Scandinavian brand GANNI faces environmental responsibility

GANNI is a fashion brand from Copenhagen, Denmark. From casual knits to feminine dresses, the brand is popular for designs that make you happy just by putting on. Its vivid and catchy styles have been making the rounds on feeds under the hashtag #GANNIgirls.
Behind the popularity of the brand, GANNI says it is honestly and firmly committed to achieving its sustainable goals.

A Fresh Breeze of Scandinavian Design

GANNI was founded in 2000 by Copenhagen gallery owner Frans Truelsen as a cashmere wear brand. In 2009, Nicolaj Reffstrup and Ditte Reffstrup were named CEO and Ditte became Creative Director.
Their vision has earned GANNI a position as a brand that breathes new life into Scandinavian design. Their simple yet distinctive designs, characterized by a feminine yet relaxed style, have captured the hearts of fashionistas across the globe. At the same time, the brand has established itself as a leader in sustainable fashion by focusing on the selection of environmentally friendly materials and manufacturing processes.

Transparent, environmentally friendly materials.

Since 2019, GANNI has been reviewing the materials it has traditionally used, switching to materials certified as recycled or organic and to alternative materials that guarantee high animal welfare.

In particular, they are phasing out virgin leather, which has a high carbon footprint, and for this reason they have discontinued two colors of Western boots that were expected to generate potential sales of DKK 2.4 million. They made that decision with the unanimous consent of the management team, understanding that sustainability sometimes conflicts with commerciality.
　
In order to maintain transparency, the carefully selected materials have been released as open source under the name “GANNI Fabric Score”. In addition to choosing materials that are currently better and avoiding conventional materials that are considered bad for the environment, they are also actively developing sustainable future materials, and have achieved their goal of launching six future fabrics by 2023. Circulose®, an innovative company that supplies recycled materials to large corporations, is gaining worldwide attention, but has just successfully recovered from the brink of bankruptcy. Circulose® is an innovative company that supplies recycled materials to large corporations, and has just made a successful comeback from the brink of bankruptcy.

Seeking a Recycling-Oriented Society

GANNI, which strives to reuse 100% of surplus materials in its production, is also actively exploring circularity in its design process. For example, with a manufacturing partner in Portugal, GANNI tested the recycling potential of screen-printed cotton T-shirts, switching to 100% water-based dyes and adopting a design that allows for recycling in the printing process. In Europe, GANNI is also working with a clothing rental platform solution, and has launched its own rental platform called “GANNI REPEAT” to pursue the possibility of recycling fashion, rather than just buying it. The company also operates “GANNI POSTMODERN,” a store where customers can purchase GANNI’s old collections and outlet products, and collaborates with SOJO in London to provide repair services for its products in the London community.
　
GANNI is also actively collaborating with brands such as New Balance and Barbour, and more and more brands will be influenced by GANNI’s approach, not only in terms of design but also in terms of responsibility. The GANNI RESPONSIBILITY REPORT reminds us that the era of pursuing profit alone is over. What can we do? The time will come when we will be forced to make our own choices as we continue to pay attention to GANNI’s attitude of facing solutions carefully and directly, one by one.