Christian Wijnants

The brand provides little information on the countries of final production in the product descriptions- Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Macedonia, Spain, and China. This assures us that most of the production in European countries is conducted ethically. However this cannot be assumed for certain European countries or China.

The brand mentions the use of FSC Viscose, which is a certification by the Forest Stewardship Council based on rigorous standards of responsible forest management, ensuring the benefit of the lives of local people and workers as well as economic viability.

Aside from this there is no information provided regarding the actions taken to assure ethical sourcing and production of the garments.

Christian Wijnants uses natural materials such as cotton, linen, silk, wool, and leather, as well as synthetic and semi-synthetic materials such as viscose, rayon, spandex, polyamide, polyester, nylon, elastane, and acetate. A majority of their website states the use of cotton, as well as organic cotton, however the certification is not provided. They also use FSC Viscose, which ensures better management of the forests and biological diversity.

Their website also shows the use of synthetic fibres a lot, which is not ideal for the environment, however a lot of it is monomaterial which makes recyclability easier, more will be said about this in the circularity section below. 

Apart from this, there is nothing stated regarding their additional actions to contribute to the planet.

This brand has a lot of monomaterial garments, which makes them easier to recycle at the end of use. However it also has a few garments with synthetic blends containing more than 30% synthetic fibres, which reduces the recyclability.

Aside from this, the brand does not mention circularity related activities anywhere on the website; however, they are supposed to be collaborating with Okret to upcycle and recycle their fabrics, which would be a great plus point regarding their circularity.

The brand is located in Antwerp, and most of their final production is conducted in Europe, however some of it is done in China, which disadvantages the travel emissions. . Some of their yarn is sourced from Italy, which is a good sign, but no more information is given regarding the rest of the production chain. Transportation methods of products are not clarified either.

Christian Wijnants uses silk, wool, and lambskin leather for some products, but none of the materials are certified in relation to animal welfare, or said to be sourced ethically.

This brand’s designs are timeless, and because Christian Wijnants is a luxury designer, we’re able to assume the materials and garments as a whole are of high quality and long lasting. 

The products are brightly coloured and innovative, eluding temporary trends, which ensures that they can be used over time, regardless of the change in trends. Be sure to take good care of your garments and cherish them forever.

The transparency of this brand is very lacking, considering the only thing regarding sustainability mentioned on the website is the final production locations (only the country). Materials are stated on every product description page, however certifications of the materials are not provided. If the brand provided more transparency regarding their partnership with Okret we may be able to reflect their efforts at sustainability better.