How Rick Owens, Vivienne Westwood, 1017 ALYX 9SM, Givenchy and more are leading eco-driven innovations across apparel and sneakers.

1017 ALYX 9SM
Matthew Williams’ <a href="https://www.goat.com/apparel/brand/1017-alyx-9sm">1017 ALYX 9SM</a> has always had an industrial, technical edge. So strong is the brand’s point of view that you likely wouldn’t first associate it with eco-consciousness—more with refined <a href="https://www.goat.com/editorial/techno-rave-fashion-runway-style">rave aesthetics</a> or futuristic streetwear-infused luxury. Nonetheless, ALYX places an emphasis on circular production, adding a layer of integrity and furthering its progressive point of view. Most notably, the brand has embraced innovations like waterless dyeing and recycled jersey. Nylon from old Scandinavian fishing lines also makes its way into collections, while built-in blockchain technology traces each piece’s development from raw material to garment.&nbsp;
In 2018, Williams and Nike teamed up on MMW. The collaboration saw the designer’s futuristic design ethos adapted to sneaker and sportswear, including a range of body-hugging yoga staples partly fashioned from recycled plastic bottles. Over at the main line, ALYX’s Fall 2023 was another showcase of outlier design methods, including items that were subject to burning for a naturally weathered effect.

Givenchy
Matthew Williams’ sustainable agenda extends to <a href="https://www.goat.com/apparel/brand/givenchy">Givenchy</a>, introducing planet-friendly practices to the brand’s Pre-Fall 2022 collection. As the current creative director of the French fashion house, the American designer reverted to a pared-back approach for the season, going small on details and big on eco-friendly techniques. The sneakers were dyed using CO2 gas to push pigment into leather, reducing the amount of water used. Williams also utilized recycled nylon, a material that also features regularly in 1017 ALYX 9SM’s collections.
Along with LVMH stablemates Louis Vuitton, Berluti and Dior, Givenchy is a partner of the Nona Source project that allows professionals from the fashion and design industry to purchase deadstock fabrics and leathers deemed surplus by the luxury maisons.

Vivienne Westwood
<a href="https://www.goat.com/apparel/brand/vivienne-westwood">Vivienne Westwood</a> is the original punk. From her and then-partner Malcom McLaren’s early days outfitting their fellow dissidents in reimagined, zipper-strewn zoot suits and creepers to their iconic shop SEX,—she’s always placed values and community first. This includes sustainability. The brand is incredibly holistic, with sensitivities to animal welfare, toxic chemical reduction in fabric dying, use of eco-conscious materials, ongoing fabric innovation and elimination of single-use plastic in transit packaging.&nbsp;
Westwood’s commitment to sustainability was recently demonstrated throughout her Spring/Summer 2022 show, where 98% of the materials were low-impact and cruelty-free—even omitting virgin synthetic fabrics for the first time. Westwood’s ongoing examination and ownership of every step of the supply chain, even down to tracing the origins of individual feathers, is the new radical.
Westwood passed away on December 29, 2022. She is not only remembered as a renegade that helped shape British counterculture, but a pioneer in the field of progressive fashion whose legacy continues to affect change for good. As she one famously noted, “Buy less, choose well, make it last.”

Rick Owens
<a href="https://www.goat.com/apparel/brand/rick-owens">Rick Owens</a> eschews all notions of consumption and social aspiration. There’s a reason why his devotees call themselves a tribe—people who wear Rick Owens aren’t interested in conformity. Given that uncompromising, subcultural ethos, it comes as no surprise that Owens is also progressively, sustainably conscious.&nbsp;
A beautiful illustration of Owens’ ongoing exploration of sustainable processes is his <a href="https://www.goat.com/sneakers/rick-owens-veja-white-vm19f4813-kve-21">Rick Owens x Veja</a> sneakers, which launched in Fall 2019. These minimal, sculptural track shoes are 45% bio-based (materials include banana oil, sugarcane, natural rubber and rice husk). After five collections, the collaboration drew to a close in 2021, ending on a high note with new Performance Runner and Hiking silhouettes.&nbsp;
That same year, the iconic designer teamed up with Venetian designer Swampgod, creating a capsule consisting entirely of upcycled pieces. The two brands share the same deconstructed aesthetic, making a collaboration like this a perfect fit.
Owens continues to invite select brands labels into his creative universe, including Champion, which refashioned a capsule of heritage staples with locally sourced materials and packed them in biodegradable and recyclable packaging. Across the board, Owens and his eponymous brand are upfront with their commitment to sustainability. As the brand's website reads, “As a company we will continue to work towards further sustainable practices each season. We still have a ways to go but we can all aim higher and start somewhere.”

adidas
adidas demonstrates its commitment to reducing its impact on the planet with its End Plastic Waste initiative and through capsule collections with brands that share its sustainable values. In collaboration with Stella McCartney, for example, the two brands created a sportswear range made from post-industrial and post-consumer waste. Products included apparel as well as updated versions of signature sneakers, such as the UltraBoost and Barricade.
Since 2015, adidas has partnered with Parley for the Oceans, incorporating materials like Primeblue, a high-performance recycled material, into the brand’s <a href="https://www.goat.com/sneakers/brand/adidas">footwear</a> and <a href="https://www.goat.com/apparel/brand/adidas">apparel</a>. In 2020, the Three Stripes joined forces with All Birds for a collaboration that aspired to make the most sustainable sneakers on the planet. The creative partnership yielded the &nbsp;Futurecraft.Footprint silhouette, an all-white, technical performance shoe with a carbon footprint of 2.94kg.&nbsp;
For 2022, adidas blended together its signature Three-Stripes motif with Prada’s pragmatic minimalism. The resulting Forum collection featured regenerated nylon dubbed “re-nylon,” highlighting the duo’s dedication to sustainable innovation. Today, adidas’ environmental commitment continues to permeate all facets of the company, from 100% recycled-material soccer shirts to basketball sweats that support more sustainable cotton farming.&nbsp;

Gucci
In late 2020, <a href="https://www.goat.com/collections/the-north-face-gucci-apparel">Gucci and The North Face</a> teamed up on a range of camping-inspired apparel, tents and backpacks. Much of the product was constructed of sustainable ECONYL nylon, a material the two worked into their second collection a year later. Remaining true to their Great Outdoors theme, Gucci and The North Face unveiled Responsible Down Standard-certified puffer jackets, as well as nylon bags made from fishing nets, demonstrating the possibilities of eco-friendly luxury apparel.
In 2021, <a href="https://www.goat.com/apparel/brand/gucci">Gucci</a> Creative Director Alessandro Michele unveiled Vault, an online concept store, featuring a range of reconditioned vintage Gucci pieces and items from emerging designers, including Jordanluca, Bianca Saunders and Ahluwalia. The initiative further demonstrated Gucci’s commitment to both sustainability and innovation. Despite Michele stepping down from his role of creative director in 2022, Gucci continues to champion sustainability as a key focus. In 2023, the house announced the Circular Hub facility in its Tuscany home. The initiative bids to change the concept of Italy’s circularity by exploring research and development, logistics methods and collaborative industrial partnerships.

Chloé
Achieving B Corp certification is no small feat. In order to do so a brand has to answer 300 questions about their social and environmental impact. Their answers are scored on a points system and they need to get at least 80 to be B Corp certified—making it headline-worthy news when Chloé became the first luxury fashion house to do so. In one way it serves as inspiration for fellow designers; if one brand can do it then it opens the doors for others to follow suit.&nbsp;
The introduction of Chloé Craft meant that independent artisans had a hand in creating the Spring 2022 collection, with many pieces crafted without the use of machinery. In collaboration with Ocean Sole, the maison also established the Lou shoe line, constructing new footwear made with recycled material sourced from flip flops discarded on Kenya’s beaches.
Chloé is led by Uruguayan designer Gabriella Hearst, whose eponymous brand was informed by a hard-line sustainable ethos. The French fashion house stopped manufacturing cotton T-shirts to avoid profligate water use, replaced virgin cashmere with recycled cashmere and introduced the circular denim project, which sees old jeans renewed again once they reach the end of their life cycle.

Nike
In a bid to reduce waste, <a href="https://www.goat.com/sneakers/brand/nike">Nike</a> introduced Nike Grind as a grassroots initiative all the way back in 1992. Today the program saves end-of-life shoes, manufacturing scraps and unused materials from landfills, turning these unusable shreds into AstroTurf, indoor courts and sneaker models like the Cosmic Unity and Air Zoom SuperRep 2. Building on the success of Nike Grind, the Swoosh’s Reuse-A-Shoe program allows customers to drop off any brand of unwanted sneakers at participating stores, to be recycled and repurposed into new products.
Additionally, Nike’s Move to Zero mission has led to the exploration of materials like Piñatex, a leather alternative derived from the byproduct of pineapple harvests, featured prominently in 2021’s 'Happy Pineapple' pack. The selection included classics like the Air Max 90 and Air Max 95, reimagined through a sustainable lens. Further aiding in the brand’s sustainable practices, the Refurbished initiative takes pre-owned shoes, inspects their quality and then reconditions them for resale. This not only closes the loop, but it also gives customers a unique opportunity to access sneakers from previous drops. 
 
Nike’s eco initiatives have even led to new silhouettes altogether. 2020 saw the release of the Space Hippie, made partially from factory scraps, plastic water bottles and T-shirts, while the Air Zoom Alphafly Next Nature, launched in 2021, was dubbed the brand’s most ”sustainable performance shoe yet.” The sneaker’s sustainable credentials are vast, but highlights include a fully recycled PEBA ZoomX sock liner, and woven labels and laces made from 100% recycled polyester. Like most initiatives Nike undertakes, the Swoosh’s journey towards zero carbon and zero waste promises exciting new innovations.
Nike’s Move to Zero program continues to evolve today. In 2022, the brand launched the Re-Creation program, inviting regional creatives to create new products using deadstock and locally sourced vintage items. This project came after the unveiling of the B.I.L.L. (Bot Initiated Longevity Lab), a robot that aims to extend the lifespan of sneakers by reinvigorating them in-store for free using sustainable cleaning products, recycled polyester and handcraft techniques.&nbsp;

8 Fashion Brands Reimagining What Sustainability Means in 2023

The Ukrainian dancer, model and performance artist photographs herself in a series of transgressive self-portraits for GREATEST ISSUE 07.

Ukrainian dancer model and performance artist Sonya Mohova photographs herself in a series of transgressive self-portraits for GREATEST ISSUE 07 styled by Flora Huddard.

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