John Lewis encourages ‘second-hand’ culture

By William Girling
Highstreet department store brand John Lewis & Partners has decided to introduce a new clothing label to encourage more sustainable fashion. Dubbed...

Highstreet department store brand John Lewis & Partners has decided to introduce a new clothing label to encourage more sustainable fashion. 

Dubbed the ‘Wear it, Love it, Hand it down’ range, the collection will include 700 assorted garments across its babywear and childrenswear clothing. The company will also be introducing organic cotton labelling to make writing a child’s name on the item easier. 

According to Clothes Aid, the UK sends approximately 350,000 tonnes of clothing to landfill each year (worth £140mn); John Lewis claims that children’s clothing makes up a disproportionate amount of this total, as items are often only worn for a few months. 

This is primarily because children swiftly outgrow items, meaning there is a network of potentially millions of clothes that could be reused or recycled. 

SEE ALSO:

WRAP (waste and resources action programme), comprising of recycling experts and circular economy proponents, believe that if the average lifespan of clothes was increased by three months, consumers would reduce CO2, water usage and waste by five to 10%.

Making sustainability fashionable

Already sourcing over 75% of its range from sustainable cotton, John Lewis is a great example of how a legacy brand (it was founded in 1864) can successfully keep up with emerging market trends and innovate a new approach.

“We’re really proud of the quality of our clothes and want them to have a really long life and be handed down again and again,” commented Caroline Bettis, Partner at John Lewis. 

“Our in-house design team create timeless designs so they don’t go out of fashion. We make them up in carefully selected good quality fabrics, and put our clothing through rigorous testing to ensure the colours stay bright, and they endure well under wear and tear.”

“I hope these new labels will help to grow the culture of handing down clothes which can be worn again by other children,” she said.

Share
Share

Featured Articles

Sustainability LIVE: Upcoming Events in 2024/2025

That’s a wrap on Sustainability LIVE Singapore, but that’s not all we have in store, see below essential dates for upcoming Sustainability LIVE events

Sustainability LIVE: Upcoming Events in 2024

Don’t miss out on your chance to attend Sustainability Magazine’s LIVE events this year, discover our upcoming events below…

Glen White, BizClik CEO and the Future of Sustainability

Glen White, Founder and CEO of BizClik reflects on the future of sustainability and ESG at Sustainability LIVE: Net Zero

WE’RE LIVE! Sustainability LIVE: Net Zero - Day 1

Net Zero

One Day to Go! Until Sustainability LIVE: Net Zero

Net Zero

Why ESG Executives must Attend Sustainability LIVE Net Zero

Net Zero