Hello! Would you like to introduce yourself and True Icon?
Hey! I’m Rob, the founder of True Icon. I’m a part-time student, part-time marketing consultant, part-time entrepreneur, and full-time peanut butter addict!
Where did True Icon all begin?
It began in sunny Brighton. After developing an understanding of how fashion affects the environment and people, I wanted to do something about it. Fast-fashion is an incredibly damaging industry, and I felt both inspired and challenged to make a dent in it.
In addition, True Icon carries an online magazine with it. It focuses on lifestyle issues such as food, fitness and technology, but with an ethical twist.
What does it mean to be an ethical brand?
An ethical brand must carry a series of values with it that makes it forward-thinking and progressive. This is both in terms of the wider industry in which the brand operates, but also beyond that. I believe that to be a truly ethical brand, the company must go above and beyond simply being more ethical than competitors or having a few CSR practices, and attempt to do everything the right way.
Can a non-ethical brand become ethical through restructuring their supply chain?
To some extent. Restructuring a supply chain to source goods and materials from ethically sound suppliers is a huge step in pushing the brand towards ethical production. But production doesn’t make the brand – the brand must embody an ethical identity to be truly ethical. Its core values must promote positivity and doing good.
Your products are vegan friendly, so what do you avoid, and what do you use instead?
In creating our products we realised it is inherently unethical to use animal products, no matter how they are sourced. As such, we will avoid animal products in every step of the process. In getting our tshirts printed, we realised that some inks come from animal sources. In addition, we use organic cotton, whereas regular cotton is often treated with pesticides which damage the local wildlife.
As we expand our range, we will avoid the use of leather, wool, and of course fur in the production of our garments. There are amazing alternatives out there already, and it makes no sense to continue using animal products in clothing.
What separates you from your ethical competitors?
Firstly, because I believe the ethical values behind our brand transcend typical business boundaries, I actually don’t view similar companies as competitors as such. We are united by a common idea. If any fellow eco brands would like to be featured in our magazine, then get in touch!
I am most proud of how far our ideas stretch though to ensure that every element of the product is as ethically sourced as possible. In addition, I’ve seen some ethical fashion brands leave the ‘fashion’ aspect behind. We’ve all seen some ethical clothing that’s… how should I say… aesthetically displeasing. I want to ensure True Icon is loved by people, regardless of whether they care about the ethical values behind the products or not.
Do you use any recycled materials in your products?
At the moment, all our tshirts are printed with organic cotton, but it isn’t recycled. We ship every shirt in a recycled and biodegradable bag, and also include a unique True Icon hanger, made of recycled paper that’s pressed so tightly together it’s almost as strong as wood. There are so many great materials being processed and created from recycled stuff that we’re excited to get working with these in the near future.
We also plan to open an upcycled range shortly, featuring pieces created by Kylie at Inlé Designs.
How can ethical consumer purchasing habits be taught or educated to the public?
I think most people are actually inherently inclined to shop more ethically. The problem is often the availability of good alternatives, and a level of ignorance about what goes into specific industries as common practice. For example, over the last decade, people have talked more and more about ‘sweatshop labour’ but I don’t think many actually understand what that entails.
True Icon takes the approach that we are spreading a message, not just selling products. This is why we created True Icon magazine. This educates our readers on more ethical living and shopping practices, and contains op-ed pieces on the ethical questionability of certain industries.
What are some of the positive effects that eco-brands like yourselves are having?
I think we are raising awareness of the ethical issues within various industries. Sometimes, these are issues that consumers don’t even consider. For example, I’ve had people say ‘hang on, organic cotton? Why’s that matter?’ having been oblivious to the issue before.
In addition, we are providing viable and ethical alternatives to mainstream products for those consumers who are already thinking about these issues and want to make a difference.
I also think we are slowly pushing the big competitors to react. Within clothing, this can be seen by big companies such as H&M introducing their Conscious range. They don’t want their profit margins squeezed by companies like mine, and thus introduce ethical ranges. Whilst some may see that as scary for small companies, I view it as a huge win if we can change the methods of mass consumption.
What advice would you have to businesses or consumers who were looking to be more ethical?
Start slowly and educate yourself. I see some people diving straight in at the deep end and throwing out all their clothes and buying a new range from ethical sources, becoming vegan, and trying to recycle everything. You’ll only burn yourself out.
It comes naturally the more you educate yourself. As I mentioned above, I believe most people ultimately want to do the right thing, but ignorance holds them back. The more you educate yourself, the more the right thing will become apparent to you, and the more it’ll come naturally to want to avoid companies and industries that are committed to dodgy practices.
Thanks Rob!
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