American Vintage was founded by Michaël Azoulay over fifteen years ago. Since then, the company has succeeded like no other in combining French chic with an American casual look. “The French are more romantic, sensitive and emotional, while the Americans are more practical and cool and more comfortable in a t-shirt and something worn,” explains Azoulay. His brand – with over 155 stores worldwide and more than 25 points of sale in the Netherlands and Belgium – feels like a fish in water between these two worlds, to which the founder adds “the cosmopolitan style of Marseille, his native city”. A style that for many is already unmistakable and to which a new – if not quite so new – dimension has been added: sustainability.
With each collection, the number of ecological garments has increased, so that the proportion of sustainable items has doubled from year to year. A change that is more than necessary because, according to the United Nations, the fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world. “The company was founded in 2001 and the brand in 2005. This change and evolution did not form the basis of our company, but we have adapted. We try to do things with time and dedication, always in a way that is sincere and authentic to the product, the environment, the customers and the employees,” explains the founder. The classic cotton T-shirt, inspired by his travels to the USA, was the starting point for the French company before opening its first flagship store: made of quilted cotton with rolled edges, without a hem to create the characteristic loose drape on sustainability, which began with the brand’s spring-summer 2019 collection, organic cotton has become increasingly present in American Vintage designs: t-shirts, sweatshirts, dresses or jackets, everything has been made of it for three years Raw material that has been grown without the use of insecticides and herbicides.
When asked what the biggest challenge was in such a change, the founder answered without a doubt: “The biggest challenge was our sweaters. We started with very sensitive, fine and fragile materials.” The production and dyeing processes were very complex, the yarns were so sensitive that they could tear during the manufacturing process. The most difficult thing for him, however, was “not to confuse this fragility with a lack of quality – and above all, to make customers aware that these products require greater care and that they have to be careful when washing, drying or ironing”. It was a constant learning process that also led to American Vintage being criticized for the quality of the products. In the meantime, however, the brand has managed to “use the right yarn and develop the most suitable machines, needles, detergents and dyes,” explains Azoulay. “And our customers have learned to love these products.”
“The most difficult thing was not to confuse ‘fragility’ with ‘poor quality’ – and above all, to make customers aware that these products require greater care and that they need to be careful when washing, drying or ironing.”
Recycled materials and vegetable dyes
The use of recycled materials is one of the key pillars of the brand’s commitment to sustainability. For the past two seasons, American Vintage has “used recycled fabrics that have been shredded and fiberized, only to be respun, made into fabrics, or knitted into a new garment,” Azoulay says. A practice that will soon become mandatory as the future anti-waste law in France, expected to come into force in the first quarter of 2022, will ban the textile sector from destroying fabrics and require them to recycle surplus and apply an “eco-tax”. pay to reduce pollution.
These are materials with character that at the same time have a much lower environmental impact. Since its beginnings, the label has relied on a typical vintage look, which is also reflected in the brand’s Vegiflower line. For this line, American Vintage dyed the garments using vegetable pigments derived from plants, seeds and flowers. “It is a process in which only natural ingredients are used for dyeing, without any chemical additives. This allows us to achieve those subtle pastel tones that make each garment unique,” explains the company.
American Vintage shared this know-how with the public a few years ago: at the international festival of fashion, photography and accessories in Hyères, the brand organized workshops on vegetable dyes.
A sustainable denim collection made in Spain
However, American Vintage’s biggest asset this Fall-Winter season is undoubtedly the denim collection, in particular the Orywood jeans made with Dry Indigo eco-technology. Valencia-based textile company Tejidos Royo is behind this process, which allows denim to be dyed without a single drop of water. After ten years of research and innovation, 89 percent fewer chemicals are used, water consumption has been reduced by 100 percent and the company has saved 65 percent in energy. Fashion brands can really use innovations like this to meet the requirements announced at the COP26 climate summit last November.
This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.nl