Women love to don gorgeous intimate wear that comes in delicate laces, sleek styles and dreamy florals. And Anekdot houses an exquisite collection of such lingerie, merging beauty with comfort. By carefully choosing skin-friendly fabrics, it operates as an upcycle brand with a focus on reducing textile waste. But what about its supply chain? Does it employ a rapid-paced production cycle? Or is Anekdot fast fashion disguised as a sustainable brand?
Let’s take a deep look into Anekdot’s fair trade and environmental policies and what meaningful action it takes to support a fair fashion movement.
Is Anekdot Fast Fashion?
No, Anekdot is not a fast fashion brand. It offers an exclusive selection of lingerie, swimwear, loungewear, and accessories, steering clear of trend-centric designs. Every sustainable fashion product at Anekdot is made from lower-impact materials that don’t harm the environment.
The label engages in ethical manufacturing where workers’ rights are not violated. Additionally, its intimatewear comes at a premium price point, attracting people who prefer quality over quantity. In terms of new launches, a few fresh styles are dropped every 1-2 months on its storefront. Anekdot barely offers heavy discounts or flash sales to ensure it doesn’t tempt consumers to over-shop.
These attributes are exact opposites of the fast fashion business model. Therefore, it can be safely assumed that Anekdot is a responsible label that doesn’t flood the market by overproducing clothing.
Is Anekdot Ethical?
Yes, Anekdot is ethical. It keeps production stages simple by avoiding a complicated and large-scale supply chain that’s hard to monitor. With roots in Berlin, a good proportion of its products are crafted locally. And it also partners with small-scale ethical factories in Poland, providing the workers with steady incomes.
Labor Practices
Anekdot is dedicated to incorporating artisanal techniques, working with skilled garment makers, and using transparent supply chains. Its final stage of production occurs in the European Union, which is a low-medium risk region for labor abuse. Plus, its team conducts regular audits in its factories to make sure ethical standards are followed.
However, Anekdot doesn’t have a Code Of Conduct that addresses labor issues like payment of fair wages, gender equality, decent treatment of workers, no forced labor, etc. It would be a good idea for the brand to create fair trade policies to ensure that every worker is paid well and provided with safe working conditions.
In today’s scenario, when brands that use sweatshops exploit laborers, it becomes extremely crucial to maintain an ethical standpoint. So, Anekdot could be more transparent by sharing the locations of its factories or giving consumers a glimpse of its production processes.
Sourcing Practices
Anekdot’s products are manufactured in its own atelier in Berlin and in two small woman-owned factories near Poland, supporting local craftswomen. Its fabrics usually consist of materials from production leftovers sourced from closing down factories, maker’s surplus, etc.
Child Labor
Anekdot has never been a part of any child labor controversy. Its production occurs in the European Union, where labor laws are stronger than in most developing countries. However, it would be great for Anekdot to address its ethics policy around incidents of employing minors.
That’s because child labor in the fast fashion industry is on the rise. Brands need to trace their supply chain to verify that they are not engaging in child labor in any way.
Overall Rating: 3
Is Anekdot Cruelty Free?
Yes, Anekdot is cruelty-free. The company doesn’t have formal animal welfare policies, but most of its products are vegan. It basically uses recycled materials in its product line.
The only animal-derived material that you may find in some of its lingerie is silk. However, Anekdot only uses silk that are leftover unused materials sourced from garment factories.
Overall Rating: 5
Is Anekdot Sustainable?
Yes, Anekdot is sustainable. It utilizes low-impact recycled materials like ECONYL, ROICA recycled lace and B.recycled polyamide to manufacture its lingerie and swimwear line. Since these materials are reclaimed versions of virgin synthetics, incorporating them is an excellent choice to reduce the brand’s carbon footprint.
What’s impressive is, Anekdot strives to introduce innovative sustainable fabrics in its collections. But instead of solely buying freshly produced rolls of raw materials, it upcycles fabric scraps and vintage trimmings from clothing factories. These deadstock materials occur due to inventory miscalculations, overproduction and factory surplus. Hence, they are considered as textile waste and usually end up in landfills. Sustainable brands like Anekdot rescue them from the fashion industry and turn them into sensuous intimatewear.
Apart from using surplus as their main material, Anekdot is committed to a zero-waste policy. They carefully work around small defects in fabrics and create patterns around them to reduce waste. Any leftover materials that aren’t used are either sold or fully donated to art and education refugee projects at Tempelhof Airport and S27.
Moreover, everything is manufactured in small production runs to avoid unsold stock. Some items are even available on a made-to-order basis.
To further lower the environmental impact of fast fashion, Anekdot believes in local production. This approach significantly helps in cutting down CO2 emissions caused by long-distance shipping. Plus, products are dispatched in plastic-free packaging. So a win-win from all ends!
Overall Rating: 4.5
