This brand has a section dedicated to responsible supply chain management and the importance of it. They mention efforts to increase transparency, and they also mention a code of conduct that strictly covers ethical workplace practices, however these things are nowhere to be seen by the consumers. Past statements of “conscious procurement of materials” they do not actually provide any information regarding their supply chain.
Les Deux places huge importance on community, and hence conducts a lot of charity work, such as building schools for Syrian refugees. We would also love to see if this dedication towards humanity transfers to their supply chain, provided they are more transparent about it going forward.
The brand says they have a “material strategy” revolving around chemicals, recyclable fibres, and more sustainable materials, but don’t give us any details about this strategy. No examples of what chemicals they do use. They say they use “clean fibres” in order to ensure recyclability at the end of use, but do not specify what this means.
They say that they aim to reduce the use of synthetic fibres and use more sustainable fibres such as cotton, linen, and tencel. They do seem to use predominantly cotton and linen in their garments, however we are not given a clear picture of their materiality.
They have made efforts towards the SDG 14 – Life Below Water by reducing their plastic usage of polybags by 50%, however it is unclear whether this only applies to their tshirts or for all the polybags within the supply chain.
They are also members of the BCI (Better Cotton Initiative), using cotton that is more sustainable- environmentally and socially, than its conventional alternative.
Overall, the brand uses many natural materials with the majority of cotton- conventional as well as BCI, and linen. Other natural materials used are leather and wool. They also use many synthetic and semi-synthetic fibres such as polyamide- recycled and conventional, viscose, polyester, and elastane.
This brand, in honor or including “SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production” in their brand’s values, launched an entirely upcycled collection using exclusively leftover materials. They also have a major (perhaps between 50%-75%) number of garments made of monomaterials which makes them easily recyclable at the end of use. The rest of the garments are materialblends which makes them very difficult to recycle later on.
They also partnered with Spanish brand Ecoalfto make a jacket made of 100% recycled polyester made from plastic bottles fished out of the ocean, this contributes to the brand’s efforts at circularity.
The brand itself is located in Copenhagen, but does not provide any details of their supply chain, so the length of their supply chain is unverifiable. They also do not mention their methods of transportation.
Les Deux is a member of the LWG (Leather Working Group), which ensures ethical treatment of animals as well as the workers within the supply chain for their leather products. The brand also uses wool, but does not specify any details of ethical sourcing.
Les Deux’s dedication to conscious consumption makes sure that the garments are designed to be used rather than just left in the closet and then end up in a landfill. This means that their clothes are durable and designed to be timeless. They are designed to be styled in a variety of different ways. The brand also has a page dedicated to care tips, to keep the garments in use for as long as possible.
This brand does not do too well regarding transparency, providing no details about their production or sourcing, transportation, packaging, etc. The only thing we can commend them for is their transparency on their charity projects, spreading awareness regarding important social topics.
Conclusion
Les Deux still has a long way to go to be called a sustainable fashion brand, however are making efforts with their charity work.
