An Interview with MARA HOFFMAN
You‘ve been a trailblazer in sustainable fashion for many years. Can you tell us about the role of sustainability in your brand and how it all started?
In 2015, after 15 years of being in business, we made the shift to more sustainable choices. This meant examining ourselves, acknowledging we needed to realign ourselves with our values, and slowly changing the way we appro ached fashion, doing business, and communi cating. We honed in on the collective need to treat this planet better, uplift the humans and all creatures inhabiting it. Sustainability is embedded in everything we do. It acts as a set of guiding principles to do better and to practice with kindness and accountability. It leads us towards making infor med decisions through the lens of racial, social, and environmental justice. As a brand that puts products into the world, it is our responsibility to recognize that natural resources are finite and to keep our garments in circulation for as long as possible – reusing, repairing, remanu facturing, sharing, and recycling. Circularity is deeply embedded in our design process. A circular model builds economic, natural, and social capital. It’s important to recognize that we can’t talk about a circular economy without also addressing social justice. Circularity covers the distribution of wealth, creation of jobs, and strengthening of underserved communities. That said, we work with manufacturers who are aligned with our standards – who ensure the good health and fair treatment of their workers and artisans. We are excited to have recently launched a FairTrade-certified product. We are continuously analyzing the size of our collections to ensure that we aren’t over-developing. We also look at each style to ensure that it will endure the test of time to ensure that it lives in someone‘s closet for years to come. When designing, we start with choosing the material since we know this is where the largest impact happens. For us, this means only working within our preferred material port folio. We are committed to using a small selection of fabrics that meet our sustainability standards. Whenever possible, we work with
mono-materials. This ensures that, when our products have reached their end of life, they can easily be recycled. Before release, we take into account the size of our collections and how often we want to be putting new products into the world.
In light of current global circumstances, how do you see the future of the industry evolving over the next decade? What will be the main influencing factors? As a designer who has been committed to sustainability for years, what‘s your outlook on the future?
When looking at the future of fashion I do my best to stay situated in a place of optimism. There has been so much growth and progress in the sustainability movement over the past 9 years that I truly believe it will continue to flourish. New solutions are scaling, processes are becoming automated and new materials are being developed. We no longer operate like we have in the past and we will continue to push solutions that are for the good of the planet. As we progress, transparency will need to become the norm. Legislation is actually putting pressure on brands to make these necessary chan ges, which I believe is what’s needed. People do care now more than ever about where they are spending their dollars and which companies they are supporting. Especially our youth, who are here to drive change and need to be loud about what they value and guide the direction of the industry.
What do you think a role of a designer and brand is today and what will it be in the future?
Design will always be tied to creativity, finding solutions, future vision and beauty, but future designers will need to ensure that they are doing this while prioritizing the planet. They’ll need to hold themselves accountable and be held reliable by others for everything they put into the world. They need to be strategic and thoughtful about what they are creating and how. I encourage and hope brands will take ownership of the impact they have on the planet and the lives of those within the supply chains.
As we are all experiencing the effects of global warming, sustainability, and conscious decisions must be part of our everyday life. Do you have 3 recommendations that everyone could incorporate into their everyday life for a more sustainable future?
I would encourage everyone to slow down. Reconnect and communicate more with nature-connect with our planet, because it is a reflection of us. Learn more about the products you use and bring into your home- understanding what they are made of and who is making them.
Our theme for the paper is ‚breakthrough‘, what was your breakthrough and how would you name it?
Our breakthrough came from truly feeling the discomfort of a broken system. It was the discomfort that was the catalyst for our change and it will continue to be a guide for us going forward. I would name it as the moment that we truly listened and then truly acted. We let the discomfort open a door to something new, something hopefully better.
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