The Rise of Sustainable Luxury

5 min readJan 5, 2021

T-shirts may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of high fashion, but here’s why they could be adorable and simple. Sources: 5

Although luxury consumption has traditionally been associated with pomp and extravagance, the rise of eco-consciousness has reshaped today’s luxury consumer expectations and redefined the luxury market as a whole. Luxury brands that want to survive the test of time must therefore subtly align their narrative with this. If a brand tries to join the sustainability bandwagon to catch up with younger consumers or build its brand on a sustainable and environmentally friendly model that is implemented from the ground up in its practices, it can damage its reputation. Sustainable luxury fashion offers the opportunity to change the attitudes of its consumers, including prominent celebrities who support sustainable practices by supporting the idea. Sources: 3, 7, 10

If done right, sustainable luxury items will be developed and produced throughout their lives and will cause minimal harm to people and the planet. Sustainable luxury fashion brands should source ethically acceptable materials, use sustainable manufacturing processes, and ban the use of animal skin and fur. Sources: 0, 2

To deliver a truly sustainable luxury, Bentley is reinventing all aspects of its business to become an end-to-end organization that operates in a carbon-neutral way at the start of the second century. Sources: 8

Woodside Fine 2019, which provides a sustainable fashion research network to promote research in a sustainable fashion. Bentley's goal is to become the world’s first 100% carbon neutral luxury brand, underpinned by a structured corporate sustainability program by 2030. Sources: 1, 8

He emphasizes that the flagship store and branding area offer a unique opportunity to strengthen the brand “reputation as a global leader in sustainable fashion and sustainability in general. As consumers, we also have the power, and if we choose sustainable fashion, the designer can offer us a collection of sustainable fashion. Whether you wear Alpine clothing or not, sustainability models are worth mentioning, because they are honest, far-reaching, and always better. Sources: 1, 3

Sustainable luxury, after all, means meeting individual needs while making intelligent consumer decisions and protecting the environment. Sustainable luxury is a practical way to support these values without sacrificing the products we love. Sources: 2, 13

Sustainable luxury in fashion means investing in clothes that are of the best quality, do the best, and behave of good quality. If you are a brand looking for a successful example of a sustainable luxury brand and a customer looking for it in their store, you need to start in a good place. Sources: 2, 5

Although many of the qualities that make a brand luxurious make it sustainable, not all high-end brands are aware of its impact. That can change, and part of that change is to support sustainable luxury brands where opulence is the same but the quality and quality of the products changes. Sources: 5, 12

In the following sections, I will highlight some luxury brands and businesses that I believe have been pioneers in the sustainable luxury movement. By discussing these examples, we hope to show our readers that sustainability is a fundamental change in today’s evolving social and ecological landscape. Sources: 10

Now that we have an idea of the new link between sustainability and luxury, we should understand how luxury brands need to market themselves to reach audiences as icons of social responsibility. In short, creating a shared value is an opportunity and guidance for a luxury brand to seize the opportunity to lead in a way that is consistent with the ethics of luxury. Luxury brands can position consumption as a form of investment that encourages people to buy wisely and value high-quality, durable goods as meaningful, infused products. The purchase of luxury goods can also be linked to the social image that buying leaves with the buyer, just as brands with sustainable product lines are famous. Sources: 4, 7, 11

Overall, communication with luxury manufacturers seeks to convey the perception of harmonious coexistence between sustainability and luxury without sacrificing the promises that luxury offers for unlimited enjoyment. In the language of fashion, there is a chance that sustainability, which is a certain core of norms, will become a sustainable part of the concept of luxury and create a trickle-down effect for luxury brands. Sources: 1, 9

By renegotiating the latter’s sustainability, luxury brands strengthen their brand and create certain equality, rather than merely highlighting the difference between their products and those of their competitors, which is contrary to the discriminatory concept of luxury. Sources: 9

With science now saying that we have a very limited time to prevent further ecosystem collapse and global warming, luxury brands have no choice but to rapidly deepen their commitment to sustainability. Sources: 0

This need is underscored by Bendell and Thomas (2013), who argue that entrepreneurs can transform the luxury industry by introducing innovative, sustainable luxury products. Sustainable luxury is still becoming the norm and will soon overtake the general standard of production and sales. Brands that want to maintain their position as the global market leader in luxury must therefore develop further in order to keep pace with the growing trend towards ethical and sustainable luxury goods. With the strong platforms and coalitions that exist now and an industry that is ready to work together and innovate on a large scale, the hope remains that we can achieve our vision of sustainable development by 2030. Sources: 1, 6, 7, 13

The Rise of Sustainable Luxury

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Written by Pritesh Mistry