Frank and Oak opens first Asian store

Montreal-based sustainable clothing company Frank and Oak presents its new collection “Traced by VeChain” in its first physical store experience in Asia. It is located in the new Tai Koo Li shopping centre in downtown Shanghai, which opened on 1st December 2021.

The Shanghai store was designed by Montreal-born Sacha Silva, who has been pioneering sustainable design and construction in China for more than 20 years. For example, 62 percent of the materials used in the shop are biodegradable or recyclable at the end of their lifetime. The demountable and modular display systems can also be reused in future shops.

The opening collection includes Frank and Oak’s most iconic winter products made with sustainable fabrics and processes, such as the unique yak sweaters and accessories made with yarns and processes traceable by VeChain.

While the yarn stems from UPW, a leading spinner of luxury yarns, the upstream yak wool comes from Shokay, a sustainable textiles brand that sources yak wool directly from Tibetan herders. Frank and Oak, Shokay and UPW have committed 1 percent of proceeds from the sale of this collection towards a grassland conservation program in Sichuan.

Shokay and UPW use VeChain’s blockchain technology to easily capture supply chain data and manage proof of production. Through the data visualisation module, Frank and Oak can communicate its sustainability efforts directly to consumers who can scan the QR code in-store to experience the stories behind the style.

“VeChainThor Blockchain is one of the most sustainable L1 smart contract platforms in the market, bridging blockchain technology and real green entrepreneurship. With Proof of Authority consensus, VeChainThor is well-designed to serve both enterprise users from all levels with its advanced technical features, balanced governance structure and sustainable economic model,” comments VeChain in a press release.

The certified B Corporation Frank and Oak was founded in 2012, three years prior to VeChain Technology. The latter was founded in 2015 with the aim of connecting blockchain technology with the real world by providing companies with blockchain-enabled solutions tailored to their business needs.