THE APPLIANCE OF SCIENCE

In more than 15 years of reporting on the luxury fashion industry, I have not heard a more vociferous call to arms than the one being made now about sustainability. It wasn’t that long ago that ‘sustainability’ was a word that excitable investors wanted to hear about company profits and operating margins, but, as we know, the word has come to take on much more significant meaning. It is a case of do or die for the C.E.O.s of fashion houses and the founders of new brands — get your business model in line with the ethical zeitgeist or get out of the way. If you think today’s consumers of fashion are passionate about ethical corporate behaviour, the next generation is likely to be evangelical as they become increasingly knowledgeable about the industry and its malpractices. At this point in time, it is still easy for brands to say they are sustainable and have much of their client base believe them.

As someone