Here’s How Canadian Fashion Brands Are Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day

Today marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and fashion brands across the world are celebrating with the announcement of various initiatives and collections to help make fashion more earth-friendly. Here’s how some of your favourite Canadian fashion brands are marking Earth Day 2020:

Hilary MacMillan

Toronto designer Hilary MacMillan has announced the launch of a new sustainable basics collection today. The first item in the collection is the brand’s best-selling blouse, which has been reimagined in 100 per cent cupro, a biodegradable, cruelty-free silk alternative. It is available in sizes XS-4X and in five colours, each of which was achieved by using scrap onion skins, rice, bamboo, grapes and other natural ingredients. Going one step further, the fabric manufacturer used by MacMillan for the blouses received a 99.8 per cent zero-emissions rating last year, thanks to its use of fibre waste to fuel power generation. In a release, the designer said, “Since starting the Hilary MacMillan label, I’ve been consciously aware of our environmental impact and carbon footprint. As we evolved into a cruelty-free brand, it was a natural choice to further explore what it means to be a brand participating in eco-conscious and sustainable practices and I’m proud to say this collection is the beginning of a very important journey for [us].”

Get yours here.

Soia & Kyo

Montreal-based outerwear brand Soia & Kyo announced the launch of a brand new earth-friendly category today. In a series of Instagram Stories, the brand revealed that it will launch its first Thermolite collection in the Fall. In the post, the brand wrote that they are “focusing our efforts for a more sustainable approach towards our products.” Pieces in the collection are made from 100 per cent recycled materials – including an eco-puffer crafted with a lining made using 100 per cent recycled pre-consumer materials and fibre fill made using 100 per cent recycled water bottles. The brand says the latter “delivers outstanding warmth while being extremely lightweight.” There’s also a ‘coatigan’ on offer come fall, made with high-quality yarn crafted from more than 70 per cent sustainable materials.

Sign up to the brand’s newsletter to be the first to know when the collection is available here.

Frank & Oak

Frank & Oak is celebrating Earth Day with an exclusive T-shirt design. Available now, the unisex shirt is made with 100 per cent organic cotton and for every shirt sold, the brand will plant a tree in partnership with Earth Day Canada. The white crewneck features a small design on the front of plants, and on the back, the design appears with the words, “Every day is Earth day.”

Get yours here.

Canada Goose

Canada Goose has announced several earth-friendly initiatives today, with perhaps the most exciting being the introduction of reclaimed fur in 2022. In a press release, the brand announced that it plans “to introduce reclaimed fur into its supply chain, which includes beginning to manufacture parkas using reclaimed fur and ending the purchasing of new fur.” It also revealed that it plans to introduce a consumer buy-back program for fur in the coming months. In addition to this new initiative, the brand also announced it plans to be carbon neutral by 2025, plastic-free across all of its facilities and have 90 per cent of its fabrics bluesign-approved for responsible and sustainable practices by the same year.

Find out more about the brand’s sustainable practices here.

Internationally, a number of brands also made announcements regarding Earth Day-inspired initiatives:

• Capri Holdings – which owns Michael Kors, Versace and Jimmy Choo – announced its first group-wide corporate social responsibility strategy today that includes ensuring all plastic is recyclable, compostable, recycled or reusable by 2025, a reduction in water use, supply chain traceability, supply chain transparency in relation to human rights and fair wages, fostering diversity and inclusion across all of its brands, and sourcing a minimum of 95 per cent of its leather from certified tanneries.
• Nordstrom announced five new goals it plans to meet by 2025: Set a science-based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce single use plastic by 50 per cent, use sustainably sourced raw materials in half of the Nordstrom Made products, extend the life of 250 tons of clothing, ensure 15 per cent of all product is considered sustainable and donate USD$1 million to support textile recycling innovation.
• Just last week, New Zealand-American footwear company Allbirds announced a new Carbon Footprint program whereby it will now label every product it makes with information on its carbon footprint. The team developed a Life Cycle Assessment tool with carbon experts to measure the carbon intensity of every step of the production cycle, from materials to development, manufacturing and end of life to help consumers make more informed choices.
• Today, Vivienne Westwood announced it is teaming up with non-profit organization Canopy, which works to protect forests, species and climate, to help bring more attention to the link between clothing production and forest destruction. The partnership was announced via a video created by Aidan Zamiri and features spoken word artist, model and visibility activist Kai Isaiah Jamal. Watch it below:

Plus, Burberry also announced the launch of a new sustainable collection today, called ReBurberry Edit.