Redefining Sustainable Fashion with Pharoah Farrukh.
There is one word which surrounds nearly every conversation regarding fashion these days – sustainability. In recent years, as the general population has been made aware of the ongoing climate crisis, there has been a heavy focus on the damage that the fashion industry is currently doing to our planet. According to Earth.Org, the textile industry produces a staggering 92 million tonnes of waste each year. There is a great deal of controversy surrounding infamous fast fashion empires, amongst which are the likes of Shein and Pretty Little Thing, who are notorious for producing 1000s of garments daily; many of which find their way into landfill after only a handful of wears.
However, these brands are not the only contributors to the disturbing figures which are burdening the Earth. The truth is, near enough every fashion brand has its flaws with regards to sustainability – whether that is manufacturing garments overseas, thus adding to carbon footprint, or simply over-producing items, which consequently leads to waste. However, there are a small number of independent designers who have adopted an indisputably sustainable business model. One of those is Pharoah Farrukh – a Pakistani born London based designer. I recently caught up with him to discover how exactly he is redefining what is means to be sustainable in the fashion industry.
The Business Model
It’s no easy feat to successfully achieve an entirely sustainable business model with zero flaws, yet Farrukh has managed to achieve that. He has adopted a circular approach to design, in which pre-existing garments are deconstructed, and the material is used to create something new. “We take it [garments] from the grave and reinvent it” he explained, sitting in his London apartment surrounded by mannequins and raw material, “everything keeps rotating in the circle”. The clothing rail was filled with beautifully unique jackets, and Farrukh described how many of them were made from pairs of trousers that he found in charity shops and at second hand markets. To the naked eye, they were simply wonderfully eccentric pieces of clothing – but it was their backstory which made them even more impressive.
There is another key aspect to the House of Aristocrats – which is the name of Farrukh’s label – that somehow manages to make it even more environmentally friendly. Each item is made on a customer-by-customer basis, resulting in zero deadstock left to burden the planet when a season is over. Likewise, the absence of mass-producing means that he handmakes each garment personally, which cancels out the carbon footprint that is often produced by large brands when transporting pieces between manufacturers, studios, and consumers.
A Personal Touch
Farrukh’s business model is not only environmentally savvy – it also adds a very heartfelt touch to each garment that he produces. As he works on a client-by-client basis, each piece is tailored exactly to the customer’s needs. His work focuses on adding morals and values to the garments, whereas “fast fashion isn’t really meaningful to us”. He explained that “everyday when I’m on the tube I see the girls and boys sitting there, putting things in their cart”, yet these pieces “don’t have value attached” as they “haven’t seen how it was made”. Farrukh’s brand aims to do the reverse – his clients are heavily involved in the design process, offering their input on fabric, colour and fit. Additionally, there are times in which he will take pre-loved pieces from their wardrobes and “give them another life”. Not only is this process incredibly sustainable, but ensures the client truly loves and feels attached to his creation, which takes it beyond a mere piece of clothing to a heartfelt garment with sentimental value.
Growing the Brand
There is a reason that Farrukh designs under House of Aristocrats, as opposed to using his own name – and that is to offer opportunities to young designers. “I want to see many designers come in and do what they want to do”, he explained, gesturing towards a mannequin donning a half-finished metallic top, “I want them to find their own aesthetics”. It’s clear that Farrukh is a great advocate for self-expression and individualism, which is reflected in his unique creations and distinctive tattoos. “I think being an artist you shouldn’t be scared about it”, he noted, before going on to explain that he wanted to bring more designers into his brand in order to see this model truly thrive.
Could this be the future?
In a world with a growing concern for the climate crisis, Farrukh’s business model certainly has a place in the future of fashion. Granted, for those of us without tangible wealth or disposable income, an entirely customised wardrobe is slightly beyond the realms of possibility. However, there is no reason as to why more brands shouldn’t turn towards upcycling fabrics and a circular economy to protect the environment. Will there ever come a day when mass-production will cease to exist? It’s unlikely. However, if more brands were to adopt a House of Aristocrats approach to production, the damage inflicted on the earth by the fashion industry would waver considerably.
