This Fall 2021, GUESS is leading the way in circular and sustainable denim with its Smart GUESS collection. The collections, detailed below, are a testament the brand’s significant progress made on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) topics since they first announced their sustainability plan in 2016.
In 2021, GUESS became the first in fashion to have its sustainability report externally reviewed at the reasonable assurance level by Big 4 assurance provider KPMG. The collections and transparency demonstrate their commitment to creating new designs and styles that can make fashion and sustainability go hand-in-hand.
GUESS x Jeans Redesign Denim
This collection follows the guidelines developed by the Ellen Macarthur Foundation’s Make Fashion Circular Initiative, which take a wholistic approach to sustainability from the materials to the design to the product’s end of life. The GUESS x Jeans Redesign guidelines prioritize quality and durability, materials health, transparency, recyclability and worker welfare. This denim is made with 100% organic cotton, is produced with water saving wash technology, and uses naturally harvested buttons and jacron back patches made from recycled paper and natural glue. Metal rivets have been completely designed out and replaced with embroidery tags. From the inside out, this high quality denim style is designed to last, while made of at least 98% natural, renewable resources that can easily be recycled or eventually go back to the environment.
GUESS Reborn Denim
Also available this Fall is GUESS’s Reborn Denim produced with eco processes and made with a minimum of 90% sustainable materials. The recycled materials come from second-hand denim and excess fabric from industry production. These materials are refined to create a beautiful, soft denim that helps to eliminate fashion waste, reduce reliance on precious natural resources while also offering a fresh take on GUESS styles. In addition, the denim is designed with antibacterial technology that offers protection from bacteria and reduces frequency of washes needed.
Some of the products in this collection are also made from TENCEL™ branded fibers with REFIBRA™ technology which involves upcycling cotton scraps from garment production. These cotton scraps are transformed into cotton pulp. A substantial proportion – up to one-third – of this is added to wood pulp, and the combined raw material is converted to produce new TENCEL™ fibers to make fabrics and garments.
TENCEL™ lyocell fiber manufacturing process has a closed-loop production concept. This process converts the pulp into cellulosic fibers, by optimizing resources and reprocessing waste into energy for the next production. Thanks to TENCEL™ fibers natural ingredients – clothing products that contain this fiber are able to decompose back to nature, making them safe for the environment and contributing to reduce pollution.
In line with the sustainability plan, in October this year, GUESS in Singapore will participate in the credential campaign initiated by TENCEL™. GUESS will reveal more on their sustainability initiative as well as new conscious collection with eco-friendly materials.
Smart GUESS Fall 2021
The collections embody VISION GUESS, the company’s new sustainability plan that is rooted in the brand’s heritage – but fueled by a new energy for the planet and the future. In combination with the company’s other eco styles, all under the umbrella of Smart GUESS, featuring mini dresses, blouse, shirts and keffiahs made out of organic cotton, recycled cotton, polyester and nylon, TENCEL™ and REPREVE® fabric which is made out of recycled materials (including plastics bottles).
VISION GUESS
According to “VISION GUESS” – its fourth sustainability report covering fiscal years 2020 and 2021 that has achieved reasonable assurance with “Big 4” Accounting Firm – the company details its significant achievements including increasing its eco SMART GUESS denim product offerings by 18%; increasing its global, certified sustainable materials across brands; and achieving gender pay parity for both its U.S. Corporate headquarters and U.S. Retail operations.
Sustainability targets announced in the company’s new VISION GUESS plan include replacing virgin polyester with recycled materials, increasing sustainable denim offerings to 75% within three years, and reducing corporate greenhouse gas emissions by 50% and supply chain emissions by 30% by 2030. GUESS’s ambitious greenhouse gas targets have been approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative, an industry group of over 1,000 businesses leading the way to a zero-carbon economy.
Shop the eco-fall collection online here.
