This month, YOOXYGEN, the pioneering responsible-fashion destination on YOOX, celebrates its 10th anniversary at the forefront of sustainable fashion.
Established on Earth Day in 2009, YOOXYGEN was the first online platform solely dedicated to responsible fashion. The last decade has seen it continue its mission to equip designers with the support network needed to explore responsible creative and production processes and provide customers with trustworthy fashion choices.
For the last 10 years, YOOXYGEN has continuously spearheaded initiatives that have brought together established and emerging talents from across the fashion spectrum to enable a better fashion future.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary milestone, on April 24, YOOX will debut WRAD x YOOX, a unisex sweatshirt made from organic denim by PureDenim. Using a cutting-edge mineral-dyeing technology called g_pwdr® (patent pending by Alisea Recycled and Reused Objects Design) which allows the reduction of water by 90% in the dyeing stage, graphite otherwise destined for landfill has been recovered in dynamics of circular economy to create vivid coloration without using polluting chemicals.
It’s the latest in a long line of innovative YOOXYGEN initiatives. Early collaborations with prominent brands and figures such as Ali Hewson’s EDUN LIVE, Livia Firth’s Eco Age and designers Katharine Hamnett and Vivienne Westwood benefited organisations including Green Cross International and the Organic Exchange charity. Along with the site-wide use of ecobox™ – packaging made using cellulose gathered under sustainable conditions – YOOXYGEN ‘s reputation as a leader in its field was widely acknowledged from day one. The use of ecobox™ to package every single order placed for 10 years has immeasurably reduced YOOX’s environmental footprint and set the benchmark that all e-tailers should meet.
Important partnerships with several global icons followed. In particular, in 2013, fashion icon and actress, Amber Valletta launched on YOOXYGEN her ethical brand Master & Muse, bridging the gap between style and socially responsible fashion. In 2016, she was joined by the actress and political activist Rosario Dawson, whose brand Studio 189 designed an exclusive capsule collection entirely made in Ghana to support the developing economic independence of local communities.
As well as having a global impact, YOOXYGEN’s environmental efforts have had local resonance too. For its launch in China in 2015, it collaborated with four leading Chinese designers on a “Green Power” mask collection from which proceeds were donated to The Million Forest Project campaign. As a part of a longstanding partnership with the British Fashion Council’s Estethica showcase, it created the YOOX Estethica Sustainability Awards the same year to support emerging Asian eco-fashion talents.
Elsewhere in 2017, it worked with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and swimwear brand We Are Handsome to debut the charity project, YOOX Loves The Reef, to support the preservation and restoration of the Australian coral reef system.
With education being a key pillar for YOOXYGEN, it has continuously engaged with new designers. Most recently in 2018, it transformed The Next Talents – the scouting project established by the late Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani and YOOX founder Federico Marchetti – into The Next Green Talents, requiring the selected talents to place values of sustainability at the core of their creative and production process.
YOOXYGEN’s union with The New School’s Parsons School of Design in 2017, meanwhile, bore the YOOXYGEN Award, an annual accolade that awards a student focused on sustainable practices a six-month internship and the backing to create a capsule collection.
The collaboration saw it adopt self-guiding principles, including Be Cool, Be Conscious; Recycle and Repair; and The Right Price is The Best Price, which formed the criteria for featured brands to adhere to as well as serve as inspiration for increasingly conscious consumers.
Sustainable fashion urgently needs to go big. For the past decade, we’ve promoted and supported the pioneers putting sustainability and inclusion at the heart of their creativity. As our customers increasingly look for conscious options, YOOXYGEN will continue to be a catalyst in making sustainable fashion the new normal.
Federico Marchetti, Chairman and CEO of YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP.
Amongst the next collaborations, in May, the debut collection from last year’s winner of the YOOXYGEN award, Marissa Petteruti, will launch. Entitled Amendment X YOOX, the 11-piece genderless collection is made from 100% certified organic cotton. It explores the theme of uniform dressing and transformable staples to reduce excessive consumption.
May 2019 will also see the third winner of the YOOXYGEN Award announced, marking a proud and progressive moment in the platform’s landmark year.
