Loved for its effortlessly luxurious collections and quality craftsmanship, LK Bennett has made a name for itself in the luxury fashion world. But it also champions a ‘slow fashion’ ethos that places more sustainable practices at its core, working hard to create timeless pieces whilst minimising environmental impact. Through initiatives like LKB Conscious, Thrift+, and LK Borrowed, the brand artfully combines luxury with sustainability. In this exclusive feature, we explore LK Bennett’s origins, its emphasis on ‘slow fashion’ – and its innovative approaches to sustainability.
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When was LK Bennett born and what is its origin story?
LK Bennett was founded in Wimbledon in 1990, since then, our influence has grown. LK Bennett is a brand with a uniquely British ethos, harnessing vibrant prints and elegant shapes to curate wearable pieces to be loved forever. We are known for our collections that are defined by their expert craftsmanship and signature detailing to create distinctive and luxury pieces.
Can you tell us more about LK Bennett’s emphasis on ‘slow fashion’, and how this is implemented within your business model?
Our aim is to create keep-forever pieces that won’t end up in landfill and cause harm to our planet. We are constantly thinking of ways to reduce our impact and have a conscious approach to fashion. With our considered collection, to LK Borrowed rental service, and initiatives such as Thrift+. All our range is designed in London by our in-house design team. LKB Conscious is our collection that showcases the range of more sustainable certified raw materials and responsible production methods we use.
If you could describe the typical LK Bennett woman in three words, what would they be?
The LK Bennett woman is bold, colourful and a socialite. We want to dress those who are looking to dress for their changing lives, those who are personally brave, yet longing for bolder style. We want to inspire with our timeless styles to overcome the noise of fashion trends. So she can find her confidence to dress in a way that expresses personality. Dressing in a way that brings extraordinary to the ordinary, from weddings to weekend plans. With clothes that are made with her in mind, from our petite range to available sizes in 6-20.
For LK Bennett, how do the worlds of luxury and sustainability collide?
We believe luxury and sustainability go hand in hand, with our range crafted to exude timeless style. Every piece at LK Bennett is crafted with the utmost care and quality, with suppliers and manufacturing sites to fabrics all sourced to be of the highest standards possible. With this in mind, we move away from passing trends and give the LKB woman a wardrobe full of love forever pieces, crafted with the planet in mind.
Can you tell us more about the ways in which circularity is integrated into LK Bennett, drawing on the Thrift+ initiative in particular?
At LKB we are constantly thinking of ways we can reduce our impact and have a conscious approach to fashion. As well as offering a considered range with LKB Conscious, we work hard to promote circular fashion across our brand, which is why we’ve partnered with Thrift+. Thrift+ is a service that allows once loved clothes to have a new lease of life. Customers simply add a Thrift+ bag to their LKB order, fill it with unwanted clothes and send to Thrift+ to see customers old clothes become someone’s new treasure. Beyond this we have our repairs service and our LK Borrowed rental subscription service to promote circularity throughout our business.
What do you believe are the biggest sustainability related challenges for LK Bennett in the future?
We want to progress as a brand, with aims to expand into new markets such as the US. While doing so, we are aiming to maintain the same standards we have upheld so far across all future collections and activity. In doing so, we are repositioning ourselves to appeal to a wider audience, crafting clothes that are versatile in terms of styling, comfort and that are made to be loved forever.
How do you plan to address and tackle these challenges?
We aim to continue reducing our business impact on the environment, reaching set targets by 2030, whilst growing in new markets. These targets focus on strengthening partnerships to influence all those with whom we work, our partners, suppliers, manufacturers, fabric mills and tanneries. While looking to agree water reduction targets and improving transparency across our supply base against the Butterfly Mark ESG+ principles. Accreditation of the Butterfly Mark is not an end point, the Positive Luxury team continue to support and work with the business on an agreed framework, coaching to embed the sustainability practices. Providing an environment for collaboration, continuous assessment, shared learning and development of all our stakeholders.
LEARN MORE ABOUT BUTTERFLY MARK CERTIFIED LK BENNETT
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