Prada's fashion show set goes up for sale in a sustainability push

Luxury fashion house, Prada's show set where it hosts fashion shows is now for sale. Following its 2021 Autumn Winter fashion show on Thursday, its certified fireproof fake-fur olive carpet that was used on the show was made available for purchase, according to Vogue. This move comes after the fashion house decided to double down on sustainability commitment. In fact, before the fashion show, Prada Group's marketing and group head of social responsibility, Lorenzo Bertelli said in an email that the luxury house was aware of the ephemeral life cycle of the installations. "We have always questioned ourselves on how we could have improved this process. That’s why we have invested in scouting partners to give a second life to these precious materials," explained Bertelli in the article. 

Working with Spazio META, a start-up company that collects discarded materials from temporary set-ups, Prada sought to find a positive new use for the materials in its show. For the 2021 Autumn Winter show, the Spazio META founders said in a Vogue interview that by avoiding the use of glue and nails when installing and uninstalling the 1.4-tonne trove of fake fur carpet from the show, Prada had ensured its marketability. While Prada aims to ensure a second life for the materials that were used for the architectural context of its’s fashion show, Bertelli concedes that such storytelling inevitably has a financial cost. Additionally, Prada was also one of the first business in the luxury sector to take sustainability-linked ESG loans, whose interest rates were determined by the company meeting sustainability targets. 

Aside from Prada, other luxury brands have announced their commitment for the sustainability movement. For instance in February last year, luxury label Alexander McQueen and luxury reseller Vestiaire Collective came together on an initiative to support sustainability in the fashion retail space. Developed to push the industry toward adopting more eco-friendly practices, the debut of the "Brand Approved" programme married Vestiaire's commitment to circular retail with Alexander McQueen's approach to durability in luxury fashion.

At launch, selected clients of Alexander McQueen were contacted and given the opportunity to sell back their previously-owned garments, which will then be authenticated by the brand with the offer for a buy-back price. If accepted, those clients were given a credit toward the purchase of new clothing from the brand, while their previously owned pieces will be processed by Vestiaire Collective and given an external NFC tag confirming the history and authenticity of the piece. Through a dedicated "Brand Approved" section on the Vestiaire site and app, prospective buyers were also able to find these pieces to purchase, preserving the life of sought-after luxury garments.

At the same time, fast-fashion brands such as Zara's parent company Inditex also joined the sustainability conversation announcing that by 2025, 100% of the cotton, linen and polyester used by all eight of its brands would be organic, sustainable or recycled. At the same time, Inditex added that 80% of the energy used in the group's activities such as stores, logistic centres and offices would be renewable by 2025.

Related articles:
McDonald's pivots to sustainable Happy Meal toys globally
Alexander McQueen and Vestiaire Collective debut sustainable luxury initiative
Vestiaire Collective renews call against fast fashion with new brand film
L'Oreal doubles down on sustainable beauty with Paper Bottle Company tie-up
Zara commits to using 100% sustainable fabric by 2025