Innovation for Sustainability: Fassbender's Philosophy of New Luxury

If fashion is a reflection of our time, the past years have profoundly reshaped how we approach luxury. Luxury is no longer just about the material worth of what we wear—the things we let closest to our skin are becoming the very fabric of our values. Today's fashion is no longer a fleeting trend. It can reflect how we look at life and how much we care for the people and the environment around us.

A beautiful garment shouldn't just feel right on the skin, it should also feel right in the heart and on the mind. Even the most precious materials can only be beautiful inside out if they are sourced with responsibility—and this is the predicament for high fashion. Many high-quality fabrics, especially products of animal origin, are still produced under questionable circumstances, few are cruelty-free or animal-friendly.

But material innovations are increasingly offering sustainable alternatives for the fabrics we love. Some of the latest game changers are Adrián Velarde and Marte Cázarez from Mexico. After two years of research, the creators successfully launched Desserto®, an alternative to leather based on nopal, a Mexican cactus. The novel fabric is sustainably produced without toxic chemicals and biodegradable without compromising on the soft feeling of genuine leather.

But Desserto® is just one of many discoveries by Hamburg-based high fashion brand Fassbender. Launched in 2015 by fashion-industry veteran Christina Fassbender, her brother Sebastian Steinhoff and Matthias Louwen, the creative director who previously worked on designs for Calvin Klein, Alexander Wang and Diane von Fürstenberg, the family-and-friends-business believes in the connectedness of living beings and nature.

While Fassbender works towards a responsible circular economy that respects the environment and all of its life, the makers are equally committed to sophisticated tailoring and timeless elegance that reflect the Hanseatic joie de vivre.

Every season, Fassbender explores the newest sustainable material innovations, all sourced from certified workshops with the highest ethical standards for everyone involved in the creation process. Natural materials, like alpaca and lambswool, are produced by animal-friendly farms and the peace silk is made without sacrificing living silk worms. Respect to nature is the core of the Fassbender woman who lives beauty inside out—that is real luxury.

Read more about Fassbender on the brandpage: fashionunited.com/companies/fassbender