“We create our own ‘dead stock and monetizing waste,’” said CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund runner-up Jonathan Cohen and his business partner Sarah Leff. “We’ve always practiced a form of sustainability from day one — who’s making the clothes, being mindful of fair wages, and appropriate working conditions — but we knew we had to go further.”
This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
How does Jonathan Cohen define sustainability?
We define sustainability as taking ownership and responsibility for how you practice your business. Our goal is zero waste, so we’ve implemented a new program where all of our textiles must be traceable — where they come from, how they’re produced, etc. If the origins of the fabrics and yarns can’t be traced, we no longer use them. We studied our Fall 2018 production run and saw we were losing money on textile production and excess yardage. It was a significant loss so we thought, “How do we make changes without sacrificing the look of the garment?” We started collecting our own scraps and found opportunities to up-cycle and monetize the scraps by turning extra fabrics.
We also worked with a micro-finance group for women in India doing block printing that allowed us to create job opportunities using an 800yr old technique and decrease the carbon footprint of digital printing. We’re also working with Weaving Hands in Brooklyn, fusing our scrap materials into new, larger, woven pieces.
What have you gained from participating in the CFDA + Lexus Fashion* Initiative?
We’ve learned a ton of information about the environmental impact of textiles.
For instance, if a cotton is farmed differently, the amount of water you can save is incredible.
We learned about mills with certified indigo dyes, laser wash capabilities, as well, and how to use recycled fabrics, instead of poly-based products, for padding our quilted textiles.
Wherever changes in textiles are feasible, we’ll certainly change. We now use organic cotton exclusively — a 35 percent change in our fabrication categories. We moved to vegan leather and stopped using fur two years ago, and we’re using Swarovski up-cycling program for crystals. However, silk is 65% of our business, so it’s a drastic change in cost per garment — we’re waiting for the technology to catch up.
What are Jonathan Cohen’s plans to revolutionize the fashion industry?
We’re building a direct-to-consumer model using our scraps and excess materials — new shapes in past-season textiles. Creating one-off designs, including our first foray into men’s shirts using “collaged” textiles, presents new design challenges that are exciting. It also allows the customer to invest in pieces that are more accessible than the gowns they might wear two to three times, so it decreases “disposable” fashion. They’ll keep a dress and pass it down, and they know the materials involved.
