Little Mistress introduces plant-based fabrics as part of three-year sustainability strategy

Little Mistress has announced the first steps in its three-year sustainability strategy to integrate plant-based, biodegradable, and recyclable fabrics into its collections.

The strategy, which encompasses the Little Mistress, Girls on Film and Paper Dolls brands, has been structured to roll out gradually over three years with a zero increase to its current price architecture.

The group also aims to have 70% of its designs consciously made by the end of 2024, beginning with its spring drops in February 2022, with 10% of the new collection made from 100% Lenzing Ecovero, a biodegradable, alternative wood-based fabric to traditional viscose.

Other plant-based textiles in Little Mistress' spring/summer 2022 collection include the orange fibre fabric, made by extracting the cellulose from the fibres discarded in the industrial pressing and processing of orange. The textile is also enriched with citrus fruit essential oil through nanotechnology resulting in a Vitamin C fabric that nourishes the skin.

Little Mistress will also introduce more 100% organic, Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and plant-based fabrics from India made from aloe vera, corn, sugar cane, banana, bamboo and eucalyptus which targets eco-solutions including food waste, water waste, degradability, and socio-economic impact.

Mark Ashton, Little Mistress CEO, said: "We can’t wait to finally introduce the steps we’ve been taking over the past year to integrate these changes into Little Mistress collections. It’s been a real challenge to refine the strategy into a tangible plan but we’re confident in the strides we’re taking to bring conscious, informed decisions to our customers."

The brand’s sustainability initiative also includes giving customers full transparency by highlighting the importance of style conscious credentials on product pages including how the textiles are made, details on the yarn, and key eco-factors of each fabric.

Little Mistress’ first plant-based fabric drop will land in February 2022 on its ecommerce site and will be available from its partners including ASOS, John Lewis, Next, Zalando.