Fashion and sustainability are often at odds. That’s where YOOX comes in. YOOX, one of the world’s leading online retailers, is bringing environmental awareness into the consumer equation. Giuseppe Tamola, YOOX’s Global Brand and Marketing Director, shares the thoughtful approach YOOX is taking to the fashion industry’s challenges — from creating a platform for shoppers to browse brands that put the earth first, to partnering with forward-thinking design programs and turning sustainability into a practice at every step of the fashion pipeline. As Tamola and YOOX show us, fashion doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive from sustainability after all.
What is YOOXYGEN? How is it different from other shopping platforms?
Since our inception in 2000, YOOX has had a steadfast commitment to conscious fashion. Our path has been long-term and forward-looking; in 2009 we launched YOOXYGEN, the first online platform for environmentally friendly and conscious brands, putting our dynamic retail force into enabling customers to make responsible fashion choices. On YOOXYGEN, one will find some of the most exciting social and environmental fashion brands, including Zero + Maria Cornejo, Veja, EDUN, TOME, ByBrown, and Wrad.
Can you tell us a bit about your partnership with Parsons? What does it entail?
Substantial change will definitely come from fashion’s next generation and we want to empower young designers to explore ways that will help fashion evolve in a responsible way. Parsons shares our vision and ideals, and in 2017, we launched the YOOXYGEN Award to offer one talented graduating BFA Fashion Design student the opportunity to come to Milan and design a responsible collection to be sold on YOOXYGEN.
The New School University Center Architectural photography from SOM. Photo credit: James Ewing
Who has received a YOOXYGEN award and what parts of their practice align with YOOX’s sustainability mission?
The 2018 YOOXYGEN Award went to Marissa Petteruti. Through her thesis collection, she demonstrated a fresh, holistic, and innovative approach towards responsible fashion. Inspired by ethnographic research of every-day wardrobes and supported by pragmatic theory, her collection features several pieces that are transformable and made from pre-existing garments, reflecting a sustainable design approach, and addressing the issue of conscious fashion consumption, through multi-functionality. Last year, the award was given to Ji Won Choi, who successfully launched her collection, JI WON CHOI x YOOX, on YOOXYGEN in April this year, as the culmination of her six-month internship. JI WON CHOI x YOOX was designed to encourage customers to think about the clothes in their closets and has proven to cater YOOX customers’ attention, achieving good commercial results
YOOX and VOGUE ITALIA presents THE NEXT GREEN TALENTS
How can customers best play a role in your sustainability?
Customers play an important role because they have the power to choose a more conscious option while shopping on YOOX. Our goal is to nurture and further support responsible fashion consumption, offering our audience an edited range of unique and compelling conscious fashion labels on YOOXYGEN.
