&OR Collective Launches with a Bold Vision for Responsible, Luxury Knitwear
Available across North America, &OR debuts with a collection of zero waste, thoughtfully designed knitwear staples
MONTREAL, July 13, 2023 /CNW/ - Today &OR Collective, a new conscious and technology-led clothier, launches in North America with its zero waste line of anyplace essentials. Developed by a dynamic female-led team from Montreal and Toronto, the brand showcases a meticulously curated collection of best-in-class women's and men's knitwear staples. &OR's thoughtfully designed garments are fully recyclable and manufactured to minimize textile waste while maximizing wearability.
The brand was founded to drive change in a category where up to 15% of fibers are discarded, 25% of garments go unsold, and less than 1% of products are recycled into new garments. &OR combines industry best practices, manufacturing innovation and a thoughtful approach to design in order to provide a next generation apparel company. With collections that will expand thoughtfully over time, &OR is focused on sustained evolution of styles over ephemeral trends.
"Fashion is a notoriously damaging industry for the environment," stated Kristen King, Co-CEO of &OR Collective. "Fundamentally, people will continue to wear clothing, so we thought long and hard about how we could do better. Our focus was on building a brand that is as conscious as it is refined, leaning into improving the entire life cycle of a product, while delivering highly desirable and hard-working pieces for our customers' wardrobes," she continued.
At the helm of &OR's design ethos, Rosa Halpern, Founder and Creative Director (Design), leaned into a responsible and contemporary approach to product development. Turning to timeless elegance with modern aesthetics, each &OR garment is designed to serve many purposes. "Our first collection features core versatile pieces that effortlessly blend into any wardrobe," she states. "They are elevated, functional, and made with beautiful and durable yarns. Our pieces won't fade after one season, instead, we're focused on creating much loved items that are the foundation of capsule dressing. The longevity of our pieces will really make a difference from an environmental and consumption perspective," she continued.
Honing in on sourcing and manufacturing, over a two-year period the Founding team worked on unlocking new capabilities of technical knitting manufacturing for ready-to-wear clothing. A technology more commonly used in athletic wear or footwear, &OR's clothing is made using exclusively STOLL-knit and wear® technology. While traditional cut and sew garments generate upwards of 15% textile waste, technical knitting decreases waste to less than 1%. Yarns are selected for their sustainable properties, offering consumers clothing made of premium fibers that stand the test of time. Utilizing these innovative knitting techniques also provides agility, reducing overruns and dead stock and lowering the brand's carbon footprint.
To further power the brand's commitment to responsibility, &OR is working with New York-based SuperCircle, a technology company that powers retailers' circularity initiatives. "We love to think of ourselves as being at the intersection of design, sustainability and technology," states Katie Green, Co-CEO of &OR Collective. "We started this brand to catalyze change in one of the most environmentally impactful industries in the world. A big part of this is diverting waste from landfill and participating in creating a more responsible and circular system. In partnership with SuperCircle, we are able to deliver a fiber to fiber recycling program for our consumer and ensure we live up to our zero waste promise," continued Katie.
Through their digitized circular ecosystem, customers can request shipping labels on &OR's website. From there, SuperCircle manages the collection and sorting of items before garments are triaged to textile recycling facilities which convert consumer waste into new fibers to use in new products. In exchange for responsibly recycling, customers receive &OR credit for future purchases.
With a focus on breaking into the North American market and growing profitably over time, &OR's incredible team is further bolstered by the mentorship of industry expert Drew Green, CEO and President of INDOCHINO. As Founder, Drew brings vital experience and expertise from decades of experience as an entrepreneur, and success within the fashion and direct-to-consumer category helping build companies across Canada, the US and globally from inception through to acquisition and/or public listing and beyond. "The team at &OR Collective is inspiring, the product incredibly designed, with partnerships at the core of our growth strategy. By looking at disruptive new models and innovation in fashion, while keeping close to our consumer's desires, has led to the launch of a beautifully thought-out brand, I couldn't be more proud," explained Drew Green, Founder and Chairman at &OR.
Creating a meaningful, authentic brand identity that enables &OR's story to be told and connect with consumers was top priority to ensure a lasting impact for the brand. Kara Lynne Wark, award-winning Art Director and Founder and Creative Director (Brand) at &OR, developed a soulful, contemporary visual identity and language that encapsulates the spirit of the brand, seamlessly blending modern elements with timeless elegance.
&Or supports 1% for the Planet, and aims to drive advocacy and partnerships to broadly effect change in the months and years to come. &OR's Collection 01 is available for purchase online at www.andorcollective.com.
&OR Collective is a technology-led clothier for the conscious and contemporary human. Female-led, &OR was thoughtfully designed with people's lifestyle and the planet in mind. The brand's fully recyclable pieces are manufactured to minimize textile waste while maximizing wearability. Fulfilling a mission to challenge the current fashion ecosystem, thinking like a modern-day brand that considers its impact at every step while creating desirable, timeless pieces that build the ultimate minimalist capsule wardrobe.
For More Information on &OR
Instagram: @and.or.collective
Website: www.andorcollective.com
SOURCE &OR Collective
For Media Inquiries: Claudia Labelle, [email protected]; Katie Green, [email protected]
Share this article