Since the start of the pandemic, our online spending habits have skyrocketed. The result of a year spent overwhelmingly indoors has seen many of us spending more time on our devices than usual, increasing our propensity for online shopping tenfold as boredom, stress and the sudden awareness of everything we lacked in our surroundings fuelling our online expenditure. However, despite our appetite for digital shopping in 2020, we too took a long hard look at the areas most deserving of our wealth, preferring to allocate spend on fewer, better and more desirable items with a view to longevity and less waste.
Terms like 'environmentally-friendly', 'green' and 'eco' are often banded about — but perhaps a more fitting term is sustainable, whereby there is at least one noteable way in which the product benefits the environment in the long run. As we enter the Christmas shopping period, we urge you to pause for a second and ask — are you purchasing something that the recipient will use once and throw away, or treasure forever? Does it give back to the world in some way, whether that involves using artisans in the creation process over mass production, paying workers a fair wage or lower-impact materials. These are the questions MATCHESFASHION have been asking as part of their Responsible Edit, an ongoing curation of pieces by brand partners who are at the forefront of integrating specific sustainability considerations into the fashion industry. From those who are forging positive relationships with the people in their supply chains to those taking responsibility for their sustainable practices, shopping more consciously within the luxury sphere has truly never been easier. Split into four categories, participating brands must adhere to at least one, either championing an artisanal manufacturing process, positive change for the people in their supply chains, contributing to charitable causes, or create product containing more than 50% lower-impact materials.
‘We are always looking for great design first and foremost, and then we look to the processes behind those pieces,’ Natalie Kingham, MATCHESFASHION's fashion and buying director explains. ‘This is led by our customer, who is really interested in where a product is made, how and by whom, and what it is made from. This is how we have always done things, but now we’re giving that knowledge to our customers in one place.’
Of course, at this time of year, you want to find the perfect gift for him, her or yourself - and now more than ever it is possible to invest in timeless luxury that’s a little bit kinder to the people and environment around us. Whether part of the Responsible Edit or not, even the act of buying luxury in itself - with a focus on buying fewer pieces that boast quality craftsmanship and longer term wear - is a move in a more conscious direction.
Discover Port’s selection of the best sustainable gift ideas for Christmas 2020, all available to purchase now at MATCHESFASHION.