French lingerie brand Simone Pérèle is honing in on sustainability ventures, citing consumer demand for the push.
This includes using eco-friendly raw materials in 50% of its range by 2025 and continuing its partnership with Thread Together.
Speaking with Ragtrader, Simone Pérèle Australia CEO Damian Burke said that customers are expecting brands to have sustainable components to each new range.
“It's the minimum expectation these days,” Burke said. “So you'll find that those brands that are really resonating with the customers and have an engaged consumer base are brands that do have a sustainability attribute for their clothing.”
Since joining Thread Together 18 months ago, Simone Pérèle has donated over 3,000 items of clothing, which has provided support to those in need, while also extending the clothing lifecycle.
The collaboration with Thread Together forms part of Simone’s overall sustainability goals. According to Burke, this includes a waste management and recycling program, where all the company’s swing tickets and bags must be recycled.
“So there's that component,” Burke said. “But what's really more exciting, is we're now moving into more and more chemical free raw materials, and working with those producers to expand the range.
“European lace makers have been doing their craftsmanship for hundreds of years. So it's a journey that we're taking them on.
“And our aim is that in the very near future, hopefully by 2025, that 50% of our range will be from eco-friendly raw materials.
“We have, in this spring/summer season, five of our lingerie collections using sustainable fabrications. 70% of our swimwear globally is manufactured from plastics that are retrieved from the ocean - and only the ocean.
“We are moving towards and pivoting towards a greener footprint.”
In addition to donating excess product to Thread Together, Burke said his team has also donated time. On more than one occasion, Burke himself has volunteered at the Thread Together factory and helped them “with whatever’s needed.”
“Most of the time that I've been out there in the factory, we've been picking and packing for wardrobes (as they call it) for those that need it,” Burke said. “Be it Lismore flood victims...
“There was one time we were out there, we were helping through the new arrivals - female arrivals from Afghanistan - after the Taliban retook that country.”
More recently, Burke said that he has also donated ~20-24 shop fixtures from one of Simone’s older stores which they closed.
“They were then able to reuse those in a semi pop up store in Prahran,” Burke said. “We are working together on doing something similar again in February.”