SPRING AWAKENING
Saturday, by all accounts, was a beautiful day for EDUN, which presented its first full collection since Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy purchased a 49 percent majority stake in the company in 2009. After a much-beleaguered past couple of years and and reported amassed debt of $11 million, the ethical fashion label founded by U2 rocker Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson has had to drastically reinvent itself: New chief executives, a move to New York City, and a dramatic sourcing shift from Africa to Asia.
EDUN was founded with the mission to create sustainable trade in sub-Saharan Africa.
But EDUN, which was founded with the mission to create sustainable trade in sub-Saharan Africa, doesn’t plan on reneging on its initial promises, despite what critics may seem as antithetical compromises. “I know the focus is to preserve the identity of the brand,” Sharon Wauchob, EDUN’s recently installed creative director, tells Ecouterre. “Giving jobs and producing product are so closely related; both have to work hand in hand.”
Celebrity guests Gavin Rossdale, lead singer of Bush, and his son Kingston, a budding eco-fashion fan!
Since signing with LVMH, EDUN who used to have production in India and Peru has since doubled their prices and moved their production to China. They still make some organic tee shirts in Africa, but the production side of it has changed significantly. They have also, cut down on their use of organic cotton in their main collection and are currently using conventional non sustainable fabrics and dyes. Sustainably, this is a step down for how they used to make clothing before joining LVMH. I hope they return to their original values in the future.