The Future of Fashion Is Mushroom Leather
The CEO of Kering, François-Henri Pinault, already has billions, is married to Salma Hayek, and controls the most sought-after fashion brands. Now to save planet earth one vendor at a time.
McCartney, Pinault, and Hayek at the spring 2016 London Fashion Week.
Photographer: Rune Hellestad/Corbis via Getty Images
As you slip into heels or a tux to toast the New Year, you probably won’t be thinking about the fact that the leather in your shoes polluted drinking water in Indian villages, or that merino sheep were made miserable for your suit—and François-Henri Pinault doesn’t want you to have to. This year, the 54-year-old Frenchman is toasting the results in his 2016 sustainability report. The fashion industry pollutes heavily and relies on subsistence-wage earners and poorly treated animals. So the chief executive of Kering, which owns 16 brands, including Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Boucheron, and Puma, in 2012 set a series of goals to be met in four years that address every damaging aspect of the supply chain.
Kering hasn’t hit them all—the word “challenges” appears 34 times in the report—but its companies are using more recycled paper in packaging, improving working conditions, and eliminating some toxic chemicals, among other accomplishments. The $13 billion giant may represent only a small slice of the multitrillion-dollar apparel and accessories industries. But think of it as proof of concept, says Pinault, whose company’s stock has doubled in the four years since he’s implemented his plan.