Sustainable Fashion Starts Small
The other week, Startup Grind Oslo hosted an event at F5 about the Norwegian fashion industry. Before the event, people were free to wander through the thoughtfully organized clothes without a price tag in sight. They created a classy backdrop: carefully spaced garments in black, white, and tan with subdued forest greens. In a few corners were Norwegian designs inundated by color that stood out from the rest (The Untold Stories brand with its bold patterns and pinks with the brand Oleana nearby in its bright and distinctive colors). Each piece puts a modern twist on classic designs, effectively bringing everything to the cutting edge.
When the discussion started, both Alexander W. K. Marthinsen and Martin Evensen spoke with laid back confidence, both proud of the passionate side projects that they’d been able to turn into revenue-earning businesses. What stood out to me most from what they spoke of was the approaches each took to be sustainable.
Martin’s business, New Movements, is built upon a foundation of sustainability. By Martin’s motto, we should “walk with impact” and it’s our choice what we purchase and, therefore, the impact we have on the world. To make his shoes with the smallest possible ecological footprint, he not only selects materials with sustainability certifications, but also approaches potential and demands that they raise their sustainability standards to his own. By doing so, he is reorganizing the entire supply chain! That is the kind of drastic change the world needs if people want to decrease global emissions.
Alexander takes a different approach. He checks that the businesses he works with meet his quality rather than a specific sustainability standard. His idea is that if people buy high-quality products they love, then they will buy less in the long term and move away from fast fashion. Some brands in F5, like Envelope, are highly sustainable. But others? Less so. Alexander’s experience has shown him that customers are beginning to care about sustainable products, but the claims people make online about only shopping sustainably do not translate into their actual purchase patterns. For now, “beauty matters more.”
F5 also supports eco-friendly buying habits by ordering less stock than most stores. He recognizes that overproduction is bad for both businesses and the environment because everything needs to be bought. Otherwise, it’s a waste of space and must eventually be thrown out or gifted away.
Both founders hope their business will thrive and have a positive impact on the Norwegian design industry. However, Martin’s vision for New Movements goes even further. Martin wants to be an example, to drive other people and companies to take ownership of their ecological impact. In his words, “the world doesn’t need more shoe brands, it needs people that will take more social and environmental responsibility.” If an important decision-maker from Nike, Adidas, or Vans were to look at Martin’s website, if they were to ask him about how he makes shoes sustainably, then maybe they’d take those ideas to their boardroom. Maybe the idea would impress others. And maybe, just maybe, the company would start making their own shoes sustainably, too. Now wouldn’t that be an incredible world to live in?
