Kutay Saritosun, Director of Fashion Brands at bluesign, is dedicated to educating brands on producing more sustainable products. He’s hopeful that with help and guidance, brands can use  safer chemistry and sustainable raw materials to design in a way that has minimal impact on the environment.

As a mentor to this CFDA + Lexus Fashion*Initiative cohort, Saritosun brought his knowledge and passion on the subject to the designers.

We checked in with Saritosun and asked him for his thoughts on the state of the fashion industry, and advice he has for designers starting out their sustainability journey.

What obstacles do you see designers striving for sustainability facing today? What opportunities do you see?

It is an exciting time to design using sustainable raw materials as there are a lot more options than what we had a few years ago. Using recycled materials is always an option as the notion of circular fashion is being discussed more and more. Although the infrastructure to collect second-hand clothing for recycling is not at a sufficient scale, there are new technologies being tested to convert used clothing into regenerated cellulosics, giving them a second-third life which is an opportunity for the designers. On the other hand, sustainability can come at a cost as sustainable raw materials can be more expensive versus conventional options. Accessing the right resources about sustainability practices could be an obstacle and that is where organizations like CFDA plays a very prominent role. Through the Sustainability Resource Hub, mentorship programs and workshops, CFDA plays a crucial role in the industry for designers to access reliable information.

How do you encourage designers to find their voice in the conversation of sustainability?

There is a lot of noise when it comes to talking about sustainability. My suggestion would be to attend conferences as much as possible –such as Copenhagen Fashion Summit and Textile Exchange Conference –  to understand different points of view on issues ranging from environmental impact, ethical labor, best practices, circular fashion to environmental legislation. Embedding sustainable practices into the core of the business is also important as consumers these days are seeking honesty and not green-washing.

What is one piece of advice that you would give designers starting off on their sustainability journey?

My biggest advice would be: Do not be afraid! There is no such thing as 100 percent sustainable. It is a journey of continuous improvement. So start from somewhere actionable, such as using sustainable raw materials and set goals. Maybe only 10 percent of your collection will be from sustainable sources when you start and next year it will be 30 percent.  Don’t get drowned in big projects. Start small and build on that.