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Sustainability at the Met & Upcycling of Luxury Goods
Induja from Trace
May 09, 2024
Happy Thursday!
We’re excited to kick off our newsletter this week with a discussion on what’s going on in the industry. This week we’ll dive more into conversations around sustainability at the Met Gala, and whether some of these initiatives are going far enough. For this week’s analysis we’ll examine the issue of trademark infringement of luxury brands with upcycled products.
Keep reading for the brand highlight of the week: The Poorwill Way!
Headlines
Sustainability starts to take more spotlight at major events, such as the Met Gala this past week! The Met Gala selects extravagant themes every year, from which celebrities draw inspiration for unique looks. This year’s dress code took inspiration from the 1962 short story “The Garden of Time”.
This year many celebrities opted to incorporate some sustainable fashion with their looks. While some red carpet hosts proudly shared their pre-owned vintage accessories, other stars shared their look was crafted with recycled materials. Charlie XCX for example, opted for a dress crafted entirely out of vintage t-shirts.
Some designers and celebrities collaborated to create unique looks crafted with sustainable materials ranging from “gently grown” diamonds, grown in the world’s first carbon-neutral certified foundry to 100% organic and ethically sourced cotton. Not to mention, to fit in with the theme some celebrities, such as Zendaya opted for pre-loved archival looks.
On the flip side, there were also many missed opportunities for more sustainable looks across a broader range of celebrities considering the thematic focus of many outfits around decay in nature. Despite the great number of vintage looks, there were also many new outfits donned, made with unsustainable materials such as sequins.
While sustainability is now a growing hot button topic in fashion, there is still a long way to go, considering how many resources are used to make red carpet outfits that may never be worn again. We’re eager to see how sustainability evolves in the world of red carpet fashion!
Check out some of the sustainable looks from this year’s Met:
Charlie XCX’s dress was made entirely out of vintage tshirts
Demi Moore’s dress was made entirely out of recycled material
Amanda Seyfried’s dress constructed of leftover deadstock fabric
Analysis of the Week
This week we want to visit a recent legal battle between a luxury fashion house, Chanel and sustainable luxury upcyling business J. Logan Home. There have been many similar cases between luxury brands and creators of upcycled products.
Categorization | Case Detail |
|---|---|
Issue | Chanel sent a cease-and-desist letter to J.Logan Home in February for using Chanel scarves to create new products such as shirts over the case of trademark infringement. |
Chanel’s Case | Using Chanel branded items to sell an unauthorized product is infringing upon Chanel’s trademark and diluting the brand, which causes confusion for consumers. Chanel has the right to monitor and protect it’s intellectual property as a luxury brand. |
J. Logan Home’s Case | J.Logan Home is giving new life to pre-owned luxury goods. Resale of these goods is not banned and repurposing these goods does not misrepresent Chanel’s brand to consumers. |
Result | J.Logan Home was ordered to stop using the term Chanel in marketing the product itself. |
What does this case say about the larger upcycling industry?
This case is not unique to Chanel and J.Logan Home. Chanel has pursued other businesses for using Chanel branded buttons in jewelry. Other brands such as Louis Vuitton, Nike and Ralph Lauren have filed cases around upycling and customizing of luxury products.
From a legal perspective, resale platforms are allowed to resell branded items, however luxury brands will typically pursue legal action if there are significant modifications that are perceived to dilute the quality of the brand and product.
Ultimately, many of these cases tend to lean in favor of the luxury brand and as a result can stifle some of the creativity that goes into upcycling for fear of legal repercussions. More discussions and opportunities for collaboration are needed between legal teams of these brands and upcyclers to open the path for fashion innovation!
Read more here
Brand Spotlight
Learn about one of the sustainable brands on Trace’s marketplace!
Check out today’s featured brand: The Poorwill Way
Jess Murray started Poorwill based on a belief that businesses can and should be a force for positive change in the world. She strives to set an example by creating social, environmental and economic value.
Poorwill values transparency and crafting quality goods that last. Poorwill offers a variety of handmade goods such as hats, bracelets, wallets, and bags. In addition to using high quality materials, Poorwill also offers customers a trade-in program with gently used Poorwill products, so consumers can update their style while previously loved goods can be refurbished or reused to limit the waste generated from these products.
All goods are slow-made and crafted by the brand creator, Jess, using high quality materials.
Innovation in Fashion
Queenly, is a peer-to-peer e-commerce site and mobile app focused on matching women with the right formal wear for their prom, wedding, or other formal events.
Printful, is an online marketplace that allows customers to create and sell custom products.
Rebag, is a second-hand luxury goods resale site. Its product categories include handbags, watches, jewelry and more. In 2022, they launched Rebag Auction, allowing customers to know exactly when new arrivals will drop on the site.
By Rotation, is a clothing rental, lending, and purchasing app. Lenders can list their item on the app and get paid after their item is successfully rented.
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