We all love Rixo, but how ethical and sustainable is it?
Rixo has come on quite the journey since founders Henrietta Rix and Orlagh McCloskey launched the brand in 2015 as students in London.
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The duo met at the University of Arts London, and embarked on a journey to create the unique and vintage-inspired brand, designing pieces to evoke a ‘free spirit’ in wearers and to cater to every woman, ‘irrespective of age, season, size, nationality or time of day.’
To this day, the inspiring women still own 100% of the brand, holding full control of every aspect – from styling, to design and yes, sustainability.
So is this a priority for the brand? Let’s dig a little deeper.
Can you recycle beauty products at home?
This is where things get a littleee tricky. Beauty products are often packaged using a range of materials, some recyclable and some not e.g. your eyeshadow palette could be made using recyclable cardboard, but also mirrors and magnets which aren’t recyclable.
Your best bet is to check the label of the packaging to see if any of it is able to be recycled and separate it out that way.
Alternatively, some beauty retailers/brands are offering to do the hard work for you! Here are the ones that offer recycling schemes and how to utilise them.
Is Rixo sustainable?
While Rixo doesn’t have a published sustainability policy on its website, the brand’s co-founder Henrietta shared in an interview that the brand’s focus is on creating investment pieces that will last a long time, as inspired by what consumers today are looking for.
Last year, the brand also released an environmentally conscious swimwear line. The collection consisted of 16 pieces made with 100% recycled materials, particularly Q-Nova, which is a nylon fibre obtained from regenerated raw materials.
It is worth noting though that the other collections from the brand are not labelled sustainable.
Meanwhile, it does claim that it tries to reduce its carbon footprint by ensuring that the production of its garments happens in one place. ‘The final garment is produced in the same region where the fabrics and components are sourced,’ the brand says.
Rixo releases a collection each month, which may not be as frequent as fast-fashion brands, but is still a fast pace for a fashion brand.
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Is Rixo ethical?
Rixo prides itself on being a brand that is ‘always inclusive, always empowering.’
While the brand doesn’t have a published ethical policy on its website, it says that its suppliers — which are mostly from India and China, and one from Italy — are ‘like family’ and that their work with them is ‘about collaboration.’
Rixo also says that the brand pays ‘fair wages’ to the workers in their suppliers’ factories and that it ensures each one enjoys a safe working condition.
Rixo’s Animal Welfare Policy
Rixo also doesn’t have a published animal welfare policy. It works with a family-owned factory in Manesar, India for its leather products but doesn’t share how the material is sourced and handled.
Conclusion
We love Rixo here at Wear Next. The female-founded and independent fashion brand inspires our wardrobes constantly.
It would be great to see more transparency from Rixo about their practises and for the brand to create more garments from sustainable materials.
Wear Next Opinion
Wear Next believes it’s important to highlight the negative and unjust practises taking place in the fashion industry. We believe ethics and sustainability are an important talking point to bring about change and we encourage you to contact fashion brands to demand this.
However we understand that sustainable fashion isn’t accessible for every body due to various factors, such as budget and the ability to find confidence-boosting clothes that fit. We will continue to offer you fashion inspiration and guidance to suit every body and budget, while also highlighting the unjust systems at play in the fashion industry.
