Today, we’re excited to launch our summer 2018 first-ever Impact Issue, focused on sustainability and social responsibility. The magazine comes in three different covers, featuring: Parley for the Oceans, Oskar Metsavaht, and Rafael Y. Herman.
This issue has a sense of urgency. Concerns about sustainability and social responsibility are no longer problems for only environmental or political organizations. Climate change and threats to basic human rights are very real and part of our everyday lives.
Whitewall’s Summer 2018 Impact Issue featuring Parley for the Oceans.
This escalation has given rise to movements in the fashion, luxury, design, and art worlds. We see this summer issue as a platform for the voices that are calling for and making real change.
Some of the loudest voices we’ve heard come from the fashion industry—one of the planet’s largest polluters. We hear from designers like Bree Layne and Gabriela Hearst about positioning their brands and collections around sustainably sourced materials. We also speak with the Kering Group (behind some of fashion and luxury’s biggest names) chief sustainability officer, Marie-Claire Daveu, about the potential influence luxury leaders can have on cleaning up the carbon footprint and supply chain internationally. Plus, Oskar Metsavaht—the artist who is behind the fashion label Osklen—advocates for small incremental changes with his initiative As Sustainable As Possible (ASAP).
Whitewall’s Summer 2018 Impact Issue featuring Oskar Metsavaht.
Looking at a more humanitarian impact, we spoke with the creative director at TOMS, John Whitledge. TOMS created the One for One model, which other brands like Warby Parker have adopted. It started with a simple shoe, where for every pair purchased, one is given to those in need. Whitledge talked with Whitewall about getting back to basics, the importance of making sustainability fun, and how you get more people involved when your missions feels impossible.
In terms of design, we looked to Vipp, a Danish brand that began with a trash bin almost 80 years ago. Vipp believes in creating the best product once, making it so functional and beautiful that it can be passed down from generation to generation (yes, even a trash can), therefore creating less waste. With items for the home, kitchen, and bath, Vipp is making moves in the U.S., all while striving to create products that last forever.
Whitewall’s Summer 2018 Impact Issue featuring Rafael Y. Herman.
Architects Steven Holl and Bjarke Ingels tell us about their approach to sustainability in past and present projects. And the landscape architect Walter Hood shares how both green spaces and public art projects (a more recent focus of his studio) can affect community culture. And artist Rafael Y. Herman reveals how his photographs shift our perspective on the natural word. We also visited the studios of Zoe Buckman and Natalie Frank, two artists whose work deals with feminism. Buckman has turned her efforts toward creating more public pieces to speak to a wider audience and bringing more people into the conversation. Frank has turned to both drawing and writing as a way to tell her story in response to the #MeToo movement.
We hope these pages will leave you feeling empowered to get out there this summer and not only enjoy nature and the people around you, but also take action to protect all of the above.
