Valerie James Showroom at Coterie Jo Zugic

On Monday 17^th of September we were given an opportunity to attend the Coterie Show at the Jacob Javits Center in New York as a part of our sustainability class. This year Coterie was collaborating with United Nations and the aim of the collaboration is to not only support UN’s Sustainable Development Goals’ Conscious Fashion Campaign but also to promote sustainable fashion brands and to drive conscious consumerism. There is still a misconception that brands who are sustainable and eco-friendly are not profitable. Coterie, by inviting brands such as Mar Y Sol, Liverpool Jeans and Wrangler, are proving the skeptics wrong!

The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals address the global challenges faced today, including poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity and peace and justice.

Photo credit:

Communications materials- United nations Sustainable Development. (2018). Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300

When we entered the foyer of the Javits Center you could already feel the buzz in the air. There were people from all over the world, from all walks of life just excited to be there. Once you entered the actual show the atmosphere was amplified by the ten-fold. Brands from all over the world (Bec & Bridge (Australia), AAKS (Africa) and Legami (Italy)), showing fashion, jewelry, leather goods and shoes, invested a lot of effort just to grab your attention. While walking and looking around, no stall was empty, with buyers and onlookers simply drawn to the impressive collections and displays.

Our mission at Coterie was not only to explore the show but to focus on brands that were making a difference and changing the face of sustainability in fashion.

And that is how I came across Valerie James Showroom. Valerie James Showroom is a boutique distribution agency that brings luxury European womenswear to the American market.

Valerie was there with her team showcasing two brands: Annette Gortz and Tissa Fontaneda. While chatting to Valerie, she explained that she got introduced to Annette Gortz’s brand through friends in the industry. Annette has been in the business for the last 27 years and focuses strongly on long-lasting classic well-made fashion in a neutral palette.

Her belief that fashion doesn’t need to be disposable allowed Annette to focus on sustainable manufacturing process as a whole. Her clothing is made using organic linen and organic cotton sourced from Europe and manufactured in Germany using finest Italian fabrics, while her bags are made in Spain. The other garments are produced using Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)- certified organic cotton made in Europe under fair trade conditions. GOTS  is the world's leading textile processing standard for organic fibres, comprising of ecological and social criteria, backed by independent certification of the complete textile supply chain.

Valerie showed me a coat designed by Annette for her SS19 collection. It was a light weight linen coat. From looking at the care label of the coat I noticed that 100% organic linen is used, that the fabric is dyed without heavy metals using ecological coating. The accessories are made of natural materials or nickel-free metals and all labels are made from cotton. Qualities are described as breathable (air-permeable), temperature equalizing, skin friendly and bio-degradable. Even the care instructions are sustainable. Spots can be cleaned using a sponge as opposed to washing the whole garment and using organic detergents is desirable when washing.

While also having a chat with Valerie, she told me that Annette Gortz did a whole winter collection using materials from recycled bottles.

From my experience at Coterie, it is evident that fashion brands can be sustainable and profitable at the same time. It is no longer acceptable to argue that being sustainable isn’t important or profitable. Just ask Annette Gortz alone is stocked at over 100 retailers world-wide.