Announcing our latest project…

Hellooooooooo!

I hope everyone is doing well today :)

I wanted to take over this Sunday's newsletter to talk about a project I have been working on over the past month(s). I am over the moon knowing that this is now complete (well, pretty much) and super happy that I have the opportunity to share it with you, our readers.

For our new subscribers: let me quickly introduce myself. C'est moi - Chloé! I do a bit of everything at LUXTRA, but in a word, my role is… eventful. Between visiting local manufacturers, successfully rescuing parcels from basements where they have gone missing (honestly), visiting a circular fashion brand studio, and making sure that LUXTRA is on top of its impact goals, my week is always packed with fun and exciting things to do.

The B Corp certification revolves around the above 5 key areas

One of the latest additions to my to-do list is to manage LUXTRA's certifications. Our B Corp re-certification is coming up in April 2023 (B Corps must prove, every 3 years, that they are still worthy of the certification) and making sure that our goals are met is now in my hands - yay!

Despite the fact that I have to read through pages of documentation and write what feels like never-ending policies for our team, my heart is filled with joy to know that I am a part of a company that does good and wants to do better.

Now. Finally moving on to the purpose of my spiel today: I am very proud to announce LUXTRA's End Of (Product) Life programme!
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This is how I feel while writing this newsletter 🤩

As a B Corp, we need to submit an annual Impact Report, and and Goal #3 in our 2021-22 Report was to develop and implement a formal “End Of Life” policy for our products.

But first things first: what is an End Of Life policy and why is it necessary?

When we design a LUXTRA accessory, we envisage creating pieces that will follow individuals throughout their life. One thing that we can not control however, is the fact that products do eventually show wear and tear. We believe it's a company's responsibility to play a role in what happens to their products once they reach the end of their usable life. We hope this is decades into the future with our products, but it's something we need to be thinking about. As such, we have come up with a 3-stage plan for our products:

Re-Pair
Re-Sell
Re-Cycle

Meet Layla (right) and her grandma Patricia (left). Layla founded The Seam as an homage to her experience growing up with Patricia, a dressmaker.

RE-PAIR with The Seam

To ensure that our pieces can be enjoyed for as long as possible, we now offer free 2 year international repairs on all LUXTRA products. As we don't have sewing machines in house, I am proud to announce that we are partnering with our friends at The Seam: a collective of Makers who work wonders and help us with any repairs that may arise.

How does it work?

Any LUXTRA customer with a product issue can simply send us an email with their purchased details and we will take care of the rest. If an item is older than the guaranteed 2 years, we can of course help with contacting The Seam but the repair cost will not be covered by LUXTRA (at this stage - we're aiming to be able to offer free repair for life… but give us some time!)

Meet Kalkidan (right) and Vidmantas (left) - the co-founders of ethical fashion shop Sancho's and Owni.

RE-SELL with OWNI

As you might have heard these past weeks - big brands are “moving” into the circularity space. From Zara to Shein, fast and ultra-fast fashion companies are launching their own resale platforms. The news have been received with mixed feelings as these brands have yet to address the two issues around which their business models revolve: over-production and encouraging over-consumption… But we do give them kudos for making a start.

LUXTRA is also launching its own version of resale thanks to Owni: the destination to shop from responsible brands & second-hand sellers. You can now find pieces that have not passed our internal Quality Control and add your own. We encourage our fellow Luxtrites to re-sell their accessories if they are no longer in love with it (no hard feelings - pinky promise).

How does it work?

Anyone can create an account in just a few minutes by registering here, on Owni's website. Then it's simple: create a listing and help it find a new home. You can list as many items as you like for free (not only LUXTRA items), and shipping an item is easy: simply print out the pre-paid shipping label Owni provides and arrange an at-home courier collection.

Once the buyer has received the item sold, Owni will send the money directly to your bank account, minus 20% in fees. Easy right?! It's the way resale should be. Owni currently only operates in the UK but they have plans to expand into Europe and North America very soon. #staytuned

RE-CYCLE scheme

This is where things get tricky. As LUXTRA is only working with next-generation materials that have been developed in the last 10 years, we have yet to find a recycling scheme that can work with our materials. So once LUXTRA products are truly at the end-end-end of their life and can no longer be worn … what can we do?

We considered finding a partner that could take our bags and turn them into something new. We also thought about collecting all bags ourselves and then partnering with an artist who could make something new with them. But we have yet to find our Recycling Angel.

Therefore I would like to ask you, dear reader, if there is something that comes to your mind when we talk about recycling plant-based materials.

If you know of any good solutions, can you please let us know (simply hit reply and your email will come straight in our inbox) 💚

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Fluff ball of the week: Meet Patch

Patch is my bestie's favourite being - he is very fond of cuddles and coriander 🐰
Thank you for the pic, Ronja x