How has it been this long again?! The last you heard of me was my frustrations in the R&D world and how many iterations we had been doing. Fast forward a few months and I am basking in a glow of pride. I have achieved something. Okay, it’s not quite what I set out to achieve yet (and we are still working away on that), but we have designed and produced a pair of shoes that I can wear.
Year end 2021: what has happened and what is coming next?
If you’re not failing, you’re not trying:
The story goes, Bill Gates showed his business plans to 1,200 people, 900 said no, 300 showed some interest and 11 made him a billionaire. That’s not even 1%. Can you imagine if he gave up after the first 100 no’s or even the first 500 no’s? That’s quite a battering – 900 people saying they don’t believe in the business you’re building and it is testament to most entrepreneurs that deal with this on a nearly daily basis.
The Goldfish Mentality
The Fashion Industry is Ready
The one thing successful people have in common
There are days in everyone’s life in which we lack self confidence and the uphill road seems as though it’ll never end. We have a vision for the future and sometimes this becomes a bit murky and we wonder how on earth we’re going to get there from our current situation. The good news is this is completely normal and you are not alone in these thoughts.
The Rise of Slow-Fashion
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But first…fast fashion:
Over the past couple of decades, our fashion habits have been fuelled by the catwalk at high street prices. This has been driven by high street brands manufacturing clothes at lightning speed to keep up with the trends. The downside to this however, is that trends are just that – trends. They don’t last long and before you know it, your whole wardrobe isn’t ‘cool’ anymore.
This leads to consumers discarding their clothes almost as quickly as they bought them, and unfortunately this ends up in landfill, or is incinerated.
What are the Environmental Impacts associated with Fast Fashion:
But where does that leave the environment? Not in a very good place it seems. Over the last 20 years the increased speed of clothing and footwear production has seen a huge impact on our planet and according to Codo Girl, over 1.2 billion tons of CO2 is being emitted each year.
In order to make these clothes quickly, the use of man-made fibres such as polyester and nylon has increased. According to the Textile Exchange, polyester production accounted for over 50% of all fibre production in 2018 . Since this material is man-made, it cannot biodegrade. Over 73% of all disposals are dumped in landfill and can sit there for up to 200 years.
So what can we do to help slow fashion?
There has been a dialogue around ‘slow fashion’ for a few years now which puts emphasis on the quality of product over price point. Bigger fast fashion brands are starting to get some bad press around their sustainability efforts and the damage they are causing not only to the planet but also to their workers. All for profits.
This is not right. We all live on this planet and we all deserve an eco-system which works with us, not one we are at war with for the sake of a higher dividend at the end of the year. Of course, business exists to make money but those profits should go directly back into reaching a sustainable supply chain which in turn will make the product more desirable.
Lucy Rose and Slow Fashion:
Here at Lucy Rose, we put huge emphasis on the quality of materials used and longevity of the shoes. These are not to be worn once and tossed out to landfill. These are to be cherished, loved and respected. Just as those who make them should be too.
Until next time,
Em x
The Founder Dilemma
Comfort over style? Can you have both in a pair of high heels?
Human Connection
This blog post is going to be as humanly raw as possible. I’m going to open myself up and let you into my real world. Let’s start with a Lucy Rose update. We are working on the LR5 (or fifth prototype) which will be better than the last one and will be the one that some actual women other than myself can try on!