REV by Rêve En Vert
Online purveyor of superb ethical clothing Rêve En Vert takes the next step into its sustainable future by launching its own line of limited edition luxury essentials, staples that will take the ethical fashionista from dawn till dusk.
REV by Rêve En Vert combines zero waste and limited edition with an aesthetic that’s right on the money: retro but hip, slipping into the zeitgeist like a knife into vegan butter.
"I've always wanted to create a line for Rêve En Vert that would fill a void we had of luxurious essentials with an accessible price point,” says co-founder Cora Hilts.
“I've been really interested in this idea of selling direct to consumer and radical transparency and, whilst we still will be doing traditional retail and supporting our amazing designers, we wanted to experiment with this avenue as well.”
In a move that places the collection in a polar opposite position to fast fashion, most of the collection will be created by pre-order only, cutting down on waste by using luxury fabric scraps. If you think all that quasi-bespoke, utterly individual, limited edition design means means raiding the bank vaults for a t-shirt, think again.
The collection is made using using upcycled excess fabrics from within an East London factory called Fashion Enter.
“Working with Fashion Enter has been wonderful though as they hold on to off-cuts of fabric from the luxury designers they work with and are happy to re-purpose it for new collections,” says Cora. “I really feel not creating too much new fabric is one of the most sustainable ways of designing, and also it allows us to use luxury fabric at a much lower price point for our customers.”
Plus, because there’s no need to transport fabric to and from the factory, the brand's carbon footprint is virtually zero. Additional materials include organic, un-dyed silks from a GOTS-certified producer in India and British wool stocks. Trims are all locally-sourced, except for recycled cotton buttons from Italy.
What are the challenges of the zero waste, slow delivery approach?
“You have to be conscious of every part of production - right down to things you wouldn't even think of,’ says Cora.
“For instance, I realised the first time we got our samples back that every single piece of clothing we produce comes in an individual piece of plastic unless you ask for it not to - and this is at a factory that is very mindful!
It’s been a steep learning curve. “I had no idea how many steps there were and had to enlist the help of three incredible people to guide me through the process,” says Cora. “I had a sustainability and ethical sourcing specialist, a designer used to working ethically and a consultant who had worked in luxury fashion buying and manufacturing. Their expertise helped make the line as high-end and sustainable as I could have wished.”
Worth every moment.
