BRAND SPOTLIGHT: SELECTED
Danish brand SELECTED have been with us at AIDA since our doors opened in 2012 and have remained a constant on our shelves ever since. We love this brand not only for their timeless Scandinavian style but because at their core they are passionate about sustainability and bringing about the change so needed in the fashion industry.
Born and raised in the heart of Denmark, Selected Femme/Homme is part of Bestseller, a Danish family-owned fashion company founded in 1975. ‘Responsibly crafted’ is their brand’s philosophy, and the company is always looking for restorative ways of designing and producing that support their ethos, which includes everything from reducing their environmental impact to supporting human rights and animal welfare.
“As a part of the fashion industry, we see it as our responsibility to stand up for more sustainable and innovative ways to do fashion. We strive to be pioneers in this field and to inspire other brands to do the same”
Daniel Mayer, Brand Director at Selected.
“We continue to challenge the way we design and produce our garments. To gradually upgrade our products for longevity and a smaller footprint. We’re determined to keep learning, trying and improving”
Magnus Loppe, Designer at Selected
Since 2017 they have been working with their global suppliers in China, India and Turkey to bring fashion forward. Bringing over 70 members together at several events in order to embed sustainability into Selected’s production and design. It’s a way for them to share knowledge in a collective effort so that they can move their sustainability practices forward as a whole.
The materials they source for their collections are chosen to have the lowest footprint. This means they have less environmental impact on the climate, they preserve water resources, use renewable energy and safer chemicals during production. And they require documentation for all organic or recycled materials used.
Animal welfare is a very important topic for them, they ensure all materials used in production are done so with a respect for the animals, farmers and their land. For example, they use a large amount of wool in their production, but they have a strict policy that no animal is harmed during the manufacturing process, which includes the banning of using any wool from sheep that have been raised using the appalling cruel mulesing practise. They are also a fur-free company and no longer use silk, replacing it with a range of TENCEL™ which gives a similar feel and more importantly ensures no silk worms were harmed or killed in the process.
They also look after the people they work with. Their factories are all chosen based on them meeting their correct standards and are visited regularly by the Selected teams as well as third-party auditors to monitor their social and environmental performance. One of the factories in Bangladesh has 8 full time doctors employed for the workers. They have a kindergarten, a canteen with healthy food and programmes to teach the female workers about hygiene, nutrition and the economy. They believe that by helping a country develop, they help the people thrive as well.
Their biggest t-shirt factory is in a village of about 13,000 people just outside of Dakha, Bangladesh where they spin their own yarn, dye it, then knit the fabric themselves. The water used for dying is run through a filtering system which separates water from sludge, after which the water is so clean it’s drinkable. The sludge which is made from non-harmful chemicals and dyes, collects in tanks and is made into bricks to build houses. Just another insight into how Selected operate as a company and a perfect example of their reuse of waste materials.
They also focus on the longevity of their clothing, which means they source only high-quality materials and design their new collections with purpose and versatility in mind so they can be items that are made to last and can be cherished for years, becoming new classics in time.
Their in-house laboratory tests all the materials they work with to ensure the quality and durability of their clothes. And they help consumers to properly care for their garments with their free Garment Care Guide available in their stores or on their website, or customers can bring any damaged clothes to be repaired at any Selected store.
Selected are passionate about becoming a more circular economy, one where products and materials are considered as ongoing resources to be recycled again and again and last longer. It’s a shocking figure that today currently less than 1% of fibres used in fashion are recycled into new clothes. Selected want this to change and have a continuous education through their team on designing for circularity, knowing that every decision at each stage taken by designers and product developers is critical for how a garment can become circular - from raw materials and production, to use and recycling.
With every new collection they use an increased use of organic, recycled or other certified and branded materials year on year. Promoting conscious consumerism by highlighting which items contain organic, recycled or other certified and branded materials on product tags so that consumers can make considered choices when shopping.
Their ultimate strategy is to move their brand forward until they are climate positive. Where all their owned and operated buildings globally are powered 100% by renewable energy. Their innovative and honest approach is a huge step towards making real change in the industry. And they encourage you to take small steps, like choosing more ‘responsibly crafted’ products, wearing items a few times before washing them and when we do, wash at 30 degrees on a short programme (it has been measured that the biggest impact on the environment related to garments comes from our own laundering). Also, buy something you like, keep it for a long time, and take care of your garments so they will last. This brand shows us what can be achieved by slowly, with dedication, working towards becoming more sustainable. Their message is don’t be afraid of not being perfect, as sometimes that is the biggest obstacle, they are not perfect either, just bit by bit do what you can and together we can achieve great things.