Many large fashion corporations care little about the negative ecological impact of their products. That's why Ethan Song and Hicham Ratnani decided to create Frank And Oak, a clothing brand that is curbing pollution.
In 2012, faced with the growing wave of negative consequences caused by fast fashion, Ethan and Hicham began to create garments that, in addition to being acclaimed for their minimal design, are ecofriendly.
Certified as a B Corporation, Frank And Oak meets the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability and is legally bound to consider the impact of its decisions on its workers, customers, suppliers, community and the environment.
Integration with blockchain further enhances its brand claim of high standards. With immutable data stored in VeChainThor, Frank And Oak conveyed its intention to ensure durability, functionality, and style without compromising the planet.
Sourcing Traceable Luxury Yarns from Shokay
On December 1st, Frank And Oak opened its first store in Asia, located in Shanghai. The downtown Shanghai store in the new high-profile Tai Koo Li shopping mall sets a new sustainability benchmark for retail stores in China, and was designed for both disassembly and reuse.
The opening collection highlighted Frank And Oak's most iconic winter products made with sustainable fabrics and processes. These include its unique collection of yak sweaters and accessories using VeChain-traced yarns and processes. The yarn is from UPW, a leading luxury yarn spinner, and the upstream source of yak wool is from Shokay, a sustainable textile brand that sources yak wool directly from Tibetan herders.
Frank And Oak, Shokay, and UPW have committed 1% of the proceeds from the sale of this collection to a grassland conservation program in Sichuan. Customers can scan the QR code in-store to experience the stories behind the style.
This is in addition to using organic, GOTS-certified cotton and Lenzing™ Ecovero™ Viscose fibers that are derived from sustainable wood and pulp, which generate up to 50% lower emissions that conventional viscose.
The Benefits of the Blockchain
With the fashion industry's rapid transition to products and supply chains with less impact on the environment, there is an increased demand for in-depth and accurate supply chain data.
As a raw wool material supplier, Shokay partnered with UPW to jointly provide sustainable yarns to Frank and Oak, who were looking for ways to communicate their efforts in ethical and sustainable production to their customers. Shokay and UPW were able to use VeChain's blockchain technology to provide a turnkey sustainable solution to the brands.
Using blockchain as a foundation for building an ecosystem of sustainable manufacturers provides brands with an easier way to become more sustainable and achieve climate change goals. On the one hand, VeChain's out-of-the-box blockchain product benefits upstream suppliers by easily collecting supply chain data and managing production evidence.
On the other hand, by leveraging VeChain's product data visualization module, as VeChain has done for H&M, COS and now Frank And Oak, downstream brands can better communicate their sustainability efforts directly to their consumers