Andel Is Modeling a New Way Forward for Fashion

We know the world has no need for new things to consume.

This is not something you'd expect a brand that creates and sells products to say. Yet 'Why Another Brand' is proudly displayed on Andel's website. The journal piece aims to justify the oxymoron of sustainable fashion, while admitting to the challenge of solving systemic issues through consumption. "The whole system of the fashion industry has so many problems," co-founder and Cero Magazine's sustainability consultant Peter Dupont reflects. "Building a brand where we want to be mindful of our impact means we have to restructure the entire system.'

Founded by designer Oscar Miles, model Dupont, and researcher Weronika Banas, Andel is a triple threat of science and fashon, combining innovative materials and directional æsthetics with a clear understanding of planetary boundaries. "Our paths crossed as we've all been working to a certain extent in the fashion industry. In the middle of the pandemic, we started conversations of how we can improve a system that we've found not to be functioning very well. We wanted to create something new that will allow for a collaborative environment," Dupont explains.

Beyond this vision of systemic change is a business model that walks the walk. Andel is a cooperative, which is to say all employees jointly contribute to and benefit from the business through equal shares and equal votes. Co-ops are unusual to find in the mainstream fashion industry, where investors distant from the day-to-day operations ultimately control the majority of decisions, driven purely by growth logic. At present, Andel has yet to include its whole supply chain within the cooperative model, such as workers at the Swedish and Portuguese factories it sources from, but there are ambitions to scale up this democratic system for the fair distribution of power and profit across the board.

"There is no sustainability without talking about the finances," Dupont observes. "We would like to create a company that is not only sustainable from the material and production point-of-view; we wanted to create an environment focused on people. The structure and democracy of the co-op mean we make decisions together and not top-down. We believe this will make better and more sustainable decisions because everyone gets heard."

Primarily, Andel operates on a made-to-order basis, utilizing materials that already exist. For example, they regularly use deadstock, a term that refers to smaller quantities of surplus fabric from textile and clothing manufacturers that have been overproduced or unsold. The brand avoids virgin plastics and fossil fuel-derived materials, instead opting for locally produced cotton, hemp, and wool from sustainable farms like the ones working with the supplier Herd where this story was photographed. This attention to detail also stretches to the trimmings, such as 3-D printed bio-resin belt loops and buttons crafted from upcycled fabric waste.

To push these environmental efforts further, Miles, Dupont, and Banas are establishing a research and development lab in order to develop innovative new materials. Currently, the team is working on a new material that uses only by-products. "We are trying to introduce different methods of manufacturing informed by science and design to see how we can make things better," Dupont reflects.

Æsthetically, Andel's debut collection is distinctly utilitarian and self-described as 'collectible.' Each piece is designed to be worn by any gender, with basic silhouettes elevated by structural details. "The inspiration comes from workwear; we were inspired by its durability and functionality. We want to produce products that can stay with the customer for a long time," adds Dupont. "In order to justify investing in more conscious pieces, we've got a responsibility to deliver longevity and quality."

Supply chain transparency is increasingly gaining momentum as a crucial piece of the sustainability puzzle, allowing customers and other stakeholders to hold brands to account for the impact of their practices on people and the planet. In 2021, the Fashion Transparency Index found that less than half of the world's largest retailers disclosed their first-tier manufacturers. Transparency is important for small labels too, although it can be a challenge for new players like Andel to extract social and environmental data from their suppliers. To combat this, the brand attempts to communicate clearly to customers how its goods are produced and where materials are sourced. "We are extremely conscious about what we are bringing to the market and why. Every tiny detail has an impact," Dupont remarks.

To encounter a small, sustainably-minded fashion business is far from extraordinary in 2022. But a cooperative business model with a regenerative approach to materials and a thoroughly modern design vision is edging further towards something truly unique. Crucially, the founders refuse to gatekeep their ideas, instead building a practice that is fully scalable and replicable on both a local and global level. Perhaps we don't need anything new to consume. But we are desperate for a new system, and glimmers of this can be found in small but perfectly formed places.

For more information, please visit Andel-Co-op.com.