Following the release of its latest ‘slow and sustainable’ collection Amalie, Showpo has announced its commitment to more sustainable practices.
Showpo CEO and founder Jane Lu told Ragtrader the launch of the sustainable Amalie collection is just the beginning of a business-wide journey.
“For us, ‘sustainability’ is a big-picture term we are using more and more in relation to our corporate social responsibility strategy, particularly regarding our environmental impact," she said.
“Amalie was the first step of our sustainable journey – along with more sustainable packaging, such as moving to recycled plastics and cardboard for our swing tags and polymailers.
“This is an ongoing project.”
The move to sustainability came amid noticeable trends within Showpo’s target market, which mostly consists of Millennials and Generation Z.
“We can see our customers using their purchasing decisions to impact change, which is why we are offering a more sustainable and lower impact option to our customers,” Lu continued. “This is why we also recently launched our new Conscious Edit.”
“Featuring the Amalie by Showpo range, other Showpo designs, and styles sourced from our brand partners, it brings together all of our products – including clothes, accessories, swimwear and more – made from recycled and/or natural fibres, such as recycled cotton, recycled nylon, linen and tencel.
“We can also see that transparency is really important for our customers, so it’s imperative for us to provide our customers with the facts and resources they need to make informed choices when shopping with us.”
Despite ongoing calls for more and more companies to go sustainable, Lu acknowledged that it isn’t easy, especially when sourcing new materials.
“It’s definitely much more difficult to source more sustainable fabrics and factories, particularly as we have relatively smaller volumes compared to other brands already operating in this space.”
“We’re very lucky to have found partners who also believe that we need to invest in this space, and are happy to work with our volumes and collaboratively grow our offering in more sustainable, lower impact fabrics and processes.
“With this work underway, our ambitious aim is to increase the overall percentage of products made with preferred and natural fibres in our range to 50% by 2025.
As well as sourcing sustainable materials, Showpo is also focusing on reducing internal garment wastage – the garments they make but can’t sell. These include fit samples, some customer returns, and damaged items.
“To avoid sending these items to landfill, Showpo has historically held two sample sales a year that are open to the public, with all profits donated to one of our charity partners, The Hunger Project," Lu said.
“In 2020 and 2021, when we couldn’t hold these sales due to covid, we worked with Red Cross and Thread Together to donate sample sale garments instead.
“Additionally, we are researching partnerships with companies who can downcycle our garments that are deemed ‘unwearable’ and cannot be donated or resold.”
As well as overcoming these challenges, the new incoming threat is the rising cost of living, which puts pressure on every step of the supply chain. But Lu said she is committed to the cause.
“Our Amalie pieces are premium in their design and quality. Our customers can see it in the details, the fabrication and the volume, and are willing to pay a slightly higher price for these pieces as an investment in their wardrobe and an investment in the future.”
“We’re immensely proud of the Amalie by Showpo range, which after all launched our sustainability journey. Amalie isn’t going anywhere, with more seasons to come later this year and beyond.
“In addition to developing Amalie by Showpo, we have also made great strides forward with our lower-impact swimwear. We have a wide range of styles made from recycled nylon available, with more to come.
“As for other plans – we have exciting projects in the works that we’d love to share soon, so watch this space!”