GOOD CHAT WITH SPELL

Spell at Habitat Workspace Good Chat event

Good brands aren’t always good businesses, which is what makes fashion label Spell so loveable.

Not only did sisters Lizzy and Isabella take their dream from Byron market stall to international style icon, but along the way they decided to make Spell a leader in sustainability too. A boss move for any business, let alone one in the fashion industry, which is a crazy, complex minefield of challenges and unknowns.

Inspired by one email from a customer in 2016, Lizzy started on a mission that quickly went from looking into their supply chain and wanting to implement sustainable fibres, to a business-wide quest to do everything with people and planet at the forefront of their minds.

Today, sustainability is at the core of every decision Spell makes, as they push themselves by asking important questions like; “Are we walking lighter?” “Is this a force for good?” and “Will it drive change?”. And yet, most people only know Spell for their pretty dresses, which seems a shame.

So, we invited Lizzy to drop by for a chat and she delivered 30 minutes of non-stop inspiration for anyone thinking of making their business better.

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Here’s three of the many insights gleaned…

“Our sustainability journey started with one email from a customer. She basically wrote, ‘I love your brand, but I want to know more about how it’s made.’ That’s the power you have as a consumer.”

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“Instead of just changing suppliers, we worked with lots of them on improving the social and ethical well-being of their staff. This way, we were able to have a positive impact on almost 3,000 employees around the world.”

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“If you’re just starting out, try and build sustainability into everything. Yes, it does cost more, but we’ve also spent a lot going back and changing everything.”