This brand feature was crafted by V. Alexandra de F. Szoenyi, style and beauty editor who writes for publications including 7×7 and the SF Examiner.
Close your eyes. When you picture conscious fashion, what do you see? To many, it’s clothing made of hemp or tie-dyed spandex pants. But what about a sumptuous leather handbag that will last you beyond this season’s trends? Finnish accessories brand Lovia aims to provide just that. Remake recently sat down with co-founder Outi Korpilaakso on saving the earth and redefining the sustainable aesthetic.
“I went through working at one small fashion company and one very commercial brand, a burn-out and a move to a remote cabin followed before I decided to start my own sustainable fashion brand,” admits Outi about Lovia’s inception.
“Deep in the woods, I had an idea that I could justify my profession as a designer only if I would be able to do things ethically.”
With most fashion brands, the supply chain is a shadowy, faraway process, where most often both people and planet pay the price. At Lovia, the three co-founders, Outi, Anniina and Tiina, have stepped up to become activists in fashion through their human-centered decision making.
They’ve placed traceability and conscious creation at the center of their fashion brand. For each item sold on their website, Lovia lists the product’s “DNA”–materials, the sources of these materials, and the working conditions of the people who made them. Their bespoke Product DNA code is in every bag, so you can easily look up the history of your accessory without mystery. Rest assured, the line’s sumptuous leathers are repurposed from vintage gems or sourced from a factory that takes animals who have already been killed from government-led population control.
“The ethics behind the production process, how it’s actually made, was very important for me,” declares Outi.
Lovia will soon launch their first collection for men, so the gents can also get in on the conscious fashion movement. Current bestsellers include the new Kaiho and Aura crossbody bag, and the Karelia weekender. With fast growth not only in North America, but also Europe and Japan, Lovia is moving full steam ahead, with a commitment to their makers and the environment.
“Fashion needs more activists and we are proud to be on that path. I am sure people will value their things more when they know them in and out. In that sense, I believe that new engaging forms of transparency are the future of fashion.”
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