// Our (humble) take
Our take on The Kooples’s ethical and sustainable approach
// How we went about it
We look at a brand’s sustainable and ethical approach based on the information available. For this review we put ourselves in a customer’s shoes, relying on public information: what the brand publishes on its website and social media, and what third-party partners publish when the brand cites them.
We don’t claim to hold the truth.
// In short
🤝 To date, The Kooples' social approach seems to be non-existent. The brand is not transparent about where its clothes are made and mentions no audit guaranteeing that minimum social standards are respected in its factories.
⚖️ The Kooples' commercial practices are conventional: sales, no awareness-raising about overconsumption. Also, given the brand's pricing policy, we feel it could commit to being transparent in a way that justifies its prices.
01
The Kooples’s environmental approach
| Eco-friendly materials | Non eco-friendly materials |
| Linen | Cotton |
| Cupro | Acrylic |
| Modal | Elastane |
| Tencel Lyocell | Polyester |
| Polyamide | |
| Polyurethane | |
| Leather | |
| Acetate | |
| Wool | |
| Silk | |
| Viscose | |
| Cashmere | |
| Rubber |
Non-exhaustive list.
Percentage of eco-friendly products in the whole collection
Information published by The Kooples:
The exact composition percentages of the items are given on the product pages.
Among the few eco-friendly materials the brand uses are cupro, linen, modal and lyocell. However, these materials remain a very small minority.
The Kooples mainly uses non eco-friendly materials: "conventional" cotton, lots of synthetics such as polyester, polyurethane, acrylic, etc. Many materials come from animals; however, in 2016 the brand pledged to stop using fur and angora, following a campaign led by PETA.
💬 Our opinion:
🔴 Although it publishes the composition of its products, the brand shows no particular will to use eco-friendly materials. These remain a very small minority.
The materials The Kooples uses are very cheap (synthetics, conventional cotton, etc.) and do not seem at all in line with the prices charged.
Approach to environmental labels
Information published by The Kooples:
The brand gives no information. The materials do not seem to be certified and their origins are not detailed.
💬 Our opinion:
🔴 The brand does not seem to be committed to an eco-friendly approach at all.
Other eco-friendly initiatives
Information published by The Kooples:
The brand gives no information about a carbon footprint assessment, a CSR report, etc.
💬 Our opinion:
🔴 The brand does not seem to invest in sustainability.
Support for environmental NGOs or charities
Information published by The Kooples:
The Kooples collaborated with PETA in January 2018. For the occasion, the brand offered a vegan leather clutch, with all profits donated to PETA.
💬 Our opinion:
✅ This partnership is interesting, as it shows that The Kooples is able to work with more ethical materials.
🔴 However, The Kooples does not seem to be building on this initiative. No animal material seems to be certified, notably against animal cruelty.
R&D efforts and laboratory testing
Information published by The Kooples:
The brand gives no information.
🔴 The Kooples does not seem to be working on improving the sustainability of its collections.
03
The Kooples’s commercial approach
Sales and marketing
Information published by The Kooples:
The Kooples uses conventional communication: advertising, influencers (with the couple Vincent Cassel and Tina Kunakey), sales and promotions, etc.
What's more, prices are high but can't be explained given the information available: inexpensive raw materials and unknown production sites.
💬 Our opinion:
🔴 The brand doesn't seem particularly committed to responsible practices. When we looked at the website during the sales (February 2021), it was impossible to find the discount percentages or the original prices of the items shown as on sale. This lack of information shows no commitment to transparency.
Raising awareness and educating about overconsumption
Information published by The Kooples:
The Kooples gives advice on caring for your clothes (washing, care). However, this advice isn't given for every item. The brand doesn't communicate about the issues of overconsumption.
💬 Our opinion:
🔴 So The Kooples gives partial care advice for its items, and doesn't seem committed to raising consumer awareness of overconsumption issues.
This article was written by: Anna Demont, Beryl Tirali and Marie Nguyen.
