The Ganni Playbook: How to Get Started Creating a Responsible Business is the latest effort by the luxury label to help guide the fashion industry toward an ethical and circular future.
Danish luxury fashion label Ganni has published its first book, The Ganni Playbook: How to Get Started Creating a Responsible Business, authored by Ganni’s co-founder Nicolaj Reffstrup in collaboration with industry expert Brooke Roberts-Islam. This book aims to serve as a practical guide for managing a responsible brand in today’s fashion industry, where ethical considerations align with financial goals.
The Ganni Playbook delves into a dialogue between Reffstrup and Roberts-Islam, addressing critical issues such as carbon emissions in fashion and the ethical challenges associated with business growth. The discussion covers successes and failures, acknowledging the difficult trade-offs that come with striving for sustainability in the industry.
“I’d always thought I’d love to share our learnings with a wider community,” Reffstrup told British Vogue. “It’s by no means the perfect playbook for how to run a responsible business, but it’s a contribution.”
The book not only reflects Ganni’s commitment to responsible business practices but also serves as a blueprint for others in the industry to follow a similar path. By sharing its journey, Ganni hopes to inspire a new wave of responsible entrepreneurship in fashion — and Reffstrup puts an emphasis on “responsible” over terms like “sustainable”.
“The word sustainability for me is something that is circular and balanced, and fashion simply isn’t, no matter how you twist and turn it,” he said. “But that shouldn’t keep you from taking responsibility. We’re still hoping that one day we will get to a point when we can talk about a sustainable fashion industry.”
The label, now a Certified B Corp, has become one of fashion’s leaders in sustainability. It phased out all virgin leather last year, with Reffstrup likening the material to as outdated as smoking cigarettes. It has also put an emphasis of its “Fabrics of the Future” effort, partnering with innovative materials manufacturers such as Polybion, which uses bacteria and food waste to create vegan leather. The label also debuted “the world’s first” fully plant-based faux fur during Copenhagen Fashion Week earlier this year.
The fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters on the planet, accounting for about ten percent of global emissions. Much of this comes by way of the use of plastic-based materials such as polyester and nylon. In a new report from Fashion for Good, the organizaton revealed what it says is a $1.5 billion opportunity for fiber-to-fiber recyclng in the U.S. in a bid to keep these materials out of landfills.
“The findings of this project reveal a path towards a more sustainable U.S. textile industry, hinging on collaboration between brands, government, retailers, and consumers,” Fashion for Good said in a LinkedIn post. “Investment in research and development alongside supportive policies will fuel innovation in textile recycling.”
Set for publication by Penguin Random U.K., “The Ganni Playbook” will be available for pre-sale on June 12 through the label’s website and in select retail outlets globally from June 27. In alignment with Ganni’s dedication to sustainability, the book is printed on Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper, with both the binding and printing conducted in the United Kingdom.
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