This article is part of the Vogue Business 100 Innovators: Class of 2025, an annual list of individuals Vogue Business editors believe have the potential to change the luxury industry for the better.
It was never easy to be a sustainability thought leader, but this year has tested even the strongest-willed. From the US to the EU, politicians have whipped up an anti-ESG frenzy, prompting regulators to roll back hard-won policy momentum, and taking the wind out of the fashion industry’s sustainability efforts in the process. Even the companies that have doubled down on ambition and raised targets are being stifled by budget and staffing constraints. All the while, the social and environmental impacts of the climate crisis are becoming more severe, especially for the vulnerable communities in the Global South that make much of the world’s clothing. Sustainability has never been more pressing, and leadership never more vital.