Chloé Sets Sights On A More Circular Fashion Economy With 'Chloé Vertical'

Powered by EON, Chloé Vertical is a unique and innovative digital ID, allowing users to scan the labels of products to trace their item from 'field to the finished piece'. Helping fashion to become more circular, the digital ID will also grant its buyer access to an ownership certificate, allowing for direct resale through platform Vestiaire Collective to help support pre-loved fashion. Currently available for items stemming from bag accessories to shoes and ready-to-wear items, Chloé's suppliers and manufacturers have also been involved in every step of the project, permitting the maison to trace the entire supply chain and production process for all products involved.

Above all, the project marks a new chapter of transparency for the brand and the reselling of luxury products which, in turn, creates rippling effects of transparency in the industry at large. Despite how consumers may be under the impression that high fashion brands naturally use better materials and sourcing within their collections - something that would hopefully be a given considering the price disparity between high street and luxury items - a 'better product cannot' always be guaranteed, even if it is sold under a reputable fashion house name; a concern that, thankfully, fashion is slowly waking up to. Observing this, president and CEO of Chloé Riccardo Bellini stated:

'The launch of Chloé Vertical is a testament to the meaningful progress that can be made towards developing a fully transparent and circular business model when there is collaboration across the industry. Following the commitments we took after joining the Sustainable Markets Initiative, founded in 2020 by His Majesty King Charles III when he was The Prince of Wales, I'm delighted to be enabling Chloé customers around the world the opportunity to make informed decisions about the transparency, traceability and circularity of our products. I'm also pleased to be sharing the methodologies we have employed on this project via our Open Source initiative, which we hope will inspire a broad adoption of these principles throughout the industry, and I look forward to extending this innovative initiative further in the future.'

All leather in the S/S 23 Vertical collection is sourced from French farms, just as the linen is spun and woven in France. The silk used in the range is Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified, and the wool is sourced from Gabriela Hearst's very own family ranch in Uruguay, before being spun and woven in Italy. It's this knowledge, although some will bat away, that helps eliminate the possibility of greenwashing in the industry and the act of claiming sustainability as a means of self promotion even though that may not be 100% the case.

'The Digital Passport's ultimate objective is to empower customers to take informed sustainable purchase choices as they increasingly demand disclosure, transparency and traceability. Chloé is a member of the Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) Fashion Task Force, where members are true pioneers of the Digital Passport in the fashion industry, and Chloé is taking another huge step forward with its implementation. Gabriela Hearst and Riccardo Bellini have always been one step ahead in looking to the future and combining technology with a genuine desire to change the system for the better.' – Federico Marchetti, Chairman of The Sustainable Markets Initiative's Fashion Task Force.

Through the Vertical project, Chloé puts equal emphasis on transparency, accountability and circularity; thanks to Gabriela Hearst's own efforts within sustainability. Worried that this project is only available on select Chloé items? This is just the first step according to the house. 'By 2025, Chloé has committed to rolling out a Digital ID on all its products' notes its press release. Looks like fashion is closer to eradicating greenwashing than we first thought. Three cheers for Gabriela Heart and Chloé!