Longchamp recently came out with their MY PLIAGE SIGNATURE bags. Basically, you can customize them however you want with the relief of knowing that they're eco-friendly. But if a bag is mass-produced, is it really eco-friendly? It seems like that's the opposite of being sustainable. You know the saying, reduce, reuse, recycle. Sure they're reusing recycled plastic bottles to create the fabric but they're not helping the reduce part of being sustainable when we're still consuming the bags and they're creating more products. Guess you can say the same for any brand that boasts about being sustainable.
Personally, I'd rather buy a bag that was made from recycled materials but hopefully they're not creating these bags just to hop on a trend of being sustainable.
This is a super complex issue that I also think about a lot! It's kind of like when Gabriela Hearst and Gucci announced they were going carbon neutral, which sounded like a major commitment, but then half the fashion industry followed suit so fast I wondered how much of a commitment this all really was. It seems to me that, as with many things, sustainability is more of a spectrum than a binary, so it's hard to say whether a brand is "sustainable" or "not sustainable." Ultimately it seems to be about looking at their choices, and while things like making fabric out of recycled plastic, holding carbon neutral runway shows, etc are all good steps, chances are there are other aspects that these huge companies need to work on in order to further reduce their impact on the environment. I applaud any effort towards more sustainable practices but believe impact is as important as intent, and some brands have been moving a little too slowly for our deteriorating climate, even if in the right direction. I definitely think that's also affected by an environment of corporations and government officials not caring enough, but I hope all these sectors make a bigger change sooner rather than later, and in the meantime I guess all we can do is continue to be vocal and have these discussions about the nuance behind it all.
I feel the same way about Patagonia. They continue to produce mass amounts of products despite their mission to be sustainable. I guess I would rather purchase clothing from a brand that is at least taking sustainability into account rather than one that doesn't care at all. I agree that we can be vocal and use our voices to "cancel" the brands that aren't doing anything to combat the environmental issue and stop buying from them. Some steps are bigger than none.