Today’s fashion apparel shoppers are increasingly astute about the products they buy. Of course, they seek fashion-forward, trend-right designs and high-quality construction along with the right fit, but they also demand apparel that is sustainably and responsively made. Additionally, apparel consumers expect designer brands to treat their workers fair and source materials that are ethically produced. They want products made with low environmental impact and natural materials that are not harmful to human health.
DÔEN is one of a handful of designer brands that hit all these notes — and more. Which is why the West Coast-based brand was presented with the annual Moss Adams Fashion Innovator Award at Sourcing Journal’s inaugural Sustainability LA late last month.
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Before announcing the winner, Marco Valverde, Partner and Apparel National practice leader at Moss Adams, said the award was created to recognize talent and give back to the apparel industry, which he described as a “pillar industry” within the firm’s portfolio of industries served. “This year’s winner is a brand that showcases how you can achieve innovation through growth over the past year,” he said. “And it is a brand that demonstrates extremely well in our two key criteria: sustainability and diversity. And by being a woman-owned company and having an all-woman led executive team.”
Pete Sadera, editor in chief of Sourcing Journal, said, “With the plethora of brands hanging their shingle on sustainability claims, it can be hard to distinguish the doers from the talkers. It’s easy to spot the real deal when you see it. The more I learned about DÔEN’s mission and ethos, the more I was impressed. It is truly an example of what is possible with diligent and dedicated efforts. I am honored to join Moss Adams in bestowing them this award.”
Kristine Kim, senior director, impact and responsible sourcing at DÔEN, accepted the award and thanked the presenters, Valverde and Sadera. “It’s incredible to be acknowledged for our impact work and we’re very inspired to continue to build upon it. At DÔEN, we’ve always had a more holistic approach since the inception of the brand. Founders Margaret and Katherine Kleveland, like all of us, were very disenchanted with the state of the take, make, waste model of the fashion system and the dearth of female leadership in the industry.”
Kim said by the time that she joined the team, about three years ago, “there was already a lot of practices in place around women’s empowerment, working with female-owned factories, a point of view on preferred materials and an awareness around environmental impact of those material choices.”
Kim noted that DÔEN has partnered with RISE (Reimagining Industry to Support Equity) at the garment factory level, and as “one of the smallest if not the smallest brands” in the program, said DÔEN is looking to make a difference for the multigenerational worker families that are often excluded from these programs. “Traditionally, these types of value-add capacity building programs at the factory level have been reserved for much larger, big-box retailers that have behemoth manufacturing facilities with thousands and thousands of garment workers, and who have the bandwidth and the resources to really host capacity building,” Kim said.
DÔEN was founded in Los Angeles in 2016. When asked to describe DÔEN’s target customer, Margaret Kleveland said the company is “building a brand for all women with our feminine, timeless designs – there is something for everyone. Our customers range from young women in their teens all the way to women over 75 years old. We love to see generations of women wearing our clothes, and we aim to build relationships with women at all stages of their lives.”
Regarding the brand’s design inspirations. Kleveland said she and her sister are both from Southern California “and the inspiration is very rooted in the landscapes we grew up around – beautiful coastlines and California orchards and oak groves. The designs themselves are nostalgic, feminine and timeless and are designed to be truly worn and passed down from generation to generation.”
Inclusivity and “impact-driven” are also brand attributes that attract consumers and reflect the company’s values, Kleveland said. “Making a positive impact in the industry has been part of our values from Day One — we have always worked toward balancing our role as a corporate entity providing fulfilling, fair wage jobs with our responsibilities as advocates for change within the global community and fashion industry ecosystem,” she explained. “In 2023, we released our 2030 Roadmap laying out our approach to business: to view our supply chain as a value chain, and to commit to creating more environmental and social value across every tier and function of that model.”
Kleveland said the company understands that sustainability “lacks definition across the industry and, with that, can come setbacks and roadblocks, but we do commit to progress over perfection and share our Impact Updates yearly with our customers.”
Regarding the award, Valverde said it’s an award “given to a fashion brand that has; over the course of the past year; significantly impacted the national marketplace by exemplifying creativity and innovation through unique and compelling designs, manufacturing, or marketing practices, as well as sustainability and diversity; criteria that were added the last several years.”
Regarding prior winners, Valverde said they have been leaders in their respective categories. “They set the benchmarks for excellence, consistently push the boundaries of conventional practice and are leaders shaping the industry,” he said. “Innovation comes in different forms; but recently is mainly tied to their sustainable practices and inclusivity; from being women owned and lead to utilizing cutting-edge sustainability practices and materials.”
When asked what it takes to lead and innovate with sustainability in the apparel sector, Valverde said “leading and innovating with sustainability in the fashion industry requires a multifunctional approach that incorporates, vision and commitment, sustainable sourcing and materials; innovative production processes and transparency and accountability.”