ABOUT
Sézane is a fashion apparel company known for its Parisian-inspired pieces, vibrant prints and positioning “L’Art et la Manière” at the heart of everything. They create quality pieces to last a lifetime, with the absence of intermediaries, flash sales or overproduction at fair prices yearlong.
IMPACT
People
Sézane states that they produce two-thirds of their items in Europe. Their leather goods come from Italy, Spain, and Portugal, and suits, coats, and some blouses from Eastern Europe. They produce their remaining third around the world such as Hong Kong, India, and some crafts from Northern Africa, and some knits and silks from China*. Their suppliers adhere to standards they’ve chosen, either BSCI, SEDEX, WCA, ICS or SA 8000. Sézane created DEMAIN (“tomorrow”), a charitable program that benefits three children’s organizations: “Voix de l’Enfant” and “Sport dans la Ville” in France, and “Pencils of Promise” in the USA. However, Sézane is not totally transparent as they do not show any supplier list on their site, and have not specified their Code of Ethics. Sézane does mention they have an internal Green team dedicated to environmental matters.
Product
70% of their materials are eco-friendly, such as flax, organic cotton and cellulosic materials Modal, Tencel, Cupro and Lyocell. 85% of their fibres are natural and are aiming to reduce their polyester usage. Some of their leather products are vegetable-tanned and they aim to have all their leather products be vegetable-tanned and chrome-free. They also use recycled materials, RWS certified wool, FSC certified viscose, EcoVero viscose, Tencel, and linen. Their Denim and Leisurewear lines are 100% environmentally friendly.
Packaging
Sézane reduced the amount of plastic packaging they use, and all of their French-made cardboard boxes have been switched to FSC-certified and/or recycled cardboard. They try to replace boxes with envelopes that are lighter (and hence less carbon-intensive to ship). They’re also in the process of streamlining their boxes, eliminating unnecessary labels and excess wrapping. They are trying to adapt the size and shape of the box to the items. To avoid packaging waste, Sézane provides flexible opt-out packaging options.
Planet
Sézane powers their facilities with renewable electricity. Sézane also aims to switch the power supply of their digital services to at least 50% renewable energy. The brand also practices circularity by employing recycled and regenerated materials in new collections, as well as creating garments made from just one material to easy fabric-recycling at the end of life. On their website, they have a ‘care and repair’ guide helping customers extend the lifespan of their garments. Their recycling programme, ‘La Grande Collecte’ is another initiative to help their customers recycle old pieces. Moreover, they can implement more practices to reduce the impact of their supply chain.
Principles
The brand works with environmental experts to obtain the most stringent certifications in every sector. They create collections four times a year, with the essentials of the season, completed every month by a small capsule. Sézane uses waiting lists to manage demand. On the brand’s website, they showcase their environmental achievements and set out milestones for the future. They have a responsible production model without intermediaries, without overproduction or sales.