Designers aren’t alone when it comes to being held responsible for their claims of eco-design; so are the boutiques that carry them.
In fact, as greenwashing heats up and the public is able to be more informed, all participants of the manufacturing and selling process are being held accountable and nobody wants to look stupid.
Shows like D&A (Designers &Agents) and the NOW Showcase are making that quest for transparency a lot easier. For example, with green leaf icons at D&A serving as code for sustainable designer’s booths and with the NOW Showcase, an established venue offering various shades of green depending on the hue you so desire.
Still, nothing is perfect. In fact, at the last D&A show when approaching a designer toting a green leaf (for my own boutique), I was left to stand and have her waste 15 minutes of my precious time explaining to me why she had acquired her green leaf.
“So are your chains reclaimed?” I asked her.
“No, we give women fresh out of prison jobs to support their new life,” she answered.
“So nothing is recycled or reclaimed?,” I asked again horrified.
“Ahhh, no,” she said, now looking at me in bewilderment.
I had at least three other run-ins with designers marked with the green leaf that were, in my opinion, not even mint green.
While venues keep improving, we buyers keep pushing forward with our rigorous drills on designers, asking lots of questions and hopefully getting the right answers.
While in New York for Market Week, I bumped into Shana Yansen, owner and buyer of Jute and Jackfruit for a buyer’s love fest.
Here’s what she had to say about her adventures as a buyer.