Mara Hoffman teams up with LG on an eco-conscious capsule
A master of eco-conscious design, over the past five years Mara Hoffman has transformed her eponymous label into one that spearheads sustainable fashion. Now, the industry leader has joined forces with needle-pushing technology company LG to create NET-A-PORTER’s first fully machine-washable capsule
This May, Mara Hoffman celebrated the twentieth anniversary of her New York-based label. With fashion being a notoriously fickle industry, spending two decades at the forefront is no mean feat, and Hoffman is frank about the secret to her success. “We have gone through so many iterations of the brand. As a creative, it’s essential to reinvent yourself.” Hoffman is of course referring to the seismic decision she made in 2015 to put sustainability at the heart of her label. A natural-born designer, Hoffman has been making clothes since she was just eight years old, and after honing her craft at the illustrious Parsons School of Design, she went on to found her own label. It was a chance encounter in the year 2000 with Patricia Field, the iconic costumier responsible for the visionary styling of Sex and the City, and also Hoffman’s first wholesale customer, that gave her the confidence to strike out on her own.
“We have gone through so many iterations of the brand. As a creative, it’s essential to reinvent yourself
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From that point on, Hoffman’s label was on the ascent until a watershed moment in 2015 caused her to rethink everything. “My company was on this trajectory towards commercial success. We were doing whatever we could for the sake of growth, or rather, this one idea of growth,” she says. However, Hoffman, whose son had just turned three, became increasingly concerned about “the global and human impact of the fashion industry. I started wondering what I was leaving this little person.” What followed was a process of re-evaluation. Hoffman took stock of her existing practices; everything from manufacturers and fabrics to waste management and dying processes were reconsidered.
Currently, Hoffman is partnered with 13 eco organizations to ensure her company adheres to the most conscious methods of design and production. But, while Hoffman embarked on this sustainable journey before many other brands, she is keen to point out that it wouldn’t have been possible to make this change without the guidance she received from the pioneers who went before her. “We were so fortunate to be taken under the wings of people who were already doing it. There’s no solo work in this. You need collaboration to change the bigger picture,” she says.
It was in this spirit of partnership, and the desire to move circular fashion forward, that Hoffman’s new machine-washable capsule, created in collaboration with LG, came about. “I think being able to take care of your pieces at home is really important; knowing that they will maintain their shape and color is a really wonderful thing – it extends the life of your clothes,” says the designer. It’s in this emphasis on optimizing the longevity of our clothes, and caring for them in the most eco-conscious way, that the worlds of Mara Hoffman and LG come together, with LG’s AI DD™ Washing Machine using fabric-protection technology to extend the life of your clothes by 18 percent on average, and automatically sensing the weight and fabric softness of your clothes.
“Part of embracing a more sustainable existence really comes down to how you care for the things you have,” says Hoffman. It’s a sentiment that’s in keeping with LG’s #CareForWhatYouWear campaign, which was launched in an effort to unite people across the globe and remind them that one of the most effective ways to adopt a more eco-conscious approach to fashion is by caring properly for the pieces already hanging in your closet. Furthermore, while traditional washing machines may be notorious for using copious amounts of both water and energy, the AI DD™ is conscious of both. The issue of waste is a concern shared by Hoffman, which is why zero waste was generated during the production of this exclusive capsule. Finally, with its eco-friendly turbo-wash setting, the AI DD™ promises to cut your laundry time down to 39 minutes, while killing 99.99 percent of viruses and bacteria from your clothing by using special steam technology, which also reduces wrinkles.
When it came to designing her collection, Hoffman took similar care to respond to the sartorial challenges of the day. Each of her GOT-certified organic cotton and linen pieces – part of a portfolio of eco-conscious fabrics in the designer’s catalogue – pays homage to a signature Hoffman shape; beautiful and endlessly versatile, these pieces will work no matter where in the world you are. “It was about creating pieces that are easy to wear, comforting and also comfortable. Pieces that bring joy. Hopefully we will all be able to visit beautiful beaches – but there is also a reality that we may be wearing these pieces in our homes,” says Hoffman. Whether you do manage to book a getaway or you’re spending this season closer to home, Hoffman’s designs are sure to transport you to sunnier climes. “There’s an alchemy to fashion. When we put something on, it can create all sorts of feelings,” she says. “The clothes we wear can raise us up.”
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20 percent of the profits* from the sale of this product will be donated by NET-A-PORTER to Fashion Revolution Foundation. Fashion Revolution Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales (charity number 1173421). This donation is made possible by LG Electronics.
*‘Profits’ means the sale price of the product less operational and landing costs, including transportation fees, customs, duties, taxes, insurance, currency conversion, crating, handling and payment fees.