On Tuesday, influencers Sara Emilie Tandberg, Monica Nyhus and Therese Lien Andresen launched the clothing brand Amicas.
Profilene has so far released three dresses at a price tag of just under NOK 3,000 per garment.
After the launch, there have been several reactions against the clothing brand. Among other things, several have reacted to the influencers’ claim that they want to be sustainable.
In an Instagram post, they write that they are “proud to be able to offer top quality dresses in 100% thick cotton in a sustainable way”.
The dresses’ price and appearance have also garnered criticism on the platform Jodel.
– Will work to be a sustainable brand
SUSTAINABLE: The Amicas women themselves write that they are proud to be able to offer cotton dresses in a sustainable way. Photo: Screenshot from Amicas’ Instagram account.
The three influencers say that they have a desire to create a sustainable brand.
– Amicas will work to be a sustainable brand. We send the dresses in cardboard, among other things, because we want to take a few steps in the right direction, says Monica Nyhus.
The dresses have been produced in the same factory as the exclusive brand Zimmermann. This factory is located in China.
Responding
“Farmen kjendis” current Ingrid Vik Lysne, known from the sewing collective Fæbrik and the TV 2 series “Rydderevulosionen”, reacts to the word “sustainable” being used.
– There is nothing to indicate that this is particularly sustainable. I react to their use of the word sustainable. To me, the little I’ve seen looks like greenwashing, she says to Good Evening Norway.
Furthermore, Lysne emphasizes that if you call something sustainable, you must be able to justify it.
– They write that they use thick cotton. The fact that something is thick cotton has nothing to do with sustainability.
The TV profile explains that new production of cotton clothing requires large amounts of water. She points out that this is not environmentally friendly.
FARMEN-CURRENT: Ingrid Vik Lysne is current in this year’s season of Farmen celebrity. Photo: Espen Solli
– We can start talking about something being sustainable if new garments are produced from the dress’s cotton, after the dress has been used up. Then they create a circular solution.
– A word that should be included in marketing
Lysne believes that some people take the term sustainable lightly, but that it is not meant in a bad way.
– Sustainability is a word that you know should be included in marketing. So I think it’s easy to cook up a soup of nice words without really thinking about what they mean. For example, quality is not the same as sustainable, but many people still use the words interchangeably.
Furthermore, Lysne says that the women can be rewarded for the fact that two of the dresses are produced from one hundred percent cotton, without the use of plastic materials.
– Then there is no danger of microplastics being sprinkled on the clothes. I think that is a good thing, especially today. The vast majority of garments produced today contain plastic materials, so the fact that they have not done so is good.
Nevertheless, she stands her ground and believes that the brand cannot be called sustainable.
– I believe that you cannot call it sustainable just because you could have made a choice that was even less environmentally friendly. You never see in a shop that a t-shirt made of one hundred percent cotton is called sustainable just because it is made of cotton, she explains.
– Neither innovative nor modern
The brand was created with a desire to offer exclusive garments with a larger size range than what is available today. Amicas’ dresses have a size range from XS-3XL.
– We notice that there is a gap in the market for larger sizes of “high end” dresses. Usually, other dresses stop at size large and extra large, and it was those sizes that were torn away first, says general manager of Amicas, Therese Lien.
Clothing designer Christina Ledang thinks it’s good that women focus on larger sizes, but is less impressed with the end product.
– The dresses give me nothing and are neither innovative nor particularly modern, she says.
Ledang emphasizes that a product is not “high end” just because it is expensive.
– The dresses look like a lot of other things you can find in chain stores when the spring season approaches. “High end” reviews on a general basis require some weight, with facts about production, textiles and color samples.
Like Lysne, Ledang is skeptical that the trio uses the concept of sustainability in marketing.
– I think that sustainable design is much more than ecological textiles and moving production closer to Norway is at least one step closer. You must be able to document how you are sustainable, she says.
Shared reactions
Lien says that there have been mixed reactions to the launch of the brand.
– There have been some who think the dresses have been expensive in price, but 90 per cent of the feedback has been positive.
Sara Emilie Tandberg adds that they have gained understanding when they have explained why the price is as it is.
– When we have explained the production and the choices we have made, people have been very understanding, once they have realized that we have made dresses of high quality.
Responds to criticism
In an email to God kveld Norge, the trio claims that they have never communicated in their marketing that Amicas is a sustainable brand.
They also emphasize that there is nothing about sustainability on their website.
– The fact that the word sustainability was used in an interview context and in certain other comments on Instagram, we should probably avoid or reformulate.
Furthermore, they explain that the word sustainability has been used in connection with questions about material selection.
– We have explained that cotton is more sustainable than, for example, polyester, and that it is therefore more expensive to produce. Amicas is a completely new brand, and we hope that with time we can take several steps in the right direction with regard to the environment.
– I want to lie completely flat
The women also say that they are working towards being able to produce clothes closer to Norway.
The trio is adamant that the dresses can be described as “high end”.
– What a person thinks high-end stands for and does not stand for, we cannot decide.
Monica Nyhus clarifies in an email that she takes the blame for the use of the word sustainability:
– Here I just want to lay flat and shouldn’t use the word sustainable. For us, it has been important not to use plastic for mailings and 100% cotton rather than polyester. These are some choices we have made, but we see that we have a lot to learn. Again, I’m sorry for the use of the word. We want to make garments that last. It is an interesting topic in general for the clothing industry and we look forward to developing and learning more.
