Green ambition

Move over black. Green is the fashion industry’s new favourite colour, and this is one trend that is unlikely to fall out of style any time soon.

More than ever before, clothing and accessories companies are aware of the need for their brand to have authentic, climate-friendly credentials—and the guidance of brand experts in this transition is critical.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the fashion sector currently produces up to 8% of global carbon emissions. Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of water globally: it takes around 2,000 gallons of water to make a typical pair of jeans. Textiles are also estimated to account for approximately 9% of annual microplastic losses to the ocean.

But Joanna Dai, founder of sustainable clothing company DaiWear, explained that small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the green fashion space have delivered a much-needed rallying call to a sector that has long been a bête noire for climate campaigners.

“The pressure from the small disruptors that are offering better solutions, values, and ethics, means that larger brands are scrambling to make changes as quickly as possible,” she says.

Driven by her own desire to make a difference, Dai left her investment banking career in 2016, and began researching how recycled yoga/performance wear and sustainably sourced materials could form the basis of workwear for professional women.

Inspiration and disruption

Her inspirational moment came when she struggled with the discomfort of her formal attire on a flight back from a business trip.

“My waistband was digging in, nothing stretched, and I was uncomfortable: I wished I were in my yoga kit. So, I imagined a world where clothes didn’t restrict women but empowered them, and I envisaged a clothes collection that looked like power suits, but felt like yoga wear,” Dai explains.