Fast-Fashion Heiress Asks Shoppers to Buy Less in Green Push

  • Veronica Chou’s fashion brand backs eco-friendly innovations
  • Apparel industry is a major source of wastewater, emissions
Veronica ChouPhotographer: Paul Yeung/Bloomberg
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When she ran a company that sold American clothing labels in China, textile heiress Veronica Chou was a globe-trotting executive who made headlines for her socialite lifestyle and lavish 2012 wedding in Hong Kong. Now, she’s trying to clean up the fashion industry.

A member of the $2.7 billion family empire built by her father Silas Chou, the 36-year-old said she’s now devoting her time and money to startups that make one of the world’s most wasteful industries more sustainable. After selling the family stake in a Chinese joint venture with New York-listed Iconix Brand Group Inc. for $56 million in 2015, she started her own eco-friendly label, backing suppliers that are using innovative technologies to make materials and clothes.