FASHION and LANDFILL

The leading Israeli fashion company, comme il faut, never ceases to astound with the use of contrasts and creative initiatives, combining fashion with all sorts of subjects that one would not normally associate with an industry notorious for skewing our perceptions of beauty and for driving frenzied consumerism in the name of keeping up with the trends. comme il faut is no stranger to provocation. Usually, this is directed at raising awareness of difficult issues in our society, social or environmental, as part of the company's deeply embedded values and social responsibility. This was recognised by Ethisphere who counted comme il faut as one of the world's most ethical companies this year.

Over the years, through its fashion campaigns,  the company has addressed head-on many feminist issues, blowing away myths that prevail in our society and denigrate the position of women, such as how women eat, how women dress, the "invisible"work that women do in the home and more. Way back in 2004, the company made BBC and CNN headlines when it staged a photo shoot at the controversial Israel-Palestine separation wall in an attempt to raise awareness of this painful issue. In 2009, the company ran a campaign supporting women who are trapped in prostitution, requesting customers to bring in old bras for use in an artistic exhibition, whilst making a contribution to support rehabilitated prostitutes make a new life for themselves.

Environment-wise, the company is slow-fashion to the core, low-carbon and an ultra-recycler, and almost nothing is not reused in comme il faut. Even the carry-bags for customer purchases are rejected bags from a cement company that would otherwise go to landfill.

But what prompted this post is the new collection fashion show which was held last week on the site of Tel Aviv's massive eye-sore landfill dump which has now been converted into an Industrial Recycling park. The choice of this site was no coincidence, of course, attempting to drive home once again the role of responsible fashion in our society, and the need for eco-consciousness. The contrast of beautiful designs against the backdrop of the biggest dump in the Israeli metropolis was something that no-one could miss comtemplating upon!

Some photos:

Kudos to this wonderful company who never fails to embrace responsible and sustainable practices as part of its core brand.

(Disclosure: :) We consult to comme il faut, have witten their first CSR report, ethics code and more,  and have been involved in the ideas behind many of the Company's social campaigns over the last few years. We introduced comme il faut to the Tel Aviv dump! and we are glad (and proud) that the event was a resounding, and not too smelly,  succcess!)


elaine cohen, CSR consultant, Sustainabilty Reporter, HR Professional, Ice Cream Addict. Author of CSR for HR: A necessary partnership for advancing responsible business practices Contact me via www.twitter.com/elainecohen  on Twitter or via my business website www.b-yond.biz/en  (BeyondBusiness,  CSR consulting and Sustainability Reporting firm)