Fashion with a conscience: Q&A with Danielle Champagne of Zhai eco collection

The beauty industry has been rife with protecting the environment and creating ecologically safe products. While the fashion industry, on the other hand, may not be as boisterous with environmentally friendly notions, the buzz is still apparent and is only gaining strength.

Thankfully, in Singapore, we have Zhai, the first eco fashion brand that does original designs. In a bid to be environmentally responsible, the brand prominently features bamboo fibre as the heart of their label, alongside other natural and eco friendly fabrics. Zhai essentially prides itself for providing consumers with simple and versatile pieces without compromising on quality, style or affordability – clearly we need to hop onto the eco bandwagon, fast.

In an exclusive interview, we ask the Managing and Creative Director of Zhai, Danielle Champagne on sustainable fashion, its importance and how we can incorporate eco-fashion into our wardrobes.

Marie France Asia: What made you decide to delve into the world of eco-fashion?

Danielle Champagne: On a personal note, being green is important for myself and my family on a daily basis. We recycle, upcycle, share, reduce waste, etc…
Professionally, I always incorporated environmental issues in my previous career as a teacher, trying to educate the next generation. So it was a natural move for me to be eco-friendly in this new career too. With my Arts and Design background, this eco-fashion business combined perfectly all the elements I am passionate about. Besides, I noticed a gap in Singapore and a growing interest in all things green so all fell into place nicely.

MFA: What is sustainable fashion and why is it important for the fashion industry?

Danielle Champagne: Sustainable fashion is above all, but not limited to, the proper choice of fabric and accessories that must come from sustainable sources. For Zhai, it means also dealing with fair trade factories that are treating their workers properly and trying to minimize its carbon footprint.

Sustainability is important for all industries and society in general, fashion must do its part. Fashion is a very visible part of our daily life and those who wear Zhai clothes are not just wearing nice clothes they are also making a statement.

MFA: What are some of the benefits of using bamboo in clothing?

Danielle Champagne: The list is surprising long but the benefits that people appreciate the most are the incredible softness, the high absorbency and wicking effect as well as the body temperature control. Bamboo does make you feel cooler, isn’t that just perfect in Singapore? Bamboo fiber is also anti-bacterial, anti-static, odour-resistant, UV protectant, biodegradable and the list goes on…

MFA: How is bamboo different from cotton?

Bamboo is one of the world’s preeminent sustainable resources and is the fastest growing plant on earth. Bamboo is a plant with amazing regenerative qualities and reaches maturity in only 3 to 4 years. Bamboo thrives naturally without any pesticides or fertilizers so is naturally organic. Cotton requires a lot of chemicals, unless certified organic.

Bamboo is cut, not uprooted so the roots stay in the ground, stabilizing the soil and reducing erosion. Cotton requires uprooting annually, depleting the soil of its nutrient. Bamboo soaks up significantly more carbon dioxide and generates more oxygen than a comparable row of trees. As such, it has a positive effect on global warming by reducing greenhouse gases. Bamboo is rain fed but cotton is known to be the thirstiest agricultural commodity on earth. Same for organic cotton.

MFA: What can shoppers do to be more environmentally friendly?

Danielle Champagne: Shoppers can start by investing in staple pieces for their wardrobes and not succumb to fast fashion so much. Good quality clothes in classic styles will be more durable and will stay fashionable for longer. Bamboo has a very long life expectancy so it is easy to hand down, swap or even compost it when the time has come! More and more brands are now offering eco-friendly options but Zhai has always been offering green designers clothes exclusively since 2009.

MFA: Are there any restrictions when it comes to designing with bamboo fibre?

Danielle Champagne: Some minor limitations yes. For example, prints are still tricky with bamboo.
Also the fact that bamboo fabric is made to order, we need to order a minimum quantity to use up all the roll of fabric made exclusively for us in a particular shade. Another surprising restriction is the softness of the fabric. It may sound strange to put that as a restriction but technically, the designs will have to be compatible with the beautiful flowing properties of the fabric

MFA: Is there a potential for eco-fashion to reach mainstream levels?

Danielle Champagne: Absolutely! The current public perception of eco fashion is that it is higher priced than fast fashion, but if we take a minute to calculate our average spending on fashion, we quickly realize that purchasing eco-friendly pieces does not equate to higher spending, as the number of items bought can be reduced since it is high quality and long lasting. Therefore, it is up to the educated customer to decide if quantity triumphs over quality and social conscience.

MFA: Do you think Singaporean shoppers are aware of eco-fashion?

Danielle Champagne: We are getting there. We are trying to reach out to as many people as possible to educate about eco-friendliness but statistically, some countries are more aware and show more interest in buying green. Singapore is gradually discovering all the advantages of natural fibers but also the green conscience associated with it.

MFA: What are some of your favourite styles in the collections so far?

Danielle Champagne: So difficult! We just managed to perfect a button down blouse which was tricky to do because of the flowing properties I mentioned earlier. I love that style and the palazzo pants as well! But the fact that many items are very versatile and can be worn different ways is very appealing too!

MFA: Any future plans for the brand or expansions?

Danielle Champagne: Oh yes. We are now looking at different eco-fibers and experimenting with that. We are exporting to many countries and hope to open more branches within the year. We offer a very advantageous distributorship agreement for potential owners!

Zhai, fashion with a conscience!

Zhai eco collection is available online and at 82 Haji Lane.

Tarandip Kaur