AFTERLIFE

Where do our clothes go when we can no longer wear them? Campaign Creative Direction by Courtney Holm. Art Direction by Studio Hi Ho. Photography by Gavin Green.

01.03.2022

AFTERLIFE
Courtney Holm

 
A.BCH Afterlife Campaign Imagery

Our campaign features models left to right, Lezlie and Hannah. 

Welcome to the Afterlife... our new campaign and focus for the next four months.

Afterlife is the part of the lifecycle of clothing where things get a bit more technical. It’s where we'll discuss and share the end of life plan for clothes - after they are no longer able to be worn of course. Afterlife is a time to pioneer ideas, innovate with new technologies and come up with design strategies to aid. We want to share with you how we design with the end in mind and also what you can do, dear wearer of clothes, to recirculate your garments either technically (fibre to fibre recycling) or naturally (composting).

At this stage of the lifecycle, there’s a greater focus for us on the circular economy, technology and innovation and our favourite thing in the world to nerd out on … systems thinking.

We hope you wont mind diving deeper into some of the issues that exist in the industry that cause less than 1% of clothing to be recycled. It's also Afterlife that helps us set our course in the design phase and allows us to influence this industry to change its wasteful ways.

Afterlife without Birth or Life would be futile. Recycling (and then final stage composting) should be the absolute last resort for our clothing. It's also important to note that recycling isn't the golden ticket that will mean over consumption and over production can continue. Contrary to popular belief, that is not what the circular economy is about. We must protect the Earth and strive to follow the hierarchy of waste before resorting to recycling. We'll get into this more over the next few months together.

This is why we launched A.BCH Seasons in 2020. We wanted to recalibrate what a season can mean, shine a light on the cycle of needs over a lifetime and build respectful connections across the value chain - from raw materials, processes, methods, people, skills, care and return to nature.

As always, I hope you'll reach out and let us know your thoughts. You can do that here. While you're at it, sign up to get first access to everything and have it delivered direct to your inbox.

x Courtney

Shop New Arrivals here.