Slowly but surely, ethical fashion is tip-toeing into the mainstream. Where you’d once expect to make a trade-off between style and sustainability (often sacrificing one for the other), labels like Reformation are now winning over legions of fans – and accruing thousands of Instagram followers – by proving that those two considerations needn’t be mutually exclusive.
The latest shoot from the LA-based brand, best known for their vintage-inspired dresses and jumpsuits as seen on everyone from Alexa Chung to Emily Ratajkowski, stars model, influencer and A-list scion Atlanta de Cadenet, daughter of Amanda de Cadenet and Duran Duran’s John Taylor. Shot against a bold tangerine backdrop, the 25-year-old wears a handful of the label’s signature styles, like the Clueless-inspired ‘Cher’ slip dress, along with some new arrivals (including a wicker basket bag and a blouse in the bold polka dot print that’s shaping up to be next season’s gingham substitute…)
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De Cadenet’s mini-campaign, which was shot by Thomas Whiteside, bears the hashtag #sexymath, the latest tongue-in-cheek environmental initiative from a brand which wears its eco-credentials lightly but proudly (they’re famed for the tagline ‘Being naked is the #1 most sustainable option. We’re #2). It’s all about plotting the positive environmental impact of shopping Reformation, with the perceived increase in fashion cache (or, in their not-quite-PC take, ‘hotness’) gained by wearing Reformation. Not exactly a scientific study, but we’ll take it – and it’s hard to argue with the stats. 65 percent of Reformation clothing is made with renewable energy, and they’ve saved 99,792,535 gallons of water and 236,100 lbs of waste in the year to date. As Reformation put it, ‘companies should be accountable for more than just profits. So we want to share our sustainability numbers with you guys, and show how you’re making a big difference when you buy Ref.’
This isn’t the first time that De Cadenet has teamed up with the environmentally conscious LA label. Back in 2015, she fronted their Low Carb collection (as in low carbon, not low carbohydrate), modelling a selection of Reformation’s signature cool-girl dresses while enjoying all manner of actual (edible) carbs, from a pan of pasta to a spread of baked goods. The launch coincided with the arrival of the brand’s RefScale, the chart which clearly spells out the environmental impact of each piece on site, showing how much carbon was emitted and how much water was used in its making. Particularly enlightening is the comparison between those stats and the industry standard, which – spoiler alert – is rarely favourable for the latter. Time for other brands to follow suit? We think so.
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