Key takeaways:
The R Collective has produced a fully traceable denim collection in collaboration with Levi’s, designed to reduce the end-to-end carbon footprint of garments.
Companies like LVMH and Ralph Lauren use digital ID technology to trace their supply chains; the Denim Reimagined project goes further, using ID labels to educate consumers about sustainable product care after purchase.
The Covid-19 pandemic, which has highlighted the need to digitally engage consumers and communicate with them, is accelerating the adoption of digital innovations like the one championed by The R Collective.
The Denim Reimagined project, created by Hong Kong upcycled apparel company The R Collective and supported by Levi’s, aims to take traceable fashion to a new level going beyond supply chain traceability.
The nine-piece denim collection is accompanied by scannable garment labels that offer four digital “experiences” to customers, including supply chain information, less energy-intensive washing and drying tips, restyling tips to prolong the life of the clothes as well as advice on recycling the garment at the end of its life.
The information stored in the label’s QR code is produced by digital ID label makers Avery Dennison and Internet of Things platform Evrythng and can be scanned with a smartphone. The capsule collection is now available for pre-order on The R Collective site and in the Levi’s store in Hong Kong mall K11 Musea from 11 May. The garments are also upcycled, constructed using Levi’s aged inventory to demonstrate a use for denim waste.
“Creating a digital engagement and a digital trigger on a garment is one way that we’re helping to inform consumers,” says Mike Colarossi, vice president of innovation, product line management and sustainability at Avery Dennison.
Denim Reimagined leverages the Internet of Things (IoT) technology to track the relevant garment information and securely pass it on to consumers. In the last two years, luxury brands have also started to employ IoT technology to inform users on product supply chains or to verify the authenticity of goods. LVMH is developing its own digital platform, Aura, to use across brands; Gabriela Hearst and PVH have worked on digital identity projects; and labels from Ralph Lauren to 1017 Alyx 9sm have partnered with Avery Dennison and Evrythng on digital supply chain tracking.
Denim Reimagined’s point of difference is that, beyond upcycling materials and tracking sourcing, it includes multiple phases of the garment’s life, including customer care and after life.
According to Christina Dean, founder of The R Collective, after cotton cultivation, the second most impactful stage in the life cycle of denim is customer care, accounting for 37 per cent of total emissions. Levi’s found that washing denim cold instead of warm reduces the climate impact of washing by 69 per cent in a typical garment life cycle, while line drying instead of using a dryer can reduce impact by 65 per cent. By providing information like this, the project hopes to help customers adopt more sustainable habits.
Even when information about supply chain, materials and usage is provided, it remains difficult for customers to read and assess the sustainability level of a garment as they often lack context or comparable data. Even so, it is a step towards more transparency as brands still struggle to track the steps in their garments’ manufacturing journey.
“Most apparel brands wouldn't necessarily be making the product themselves, so the verification of the source of materials that are going into the product is difficult — they don't necessarily have that information in their hands,” says Niall Murphy, co-founder and CEO of Evrythng.
The Denim Reimagined campaign video.
Evrythng has executed projects all over the world but, according to Murphy, Asian consumers are currently most likely to engage with scannable digital experiences attached to products, showing the highest frequency of scan rates and engagement. To resonate with its APAC consumers, The R Collective has employed a series of local and international influencers and KOLs to share restyling tips, as well as promote the collection itself on their channels. The collection will also be accompanied by a global #wearandcare sustainable care campaign on social media, to educate consumers on how to wash less often, wash at lower temperatures, line dry and manage their denim disposal. Hong Kong-based influencer Cecilia Ngan is providing restyling and laundry advice to consumers as part of the project, alongside influencers like Susie Lau and Zeena Shah.
With stores closed and social distancing measures in place because of the Covid-19 pandemic, brands need new ways to communicate with consumers, says climate writer Jo Lorenz, who is part of the influencer network providing advice accessible from the label. “This time in history is about commissioning innovation.”
For Colarossi, the aftermath of Covid-19 will also bring an uptick in digital adoption and engagement. “I would not be surprised if a year from now, 18 months from now, we actually see that the adoption curve of some of these digital engagements has accelerated far beyond what we initially predicted,” he says. According to Murphy, the adoption rate of digital IDs is already on the rise in countries like Australia, spelling out a global future for projects like Denim Reimagined and their development.
“One of the advantages of digital is that it’s automatically extensible and programmable,” says Murphy. “It’s a palette, and we can just keep on innovating.”
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