Angus Tsui, founder of the eponymous fashion brand, goes head-to-head with Sarah Fung, founder of pre-owned designer womenswear brand Hula, in this month’s great debate
Sustainability in fashion requires attention to a broad range of issues—including carbon emissions, pollution and waste, impact on biodiversity, along with fair trade and labor practices. With so many factors at play, we ask: Can fashion brands can achieve true sustainability without compromising on style and aesthetics? Offering their views on this big question are Angus Tsui, founder of the eponymous fashion brand, and Sarah Fung, founder of pre-owned designer womenswear brand Hula.
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Angus Tsui says: Yes, brands are already doing it
“A big yes! We never should or never have to compromise on style and aesthetics when it comes to sustainability. Brands like [mine] have been working on sustainable designs through collaborating with suppliers and manufacturers that provide solutions and technical advice.
“Taking my recent collection as an example: the futuristic denim designs were made with Better Cotton Initiative [a non-profit governance group that promotes better standards in cotton farming], then went through an environmentally friendly denim washing process, followed by [the application of ] paint. We also worked closely with Novetex [a leader in the textile industry] using upcycled yarn from the Billie System [a waterless system that upcycles textile waste] to create otherworldly knitwear designs without giving up on creativity and aesthetics. It is about creating something that is desirable in order to make these clothes last even longer.”
Sarah Fung says: No, fashion brands have a long way to go before they can be truly sustainable
“Not to sound negative towards sustainable fashion brands, but I don’t think producing something new can be truly sustainable unless it is fully biodegradable—a technology that doesn’t exist at scale. Using sustainably marketed fabrics still requires the material to be produced, which, unknown to many, may still produce gallons of wastewater and use chemicals that deplete the Earth’s resources. As well as that, we still need to consider its afterlife; it’s one more piece that will have to be discarded one day. However, upcycling an existing piece that is otherwise destined for wasteland can be truly sustainable, but the designer will have to compromise on their design as they are using only what already exists. Sadly, there is no ‘truly sustainable’ way to create new pieces right now, only ‘more sustainable’ methods being introduced. The only way to be truly sustainable is to buy nothing or to buy pre-owned instead of new.”