Bridget Foley’s Diary: Stella (and More) on Sustainability

Can fashion ever fully reconcile sustainability with growth? The industry is manufacturing-dependent, which means pushing ever-more product out into a world already saturated with stuff. Must the purveyors of said stuff at some point limit their massive quantities — and even at the luxury level, the quantities produced are indeed massive — if they are serious about saving the planet? That was the starting query for a column intended for WWD’s Earth Day Special Issue on Monday. I approached an academic, a scientist and, of course, leaders in fashion’s sustainability efforts, from stalwart designer-advocates to the heads of sustainability at Kering, Tapestry, PVH, Ralph Lauren and LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. My goal was short-term and considerably more manageable than their ongoing pursuit of sustainability: a tight 1,500 words or so that would address the overarching question and related themes. Some common themes emerged across the conversations. Most of those interviewed insisted that corporate growth and sustainability are not parallel goals. Rather, they must be intrinsically linked for the good of the planet and its inhabitants. “Sustainability is not at all an option. It’s a necessity,” said Marie-Clare Daveu, chief sustainability officer at Kering. Nor can the industry satisfy itself with “incremental

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