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Industry Spotlight: Q&A with Sustainable Brand Ivywake

In the second instalment of our industry spotlight series, we have spoken to Sam McCarthy, a valued customer and founder of sustainable clothing brand Ivy Wake. Sam has a passion for sustainability which he has conveyed through Ivy Wake and we wanted to have a chat with him about his brand and the future.

1) Why did you start Ivywake?

I started Ivywake to give people an option, a choice. At the moment there is a huge gap between high street/ high-end fashion and sustainable fashion.

This meant people either had to compromise on style to shop sustainability or had to compromise on sustainability so they could buy the clothes they liked.

Ivywake was designed so that people could have both, we design the clothes with timeless style in mind then create them using sustainable methods. This means you don’t have to compromise anymore, you can have both!

Organic cap

2) Why do you feel brand transparency is important?

I feel it’s important for our customers to trust in the origin of their clothing and if they’re curious to find out any more information about the manufacturing process of the clothing they are buying, to be able to easily.

I believe that this should be possible right from the very start of the supply chain they are able to find that out. That is why I decided to be totally transparent by putting Ivywake’s supply chain on the website.

3) Sustainability is clearly a passion of yours – why do you feel it’s so important?

Because there are no longer options for consumers, most people don’t truly know how bad the industry is. Because of the rise of fast fashion and the consumers reliance on it, it has created an environment which is quite literally toxic to the environment. If the fashion industry carries on in the way it is now, it will completely destroy parts of the planet to the point of no return.

This went hand in hand with a personal goal of mine; as well as tackling the fashion industry I saw there was an opportunity to effect real change to people who are in need of a helping hand in less privileged parts of the world.

Innovation africa

4) Tell us more about your work with Innovation:Africa

We are partnered with Innovation: Africa to bring life-saving medical equipment to a rural clinic. We donate 10% of every purchase to this clinic in order to raise $18,000. This will allow us to buy the solar panels, refrigerator (for medical and vaccines) and lights so the doctors don’t have to perform operations by candle light anymore.

Our partnership with Innovation: Africa allows us to save, change and empower the lives of thousands of people. With each donation, we provide desperately needed resources to a rural medical clinic, along with helping to provide solar installations at schools and health centres.

5) What’s next for Ivywake?

On the product side we are expanding our range into knitwear this winter which is super exciting. I will also be helping educate people on the need to start shopping more sustainability through talks, shows and getting involved in university programs. Ivywake isn’t just a brand to me, it is a means to help make a real change to the fashion industry and as a result, to the world.

Check out Ivywake on their Instagram to see more of their sustainable products.

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