Fashion brands have long touted their sustainability measures each April in honor of Earth month, but Madewell is celebrating a little differently this year.
As cooped-up consumers seek refuge in the outdoors, some are turning to U.S. National Parks for local socially distant excursions. Attendance to these parks, however, dropped by 28 percent in 2020 due to travel restrictions and closures. Madewell’s new partnership with Parks Project, a National Parks conservation organization, celebrates some of these natural landmarks with a wanderlust collection of sustainable tops and accessories.
The collection features 100 percent recycled cotton staples for men and women, including a retro Yosemite National Park hooded sweatshirt and T-shirts with graphics that pay homage to Joshua Tree, Saguaro and Zion National Parks. The collection also offers an organic cotton scarf and baseball cap and a reusable BPA-free plastic bottle.
Each purchase comes with a co-branded “Leave it Better” cleanup pack, complete with a biodegradable trash bag and gloves to encourage shoppers to take care of the world around them.
The collection coincides with Madewell’s Do Well program, a moniker given to its sustainable and Fair Trade Certified garments. Madewell reported that 67 percent of its products currently have a “Do Well” attribute, and the brand has been a champion of sustainable fabrics in recent years. It debuted a 15-piece collection made of 100 percent deadstock fabrics in 2019 and experimented with recycled cashmere in 2020.
Do Well is also the name of the brand’s initiative that supports community-driven organization such as Cotton Inc.’s Blue Jeans Go Green recycling program.
Madewell’s partnership with Parks Project supports the organization’s mission to protect and preserve parklands for generations to come by educating, advocating, volunteering and activating park supporters to get involved in conservation. To date, Parks Project has contributed over $1.3 million to help fund efforts in parks.
“At Madewell, we love being able to Do Well and are so inspired by the Parks Project’s mission to protect and preserve our parklands. To bring the collaboration to life, we highlighted some of our favorite places in the product—like Joshua Tree, Zion, Yosemite and Saguaro—all with special Madewell twists like graphic treatments and neutral tones,” said Joyce Lee, Madewell senior vice president of design. “We hope our work with Parks Project inspires our community to get out and enjoy their favorite parks, and of course leave them cleaner than they found them.”
The Madewell x Parks Project Earth Month collection is available March 30 at select Madewell stores and on Madewell.com. The collection’s retail price range is $12.50-$98.