Only just started off, these two sustainable fashion enterprises are determined to take on the big ones, convinced that sustainability can longer remain a “nice to have”.

Socko

Socko makes sustainable socks, because the biggest impact can be made through the smallest piece of clothing, according to Emma, the head behind the business. I had a chat with her, and here’s what she told me:

“Essentially Socko came about as a combination of the things that I believe in; my sustainability, my ethics, my principles, aligned with the things that I love and I’m good at; knitting, my background’s actually branding and marketing, so bringing in that know-how as well, and then the third factor in that diagram of new business is things that people want to buy. Socks I particularly like because I see them as clothing rather than fashion. I don’t have to come out with three different ranges every year to keep on top of the latest trends. It’s something that I can do, and once they’re gone, they’re gone, and then we move on to the next. So it feels less disposable.

It’s also something that you wouldn’t buy second hand. Unlike with a lot of fashion which you can and should buy second hand, socks and underwear are just a step too far for most people.

So making a product that’s made to last is actually the best thing you can do, rather than just doing something that’s disposable. Even if it’s doing all the right things, if it’s just going to get thrown away, then you’re sort of shooting yourself in the foot. So I’ve made a luxurious product that I’m really proud of and that is made to last.

Was there a particular conversation or thought you had that sparked this whole idea?

It was a lot of post-it notes on my bedroom wall, in the strategy and coming up with it. But actually it was through a conversation with Wrap, who do a lot around sustainability; particularly they have a textiles wing. One of their insights was that actually it doesn’t matter what you make it with, it’s more making a product that’s made to last. The best way to do that is to reinforce and repair rather than through away. So this became a key component and kind of USP (if we’re going to get into the marketing – business chat of it) behind Socko. Making a product that can be repaired – well, that you love enough to reinforce and repair and extend its active life. A big part of our mission is to reteach the lost art of darning and therefore extending the active life of clothing.

Where is your brand in ten years?

Great question. I would love to be supplying some of the high-street retailers, (and wish) that they’ll come round to the idea that it’s no longer a “nice to have” but actually a necessity to have sustainably made products. I would love to be able to have a business model that’s scalable enough that I can then do it at a price that will be beneficial to the environment and to the people who are currently being exploited.

Natural x Lab

Natural x Lab is a platform aiming to unite sustainable fashion brands, in order to challenge the power of mega-retailers. I met the founder, Indigo Goss, and asked her how that works.

What’s the inspiration behind your idea?

I’m a fashion editor for a suitcase magazine, and I’ve been in fashion the last twenty years. I started modelling at fourteen and then went into styling at 24. The amount of destruction and waste that there is in the industry is insane. When you’re younger, you don’t really notice it so much, and now it’s in the news and you hear more about it. So I was like, “Ok, I feel like I need to do something that’s actually making a difference.” And now, doing it, the more I look into it, the more terrifying it is. There are so many new brands coming up, and it’s nice to have my edit on a platform that hopefully looks good and is hopefully what people want, and just try and sell as much as possible.

How has the response on the platform been so far?

Really good, everyone so far really likes the aesthetic (I don’t know if they’re just being nice and kind)… Sales have been good. We launched last year in August, so Christmas was quite good, just before Christmas, which was really busy. We’ve literally just started up again in February, doing small work on the website in January.
It’s all self-funded. I’m new to building websites, SEO, digital marketing, so it’s a lot of learning how to do a lot of new things, but I think I’m getting there slowly.
Because I’ve got a background, obviously fashion stylist is good, I know a lot of photographers, so for me it’s quite easy to make the aesthetic look how I want it to look, which I think definitely helps. Through styling I know a lot of brands, that’s my job, to know all the brands, so it’s really helped sourcing everything.

So is the aim ultimately to take the big brands on board as well, or is it going to stay a sort of indie project?

A mix. A massive mix. I never take anyones full collection on, I just take a small edit of what I think works for the specific client I’m trying to push to.
Maybe not right now, but one day I would like to see myself as in between Liberty’s, Conran Shop, Browns: quite cool and artsy. So always, even if it is big brands, still having that aesthetic. Hopefully, that’s the plan. We’ll see how it goes.