Short Takes: Brands Seek ‘Public Appraisal,’ B Corp Status as New Bragging Rights
Seeking Public Appraisal?: After more than a decade in business, Los Angeles-based designer Shaina Mote is pivoting (and also relocating from L.A. to upstate New York).
She announced this week the first of many changes, starting with a direct-to-consumer model for her line of sustainable wardrobe essentials to align with the times, and ending with a “public appraisal” of all areas of her business facilitated by a third party and evaluated against the United Nations’ 17 principles of sustainable development. The efforts mark a stance against greenwashing and the slower embrace of more “direct relationships with our community,” according to the designer.
“With all of the seismic shifts the last year ushered in, I have been mirroring change in a profound manner, both personally and professionally,” Mote said. “This year offered time to peer into the possibilities and dreams I have held tightly, namely a longing for a more sustainable future for this small business (and honestly, for myself, too).”
In the longer term, the business is working with value chain strategist, Kristine Kim, on what Mote says will enable the business to work “toward a goal of being a fully circular business, meaning that our collections result in the most minimal amount of waste possible as a byproduct, adding to — rather than depleting — natural resources.”
Moves to Ethical B List: Tidal New York is next to earn B Corp status. The company is the first U.S.-based footwear manufacturer (it produces in New Rochelle, N.Y.) to receive certification.
“The fashion industry has a heartbreaking record when it comes to worker safety, equality and well-being, as well as deeply entrenched legacy supply chains that totally disregard the environmental damage caused by traditional systems and materials,” said the brand’s cofounder Tim Gibb. “Tidal New York was founded with the intent to rethink one product completely. Our story began by taking back the supply chain and opening an on-shore factory to make our product.”
In this way, Gibb said ethics remain at the forefront of the brand.
Alongside that, the sustainable flip-flop maker said it also earned the U.S. Department of Agriculture BioPreferred accreditation this past week, which means its products carry the added assurance of bio-based content (ingredients from renewable biological sources) — one of few signifiers to apparel consumers that products are more eco-friendly.
Operating on a drop model, the company has upcoming spring collaborations with designers like Jonathan Cohen, design lab Lateral Objects and hotels like The Four Seasons at Surf Club Miami.
For More, See:
These Brand-Activists, Nonprofits Are Tackling Fashion Policy Head-on
B Corps May Be Fashion’s Next A-list
