As love fills the air this February, are you willing to put your relationships to the test? Don’t worry; we aren’t talking about your complicated life of romance and friendships, but rather your relationship with your clothing. No strings are usually attached to this relationship, whether pre- loved or loved at first sight. But it may be time we start searching for something more with our clothing. Is it really an authentic relationship if you can’t say where the clothing came from, who made it, and if it was properly sourced?

As everyday consumers, we aren’t programmed to think through the production process of our clothing. We may look at the product label to justify the purchase, but at the end of the day, we avoid these tough questions. When most clothing production occurs on the other side of the world, it becomes easier to push aside. However, that excuse is no longer valid to French fashion house Chloé as they introduced their solution to brand transparency, the Vertical project.

The Vertical project uses a digital ID system to allow Chloé’s product to be fully traceable and resale ready, which we have yet to see in the luxury fashion industry. Found in Fashion United, the project includes technology powered by EON that will allow users to simply scan the labels of Chloé products with a smartphone to see the garment's lifespan thus far, “from field to the finished piece.”

“In some corners of the fashion industry, digital IDs are seen as a game-changer for efforts to shift shoppers to more responsible forms of consumption and big brands to better business models,” said Business of Fashion.

To kick off this project, Chloé launched a capsule collection including bags, shoes, and ready-to- wear to test the new identification system. The Vertical products offer complete transparency to their meaningful progress as the brand has a sustainability commitment backed by transparency and a circular business model. Chloé aims to have a digital ID on all its products by 2025.

The ID will also include an ownership certificate allowing the products to be directly resold on the marketplace Vestiaire Collective. Resale is a line luxury retailers must cross for full circularity. The digital IDs also include extensive product care instructions in order to ensure the longest lifespan possible and could eventually add recycling solutions helping prevent clothing from going to landfills.

Vestiaire Collective also caught our attention at the end of 2022 when they announced they would remove all fast fashion brands from their resale sight. They continue to stand out with their partnership with Chloé which gives instant resale capabilities to their Vertical products.

Customers can sell their Chloé items on a co-branded platform by confirming the item's condition, uploading product imagery, and receiving an immediate price offer from Vestiaire Collective. Once the product goes through all the steps of authentication and approval, the customer will receive a payment for their item without waiting for it to sell. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

Chloé is a true class-act luxury brand working to normalize and accept the benefits of digital IDs enabling a more circular business model. With eco-conscious creative director Gabriela Hearst putting forth sustainable business models, our relationship with Chloé passes the test and has earned our love and appreciation.

-As always, elevate your wardrobe with respected fashion and embrace the shift in style