use products will become more necessary. I think any beauty brand launch will need to have a genuine approach to reducing their environmental impact and by offering transparency, for each element of their supply chain, to their customers.

At Fiils, we’re committed to staying on top of the latest sustainable beauty developments, as they happen, to ensure that we keep moving in the right direction.

Introduction by Clare Stephenson

The post The Refillable Beauty Brand Thats On A Mission to Build a Sustainable Future appeared first on Voir Fashion.