Why Lily FORBES Is Refashioning Her Brand For Social And Environmental Responsibility
Photo courtesy of LILY FORBES
Written by Jessy Humann
LILY FORBES is a sans-seasons, environmentally and socially conscious fashion house that specializes in timeless silhouettes and high quality, unique textiles. The fashion house is dedicated to alleviating poverty through fair trade partnerships and reduces its environmental impact by thoughtfully sourcing materials.
Photo courtesy of LILY FORBES
The founder and owner of LILY FORBES, Lily Forbes Shafroth, just launched an exciting new capsule collection made entirely from vintage fabric collected from around Detroit. The capsule collection was created in part to raise funds for social justice in Detroit.
Lily's academic background is originally in geography, sustainability, and urban planning, and she largely studied systems of inequality and how to alleviate poverty for her undergraduate degree. She became especially interested in what reinforces systems of inequality, and conversely, which helps create more equality. Lily has always loved fashion, and she even did a semester at Central Saint Martins in London, but through her studies, she realized she wanted to create a more sustainable and socially-just world with her love of fashion.
When working on her undergraduate degree, Lily spent some time in India working for a fair trade production house, which spurred the creation of her first company Artful Scout, which she later dissolved. In 2018 she launched LILY FORBES and finally created her dream sustainable and ethical fashion brand.
Photo courtesy of LILY FORBES
Most recently, Lily has been working on a capsule collection made from vintage deadstock material. The capsule collection is 100% made in-studio in Detroit, with a majority of the recycled vintage material being sourced from Detroit as well. Detroit has long been recognized as the heart of the American automobile industry, but the city also has an important history in mid-century modern design, including furniture. A lot of upholstery material is often wasted, which is why Lily decided to upcycle upholstery material to use in her capsule collection.
The capsule collection, which includes 14 looks, is one of a kind and designed to be inclusive, which is why the silhouettes are flowy with wrapping closures. Every piece has a unique motif consisting of lace, moiré phaille, crushed velvet, organic cotton, nylon, and viscose satin.
Photo courtesy of LILY FORBES
Fifty percent of the profits made from the collection will go to the Detroit Justice Center, a local non-profit law firm that's working to transform the justice system and promote racial and economic equity. For Lily, it's important to give back as a business and support social equality in any way she can.
The amount of racism that exists in America and around the world is not new, and Lily wanted to create something that's timely and speaks to issues she's passionate about.
The release of Lily's capsule collection is a part of Detroit's month of design, which is held annually in the month of September-including fashion week exhibitions, but Lily wanted to approach fashion week in a new way. There's an incredible amount of waste generated not only during fashion week but by the fashion industry as a whole.
Photo courtesy of LILY FORBES
As a brand, LILY FORBES is based on the philosophy of environmental and social responsibility. The capsule collection is a fundraiser nested at the moment; one that celebrates and gives back to the city of Detroit, and Lily loves having something to share with her community.
For Lily, everything is related to social justice, including the fashion industry. One out of every six people work in the fashion industry globally, and a vast majority of those people live under-exploited circumstances. Many workers don't have their basic human rights met by their employer, and beyond that, garment factories often pollute rivers, waterways, and ecosystems-disproportionately impacting communities of color.
The consumer industry at large is a big problem. Companies will donate money to social causes even though their business models are based on exploiting people and the environment. Lily's hope for the industry is to create as much justice, environmental and social, as she can.
"The industry needs to dramatically change its practices,"
says Lily.
Even though her company is small, she'd rather be in line with her integrity than grow a bigger business by exploiting people or the planet. Small brands can build a collective shift in consciousness.
"Small companies will shift the aesthetic and consciousness that might inspire consumers. That's what I hope to do right now and I'm growing every day."
Lily sees herself as part of a larger constellation of the people she partners with and seeks to uplift small production houses that stand for her same values. All LILY FORBES pieces are produced with a fair trade production house in Delhi, India, that employs women facing caste discrimination and provides health and educational services. Fabric for pieces is intentionally sourced, with the environment and worker-wellbeing at the forefront of decision-making.
Photo courtesy of LILY FORBES
The cotton pieces produced to date are either organic cotton, vintage, or 100% handwoven by the Ali family (4 generations) outside of Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. The Ali family weaves cloth specifically for LILY FORBES, with fibers that are naturally dyed in a small, family-run, safe, and clean facility. The silk pieces of LILY FORBES are AZO free and handwoven with a fair trade house in Bihar or produced from recycled/vintage silk. Lily visits all the facilities she sources from to ensure production is completely transparent and ethical.
LILY FORBES seeks to inspire and challenge the thinking of consumers and urge them to make choices that are more socially and environmentally responsible.
The capsule collection will debut on LILY FORBES.co with select pieces on sale in Detroit is the New Black. Head to her website to shop the capsule collection and support social and environmental justice.
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