LONDON – Apparel Insider understands that Made-By, the sustainable apparel consultancy, has gone into administration. The news comes as a depressing blow, not just for those involved but also because the organisation devised what was arguably the only serious benchmarking tool to carefully and systematically measure an apparel brand’s environmental progress. Indeed, Made-By was at the vanguard of the sustainability movement in the global apparel industry.
Founded in 2004 with a multi–stakeholder board, Made-By was an award-winning not-for-profit organisation with a mission to ‘make sustainable fashion common practice’. Through targeted consultancy, partnerships and stakeholder engagement it worked with over 100 brands and retailers including Acne, Eileen Fisher, H&M, Hugo Boss, Kering Group, LVMH Group, Ted Baker, Tommy Hilfiger and G-Star. Made-By had a global team with offices in Amsterdam, London and Düsseldorf, as well as an extensive expert network in Asia.
Discussing Made-By’s demise, former CEO Allanna McAspurn said: “In March 2016 I left my post as CEO of Made-By after eight hard but happy years helping to build and latterly lead that organisation. In that time, my team and I carved out a new and much-needed space in the fashion industry, providing strategic and tactical advice on the huge challenge that is sustainability. We advised and supported a large variety of brands, big and small, and our work, like the industry’s, was truly global. We also developed the first, best and only benchmarking tools for measuring and managing a fashion business’s progress.
“When I left, in need of a change and feeling that my work was done, the organisation was in rude health and poised for the next chapter having just launched the ground-breaking MODE-tracker benchmarking tool.
“You can imagine my reaction when I learned last week that Made-By had gone into administration; frustration that this had happened, and sorrow for the committed and passionate staff. Especially those who formed part of the original team.
“The demise of MADE-BY has far more significance than the personal feelings of its former CEO. It is a real blow to fashion which, second only to energy as the world’s most unsustainable industry, is under real scrutiny. The current inquiry into fast fashion by a UK government select committee is just one example of the pressure building.”