RetailCraft podcast episode #27 is available to stream on Apple Music and Spotify now.
Join Ian Jindal and Vanessa Barboni Hallik for a delightful discussion on the ambitious start-up Another Tomorrow that blends luxury fashion with sustainability.
From designing an eco-friendly interior for her Bleecker Street store, to driving the circular economy through traceable QR codes, we spoke to Hallik about the inspiring steps her brand has taken to build a greener future.
Digital Editor, Scarlette Isaac, covers the key points of discussion.
Describe the journey from finance to becoming the founder of your sustainable brand?
“It was time for me to find my own personal alignment,” explained Hallik.
“I thought I would do that in finance, but during my sabbatical, I took an academic research approach to understand how these major industries were messing up the planet. I just found fashion to be – I was just floored and it was truly the first time, at least career-wise in my life that I felt called to do something. I really felt compelled to be a part of this solution.
“And so that was how it all started…”
How did you get a grip on sustainability without becoming overwhelmed?
“The crux of the problem in the industry is overproduction and the intensely speculative nature of the industry, which adds so many layers of risk to the entire system. This is ultimately what lends itself to needing the lowest cost production possible. So, arguably, we started in a very attractive part of the market, which already had a very significant white space in a traditional sense, which is hard to find in a very competitive market. And we also start from this place of clothing as an asset. So when we talk about luxury, what we’re really talking about is clothing as an asset.
“That really cuts to the heart of what I see as the core challenge of this disposability, overproduction in the industry. You can use whatever perfect chemical management program you want, but if we continue to overproduce at the levels that we are now and have things going into landfill, it really doesn’t move the needle.”
On circularity
“We embedded resale in the business from the very get-go. So our technology approach today offers full traceability of every single garment, which really cuts to the heart of the greenwashing. I’ll have to show you the QR codes on the care content label.
“Early in Q1, you’ll actually be able to use that same code to activate the garment for resale and we can actually authenticate it. We make sure every single piece has the longest life cycle possible.”
To find out more about the fascinating world ofAnother Tomorrow, you can listen to the full podcast on Apple Music and Spotify.
Download a transcript of this episode here.
