A guilty admission for someone on an eco-conscious bender: I love to shop. But there is nothing better than scoring a unique vintage (and thus: eco-friendly!) find at a foreign vintage emporium (like at Lisbon’s A Outre Face da Lua and Veronique, which I recently visited).
The Reformation Creative Director Yael Aflalo shot in the company’s LA Studio for LA Weekly.
That said, I feel as if I’m behind the times discovering the venerable brand The Reformation.
The clothing brand’s founder, Yael Aflalo, after sourcing manufacturers in China for her previous label Ya-Ya, grew disgusted by the environmental practices and rampant pollution she saw during a trip there. Instead, she turned to one of our least-valued resources: the trash.
Not only does the production of new clothing cause untold environmental damages (from the use of dyes to bleaches to the farming of cotton), but 12.7 million tons of clothing go directly into American landfills each year (TheReformation.com). The Reformation picks through this American refuse and makes newness out of old goods—case in point, the lace Apollo Jacket at left.
The company states that they “repurpose vintage and surplus materials to create a chic, limited edition collection.” Everything is made in New York and L.A. and sold online and in their stores at prices certainly not egregious given the quality of craftsmanship and eco-friendly purposing.
The world of The Reformation is not a trend, but an increasingly-necessary way of life, and one I’ll happily get onboard with. The repurposing of old goods is one that allows consumers to indulge their stylish side while knowing that feeding a stylish creativity need not contribute to an already environmental damaged world. Instead, we can, with The Reformation’s help, make treasure out of the trash humanity leaves behind.
