Would you wear shoes made from up-cycled coffee grounds?
Entrepreneurs Son Chu and Jesse Tran have successfully developed the world’s first carbon-neutral sneakers, each pair made from six recycled plastic bottles and 150 grams of used coffee grounds. Unless, like the majority of the Thred office, you’re disposed to a cuppa each morning to get you going, the...
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Brandy Melville accused of racism and fat shaming
The cult retailer, beloved by Gen Z, faces allegations of discriminatory hiring practices, sexual misconduct, and antisemitism. And you thought ‘one size fits most’ was bad. Last year, as conversations surrounding racism followed George Floyd’s murder, an influx of former and current employees at some of the biggest names...
Airline swaps traditional uniform for tailored suits and sneakers
SkyUp is ditching tight skirts and heels for a modern, comfortable uniform. The design incorporates subtle details that signal tradition. Have you ever boarded a long-haul flight in a full tracksuit, only to be attended to by a perfectly manicured flight crew in tight skirts and high heels? The uniform feels...
Cosmetic animal testing could return to the UK
A policy which banned animal testing for cosmetic products in 1998 could be reversed to verify the safety of popular ingredients in makeup and skincare. Animal testing has been considered a controversial practice since the 1960s. While it is generally accepted in global scientific research for the purpose of developing prescription...
How can you tell when the beauty industry is greenwashing?
As consumers look to invest their money in more environmentally conscious brands, has sustainability become little more than a buzzword? Are brands investing in the sustainability of their products, or are they simply greenwashing us? First, it is important to understand what greenwashing is. Jenny Duranski, owner and founder of Lena...
Fashion faces renewed pressure to become sustainable
Last week’s IPCC report urged clothing brands to act much faster to save the planet and Greta Thunberg’s condemnation in a Vogue interview shows the industry has nowhere left to hide. ‘Our message to every country, government, business, and part of society is simple: the next decade is decisive for...
Vogue US features its first-ever transgender cover star
Chosen to represent ‘Generation America,’ Ariel Nicholson has made history as the first transgender person to grace the revered fashion magazine’s front page. Though fashion still has a very long way to go in terms of achieving genuine inclusion and diversity, the industry does appear to have been making significant headway as of late. Namely, its exploration of a fluid future that could see brands stop operating within the boundaries...
Fashion’s copycat dilemma prevents industry-wide sustainability
Multibillion dollar companies like SHEIN are stealing, recreating, and cheaply mass producing the original ideas of independent designers. Until this stops, fast fashion lives on. In February, I asked where we were in our ongoing fight against fast fashion. Unfortunately, the answer was somewhat bleak. Though the number of people shopping consciously has soared in recent years – with Gen Z at the helm – the destructive industry’s demise appeared nowhere...
Could 3D printing clothes be the future of fashion?
An outlandish concept that successfully tackles growing concerns of sustainability, is being able to download and print out our garments the answer to over-consumption? When you think about constructing a three-dimensional object from a digital file, being able to print an entire outfit might not necessarily be the first thing that springs to mind. This new technology has been making waves across the fashion industry recently, however, provoking serious discussion around...
Should we really be buying vegan leather?
Vegan fashion is on the rise, with the UK’s accessories sector seeing a 56 percent increase in ‘vegan’ items stocked year-on-year. But are these products really a sustainable alternative? Ever found yourself purchasing a ‘green’ clothing item from your local retailer? Veganism across the board has seen a huge surge in popularity in recent years, with Gen Z leading the charge. According to a report from Produce Blue Book, 65% of...
