Raised to be mindful of nature and their surroundings, sibling duo Nicholas and Christopher Kunz founded their luxury fashion label Nicholas K with the same principle. Their collections showcase timeless and versatile pieces that tell the story of a harmonious partnership between luxury and sustainability.

As part of their journey through the CFDA + Lexus Fashion* Initiative, Nicholas K has converted about 70 percent of their sweaters to alpaca. “We’re trying to do more vertical production in Peru as part of our alpaca program,” Nicholas explains. “We actually can identify who all of the people in production are, down to the mill that opens children’s schools.”

The Kunz duo also shined light on the difficulties that smaller companies can face when working towards a sustainable fashion future. “When we got to the production phase, they basically said, ‘oh well, those color animals are all used up for the season. Next time, you have to order it a year ahead,’” Nicholas notes of sourcing undyed alpaca. “And we’re just not that big of a company where we could sit on that much yarn.”

While it may in some ways be easier for larger companies to utilize their leverage and capital to achieve sustainable success, small brands like Nicolas K can also see the ripple effects of their decisions.

“If you’re making responsible decisions for fashion, in the end it’s a responsible decision for society,” Nicholas said.

Christopher elaborated, “If you’re making smart production and manufacturing decisions, the community that is doing the manufacturing is not suffering by having poor quality air [and] poor quality water.”

Whatever the size a company may be, one can’t sacrifice good design for the sake of sustainability. “It’s definitely not easy for us to make all the choices for what we want to do, in terms of sustainability,” said Nicholas.

“I think one thing is clear,” Christopher added. “People should encourage companies [and] customers to make better decisions and not criticize. Just care for your environment, care for other people, care for companies that make good decisions.”

See more of the CFDA/Lexus Fashion* Initiative sustainability story by following #ReDesignFashion.