Between Glamour and Guilt: The Sustainability Dilemma of High-End Fashion Brands

When Bulgari unveiled its new Shanghai boutique, wrapped in a luminous recycled glass façade, it showcased a futuristic blend of elegance and environmental awareness. This launch, however, brought to the forefront a pressing question that the entire fashion and luxury industry must urgently address: Can a brand sell exclusivity, indulgence, and rarity while also being sustainable? This is not just a philosophical debate, but a call for immediate action. This question lies at the heart of modern luxury. Today's customers demand craftsmanship alongside conscience, yet these demands often contradict each other.

Image Credit: MVRDV / Rich Honour / Studio Sclavi

The Identity Crisis of Luxury

Luxury brands have built their reputations on sourcing the rarest materials, including fine leather, exotic skins, untreated diamonds, and gold mined from remote parts of the earth. These materials symbolize wealth, status, and timeless appeal. However, we now live in an era where environmental activism and social responsibility are no longer optional. Consumers, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, are increasingly vocal, aware, and demanding of the brands they support. Their awareness and demands are not just driving the push for ethical production, recycled content, transparency in sourcing, and carbon neutrality, but also reshaping the very definition of luxury.

Fjällräven: From Extinction to Ethical Ambiguity To understand the depth of this contradiction, we can look at the iconic Swedish outdoor brand, Fjällräven. In the 1960s, founder Åke Nordin used Swedish fox fur in his products, which contributed to the near extinction of the Arctic fox in Sweden. This was a mistake the company acknowledged, and in a remarkable pivot, the brand adopted the Arctic fox (Fjällräv in Swedish) as its logo, not to glorify it, but as a commitment to never make the same mistake again. Since then, Fjällräven has built a reputation for environmental stewardship, partnering with conservation projects and producing gear designed to last decades. However, in recent years, the brand has faced backlash for discontinuing the use of recycled materials in some collections. Their rationale? Recycled fabrics didn't meet the brand's high standards for durability and longevity. This decision sparked a fierce debate, highlighting the complex trade-offs luxury brands face in their sustainability efforts. It's not a simple choice between recycled and virgin materials, but a nuanced understanding of durability, longevity, and environmental impact.

Luxury Brands Caught in the Sustainability Tug-of-War

Many high-end brands are making visible strides toward sustainability, but they often encounter contradictions. For example:

• Gucci claims to be entirely carbon neutral and has banned fur, yet it continues to use exotic leathers and promotes high-consumption fashion cycles.

• Burberry, after facing public outcry for burning unsold inventory worth millions, is now repurposing unsold garments and has committed to reducing its environmental impact. However, its business model still relies on seasonal overproduction.

• Chanel has invested in green energy and regenerative agriculture for its supply chain and has launched its first eco-responsible beauty line; yet, the brand still uses calfskin and exotic leathers in its core products.

• Prada introduced Re-Nylon, a line made from recycled ocean plastics, which has expanded into shoes, accessories, and ready-to-wear items. While impressive, it remains a capsule collection amid a much larger lineup rooted in traditional materials.

These steps forward are commendable but often fall short of what is truly needed: systemic change. In many cases, sustainability has become a PR layer, an attractive wrapper over business-as-usual operations. It's not enough to make visible strides; it's time for the luxury industry to undergo a fundamental, foundational transformation. The urgency for systemic change is apparent, and it's time for the industry to step up and make it happen.

The Jewellery Industry: Sparkle With a Conscience?

The jewellery industry faces immense scrutiny, as beauty is often built upon scarcity and extraction.

• Tiffany & Co. was among the first major players to disclose the origins of its diamonds by launching the "Diamond Source Initiative," which ensures the traceability and ethical sourcing of its diamonds. They now provide provenance information for every stone weighing more than 0.18 carats.

• Cartier co-founded the Watch and Jewellery Initiative 2030, advocating for responsible sourcing, reducing environmental footprints, and empowering communities in mining areas.

• Pandora, despite being a mass-market brand, made headlines by committing to lab-grown diamonds and recycled silver and gold. Their lab diamonds use 100% renewable energy, marking a significant shift in what "luxury" could mean.

• Chopard famously introduced the "Journey to Sustainable Luxury," using Fairmined gold and collaborating with small-scale mines certified for ethical labor and environmental practices.

Yet, even within this space, inconsistencies remain. For instance, lab-grown diamonds are often criticized for their energy-intensive production, while the concept of "recycled gold" has limitations if consumer demand continues to rise.

Bulgari's Glass Boutique: Symbol or Solution?

Returning to Bulgari's Shanghai flagship, its recycled glass exterior, crafted to shimmer like gemstones, acts as a striking metaphor. But does it reflect real progress, or is it just another layer of luxury greenwashing? Luxury greenwashing refers to the deceptive practice of presenting a brand or product as more environmentally friendly than it it is. Is this the future of ethical fashion, or merely a beautiful distraction?

Can luxury and sustainability truly coexist, or will one always come at the expense of the other?

We'd love to hear your thoughts. Where do you stand in this debate? Let us know in the comments section.

Arman POUREISA

Marketing Manager

Business Management Lecturer

Raffles Jakarta

Reference

Kucharek, J.-C. (2022, March). MVRDV’s extreme spec Bulgari storefront takes broken glass to a new level. Ribaj.com; RIBA Journal. https://www.ribaj.com/products/extreme-spec-bulgari-glass-storefront