Is Esprit Fast Fashion
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Fast fashion is a concept in which repeating outfits is seen as an offense. Moving along with the trends is how everything is supposed to go. This plays a major role in the toxic system of overproduction and consumption making the fashion industry one of the world’s largest polluters. Before the 1800s, fashion was slow; however, the Industrial Revolution brought about new machines. This made the industries prosper and introduced new ways of production that were now quicker and easier. In the late 1900s and 2000s low-cost fashion reached its peak. Fast fashion retailers such as Zara, Topshop, etc. took over. Producing trendy clothing and designs quickly and cheaply, it is clear how the phenomenon caught on.
In this article, we will be discussing the brand Esprit and determining whether it's fast fashion or not. This will consist of following the brand’s business model and seeking out its sustainable and ethical practices.
Esprit is a brand that was founded in 1968 by Doug and Susie Tompkins in California. The brand has a clear philosophy which is, ‘We want to make you feel good to look good.’ It delivers joy through carefully selected fashion pieces while staying true to its core values such as simplicity, equality, and freedom of choice.
Esprit has a presence in over 40 countries around the globe. Its headquarters are located in Germany and Hong Kong, where it has been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 1993. Esprit made rapid and significant growth financially outside the markets in the United States in the late 1900s and 2000s. This brand’s products include modern and essential clothing, casual sportswear, swimwear, and underwear for men, women, and children. Additionally, Esprit also produces accessories such as bags, shoes, and jewelry.
A minimalistic yet trendy approach to fashion was the reason for Esprit’s rise in the industry. Every piece has its own inspiring, colorful, and upbeat design. This unique characteristic makes people recognize it almost immediately. Along with clothes and accessories, Esprit Home offers a variety of furniture, wallpapers, lighting, carpets, etc.
Sustainability Rating: 5/10
Category: Clothing, Accessories
For: Women, Men, Kids
Products: Tops, Sweaters, Jackets, Shoes
Style: Casual, Contemporary
Quality: Low
Prices: -
Size: -
Fabrics: Polyester, Organic Cotton, Spandex, Viscose, Elastane, Linen, Leather, Nylon
100% Organic: No
100% Vegan: No
Ethical and Fair: No
Recycling: No
Manufacturing Countries: Not Transparent Enough
Certifications: Not Transparent Enough
Esprit is unfortunately categorized as a fast fashion brand because it is updated regularly with new collections that follow the latest fashion trends. The purpose of fast fashion is to instantly gratify the customers and go through trends in the cheapest way possible. The clothes are produced using low-quality materials and they are then sold at affordable prices to make as much profit as possible.
However, in 2018, Esprit rebranded itself and incorporated sustainability into its core. While previously, the brand had not cared much about being eco-friendly, the co-owner, Dough Tompkins had always been fond of nature and the couple probably decided that enough damage had been caused by their brand as well. They have since changed Esprit from being a fast fashion brand to adopting a circular business model.
It has established circularity as the guiding principle of the brand and is continuing to take steps every year to improve its sustainability efforts. It has been trying to educate its staff about the importance of being environmentally friendly. This way Esprit is rewriting its story in a new and better way.
Esprit is attempting to break free of the concept of using and discarding items in the name of trends which is something that has been adopted by almost the entire fashion industry. It is not just changing one aspect of the brand but making a change from the start of the supply chain to the final stage. The brand mentions how it manages natural resources, human resources, and the processes of using and recycling.
First and foremost, the brand has incorporated the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in its sustainable strategy. It is recognized globally for its framework that strives to promote peace and freedom. It includes three elements upon which the framework is built; social inclusion, economic growth, and environmental protection.
The brand has designated a board of directors to handle everything sustainability related to the company. In 2019 and 2020, Esprit produced more than 65 million pieces of clothing among which almost half were made of sustainable materials. The brand is very careful about choosing materials that do not cause any harm to the environment. It even has a policy on raw materials that determines what sort of natural resources it uses.
One of the most used materials of Esprit is cotton which is used in almost 57% of the products. Cotton is a very versatile and comfortable material due to which almost all fashion brands love to use it. However, it is important to use organic cotton which is grown without using pesticides and fertilizers. Only 1% of the world’s cotton is grown organically but Esprit makes sure to use organic cotton which is certified by the Organic Content Standard and Global Organic Textile Standard. The brand has also been striving to incorporate recycled cotton in its products.
Esprit has partnered with the Recycled Claim Standard to make sure that recycled materials are being used in products and not being wasted. In 1990, the brand launched the Ecollection which is one of the world’s first collections made of sustainable materials only. At present, 60% of Esprit’s products are made of sustainable materials.
The GoodOnYou directory rates Esprit as “It’s a Start” because it incorporates organic cotton in a lot of its products but the rest of the claims of using eco-friendly materials have not been proven. Moreover, the brand does not talk much about its greenhouse gas emissions or water usage which is quite significant in determining a brand’s sustainability rating.
Its labor rating is Not Good Enough as only a part of its supply chain is certified by BSCI and information about the rest is not provided. However, ever since the brand committed itself to sustainability, it has been working harder to be more transparent which is why the Fashion Transparency Index has given it a rating of 51-60%. The brand is also approved by PETA to be vegan as it is completely fur-free. It uses leather and exotic animal hair in some of the items but overall, it does not use many animal products.
Esprit has been constantly improving since it committed itself to sustainability in 2018. Despite the efforts, Esprit still has a long way to go and is adopting more sustainable initiatives. However, at the moment Esprit is one of the brands actually making an effort to save the planet.
More Sustainable Materials | ESPRIT
Esprit - Sustainability Rating - Good On You
The Brands: Esprit’s focus on more sustainable materials (the-spin-off.com)
Esprit Brand History :: Brand History of Esprit (fibre2fashion.com)