In the past years, fashion brands have been doing countless efforts to move towards sustainability. From creating products with recycled materials to addressing overproduction and making big efforts to reduce pollution and waste. The call to action is so loud that big fashion companies such as Louis Vuitton, Prada and Valentino are showcasing their efforts by making it part of their visual identities and creating sustainability logos.

Louis Vuitton’s new logo was part of the legacy of Virgil Abloh and was seen for the first time last year in the sustainable garments and accessories from the Spring/Summer 2021 menswear collection, which presented 25 looks made from upcycled materials.

Photo: Guillaume Rossi, courtesy of Louis Vuitton Malletier

The looks were divided into four different categories: pieces upcycled by recycling materials from overstock, pieces upcycled from recycled ideas, pieces upcycled through reiteration from the previous pieces and pieces upcycled as part of the “Homework” initiative. An initiative that during the lockdown invited the design menswear team to create freely without any specific objectives, there was only one rule to follow: the use of overstock materials. According to the show notes, Abloh was seeking to “de-programme our minds from the images of obsolescence that lead to overload, overproduction and waste”.

On the other hand, Prada's arrow tipped logo made its first appearance in 2019 with the Re-Nylon collection. Nylon has been the emblem material of the brand’s innovative concept of modern luxury and industrial beauty. In the past decades they have done extensive research to make a collection from fully regenerated nylon obtained from plastic materials gathered from oceans and landfills all over the world. In order to communicate the objectives and intentions of the collection, Prada in collaboration with National Geographic, produced a series of short films titled: “A Circular Journey”. In which they traveled between continents to keep record of the mechanisms and dynamics required to achieve this challenge.

Photo Resource: Prada

Not only Prada is using recycled nylon for the creation of upcycled accessories and garments, Valentino presented the “Open for Change” sneakers as part of the Spring/Summer 2022 collection. The commitment towards sustainability is not only showcased in the materials used for the creation of the shoes, but is also seen in the brand identity by using packaging made from recycled paper, the dust bag made from recycled cotton and of course, the re-designed logo with the iconic V at the center and two tipped arrows recalling the reduce, reuse and recycle symbol.

The new Valentino Garavani Open for a Change sneaker. IMAGE COURTESY OF VALENTINO

To give the user a full experience, the maison launched an Augmented Reality experience on its app where users can explore a virtual pop-up store and learn more information about the product.

It is expected that the eco-logomania will be just the beginning of a deeper path towards sustainability within the fashion world and that it will go beyond a visual aspect and marketing technique.