The Industry Responds

Brands and boutiques are taking action for themselves

With rising demand from consumers for better transparency of practice and more sustainable options to buy from, brands and the retailers that sell their collections through FARFETCH are now both proactive. For many newer businesses, sustainable considerations are woven into their DNA; for those that are more established and with bigger operations, change is sometimes slower but is now steady.

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Fast growing Conscious brands

Small luxury brands on FARFETCH are leading the charge in terms of conscious practice, with consumers buying into their approach

Find out what Farfetch means by “Conscious” here

Source: FARFETCH marketplace sales data

YoY growth in GMV 2019/2020
(Brands for which the entire collection is classified as Conscious with rating by Good on You)

Veja

GMV +395% YoY

All Blues

GMV +350% YoY

Chopova Lowena

GMV +208% YoY

Bode

GMV +200% YoY

Alighieri

GMV +121% YoY

Some of fashion’s hottest labels are building sustainability into their key principles. Again consumer reaction has been very positive

YoY growth in GMV 2019/2020 of Conscious pieces in the brand’s main collectionSource: FARFETCH marketplace sales data

Heron Preston GMV +13,025% YoY*

Organic cotton and recycled cotton ranges

*The large growth in sales of Heron Preston product may also be atttributed to a large growth in the number of products available on the marketplace following FARFETCH's acquisition of New Guards Group.

Marine Serre GMV +2,294% YoY

A large proportion of the collection uses upclycled materials

Nanushka GMV +662% YoY

Continuous increase in the proportion of sustainable fabrics used

“

For us, sustainability is about empowering our community to make decisions that pay homage to natural life and the environment... The way I like to bring sustainability to life in design is through crafts and innovation. Using our leftover materials and manipulating them is a design challenge, but it’s a very interesting and exciting one.

Sandra Sandor, founder of Nanushka

ICONIC brands

The response of more established brands is to look at their current practices to understand where they can make improvementsAs part of this, many have launched more conscious collections within their larger offering

Source: FARFETCH marketplace sales data

YoY growth in GMV 2019/2020 of Conscious ranges within the main collection

Mulberry

GMV +225% YoY

Certified leather throughout its collection

Acne Studios

GMV +198% YoY

Organic cotton and Responsible Wool Standard ranges

Burberry

GMV +187% YoY

ReBurberry collection, plus ECONYL® regenerated nylon, leather from certified tanneries and sustainably sourced materials

Prada

GMV +183% YoY

Re-Nylon collection based on ECONYL® regenerated nylon

Gucci

GMV +68% YoY

Off The Grid collection, plus a wide range of organic, biobased, recycled or independently certified materials

Source: FARFETCH internal data

These collections are often based on house classics or best-sellers re-envisioned in sustainable materials

Gucci’s Off The Grid range only employs recycled, organic, bio-based or sustainably sourced fabrics, while Prada’s Re-Nylon pieces are made from ECONYL®, a regenerated-nylon yarn recycled from discarded plastic retrieved from landfill and oceans.

“

At Burberry, we are guided by our shared ambition to build a more sustainable future. Our heritage of exploration gives us the freedom to push boundaries and set leading standards to work towards a net-zero footprint and ensure that we consciously craft our collections.

Pam Batty, VP Corporate Responsibility at Burberry

Boutiques

Boutiques selling through FARFETCH are also proactively seizing the opportunity, as consumer demand grows

102x Conscious units online YoY 2019/2020

The Mint Company, Spain

1.8x Conscious GMV YoY 2019/2020

Vitkac, Poland

20x share of Conscious GMV YoY 2019/2020

Entrance, Romania

Increase in Conscious stock from FARFETCH’s network of boutiques

Source: FARFETCH stock data

“

We have a sense of responsibility — we want to take part in making our world a safer and healthier place to live. We want to inspire our customers to think more sustainably by choosing products and brands that respect natural resources.

Karolina Ksiazek, Vitkac, Warsaw, Poland

Future Insight: Boutiques

Conscious decision making often takes place as individual businesses at micro level contribute to collective transformation at macro level, so FARFETCH is attempting to inspire positive change where we see it already burgeoning in our ecosystem

Not only are we identifying boutique partners already buying into suitable Conscious product and encouraging them to do so more, but talking to our broader boutique network and inviting its members to buy into Conscious product where we see consumer demand for it. Meanwhile our Support Boutiques initiative, which kicked off in 2020, aims to nurture that network of independent luxury boutiques. We believe that in this community of fashion’s leaders and early adopters, positive change will seed and grow.

Previous: Mobilized Into Action

Next: The Global Phenomenon

FARFETCH uses a set of independently backed criteria to qualify what we classify as ‘Conscious’ product on our platform. This leverages established and widely recognised standards and certifications on sustainable materials and business practice in fashion. The products must be one of the following:

1. Products made of sustainable or certified materials (e.g. organic, recycled and upcycled fabrics, low impact cellulosic materials, etc.)

2. Products that have been created via a certified production process

3. Products that are pre-owned

4. Products that belong to a brand that scores well with ethical rating agency Good on You

Read more about our Conscious criteria here