Introduction to Sustainable Fashion
Timing is critical in the fashion industry, and over the past ten years, there has been a significant shift away from using fur, exotic skins, and leather due to regulatory pressure and changing consumer attitudes. However, feathers have largely gone unnoticed until recently, when the Animal Welfare Organization Peta protested the cruelty associated with feather harvesting at London Fashion Week. Many people are unaware that ostriches must be alive for their feathers to be harvested, assuming instead that the feathers are simply collected from the ground.
The Environmental Cost of Feathers
The environmental costs of feather harvesting are also a major concern. Bird breeding requires large amounts of land, water, and food, and the feathers themselves are subjected to sterilization and chemical treatment. Despite these costs, feathers remain a lucrative and desirable material in the fashion industry. They are often used to add a touch of luxury and decadence to clothing and accessories, and many brands have built successful product lines around feathered items. However, with growing ethical concerns, many of these brands are now looking for alternative materials.
A New Alternative to Feathers
One company, Fevvers, is working to develop a sustainable and cruelty-free alternative to feathers. The company’s founders, West and Woollon, have partnered with Stella McCartney to bring their innovative new material to the fashion world. McCartney, a lifelong vegetarian, has built her brand around rejecting leather, fur, feathers, and skins, and embracing alternative materials. Her company has consistently pushed the boundaries of sustainable fashion, using materials such as mycelium leather, recycled industrial waste, and regenerative cotton.
The Partnership with Stella McCartney
The partnership between Fevvers and Stella McCartney felt like a natural fit, according to Woollon. McCartney’s commitment to veganism and sustainability aligned perfectly with Fevvers’ mission to create a cruelty-free alternative to feathers. The two companies worked together to incorporate Fevvers into McCartney’s SS26 collection, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. What started as a small inclusion of Fevvers in one or two looks quickly grew to five, with McCartney eager to showcase the new material.
The Challenges of Working with Fevvers
However, working with Fevvers is not without its challenges. The material is still in the development stage, and it can be fragile and difficult to work with. West and Woollon are currently focused on stabilizing the material for commercial use while maintaining its natural properties. Despite these challenges, the potential of Fevvers is enormous, and the company is poised to revolutionize the fashion industry with its sustainable and cruelty-free alternative to feathers.
The Unique Properties of Fevvers
One of the key advantages of Fevvers is its unique, natural properties. Each piece of Fevvers has a unique texture and appearance, much like a fingerprint. This natural irregularity gives Fevvers a beauty and character that is difficult to replicate with synthetic materials. According to West, Fevvers is "vegan, vegetable, and natural," and it has a unique movement and softness that is similar to real feathers. This makes it an ideal alternative for brands looking to create luxurious and sustainable clothing and accessories.
From London to Paris
Fevvers was originally designed as a material with spring-like properties, and it was first used in a visual installation for an event. However, when Woollon began working with the material, she realized that it had the potential to be used as a replacement for feathers. Using embroidery techniques similar to those used for ostrich feathers, Woollon was able to create a material that had the same movement, softness, and volume as real feathers, but without the ethical and environmental costs. The company is now working to refine its production process and bring Fevvers to the mainstream fashion market.
