Melting arctic ice is an alarming indicator of global warming affecting our planet.
Canada is considered a world leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but the world’s efforts don’t seem to be enough to combat global warming. The world has become increasingly vulnerable to rising sea levels caused by climate change, so once again a Canadian company, Simons, is at the forefront in bringing awareness, while demonstrating innovative ideas that could help our unhealthy planet moving forward.
Simons held a special event at their Park Royal South Store in West Vancouver to celebrate Earth Day. In collaboration with Greenpeace and Eco Fashion week, they officially launched Save the Arctic t-shirt created by fashion designer and activist Vienne Westwood. Westwood is passionate about environmental issues and is bringing awareness to the cause with her Save the Arctic tee-shirt campaign.
The tee-shirt design was created in 2015 as part of Westwood’s photography exhibit, with such Hollywood luminaries as George Clooney being one of several movie stars seen wearing them. The April Simons launch was attended by select media and VIP’s to support the cause. Pamela Anderson, a former Baywatch star, environmentalist and Greenpeace supporter, was one of the speakers, along with Myriam Laroche, founder of Eco Fashion Week, and Vice President of Marketing, Phillipe Normand of Simons, the leading fashion retailer supporting sustainability.
In a phone interview with Normand at his Quebec City office, he talked about Save the Arctic, which is now a national campaign, and other sustainability projects his company is involved with this year. Simons first opened its doors as a dry foods store in 1840, and since 1952, became Quebec’s fashion retailer, known today as La Maison Simons. The head office is in Quebec City, with 12 stores across Canada.
“The Save the Arctic tee-shirt campaign is still running and it spread like wildfire,” Normand said. The garment is made from organic cotton, with all proceeds from sales going to Greenpeace.
With the fashion industry generally known as one of the worst polluters, Simons is making a difference by creating brands that meet sustainability and environmental standards. “We do a sustainability review of (all) our fabric suppliers, not only in Canada,” said Normand. Simons’ other sustainability projects include an August launch of power stations for electric cars to be installed in the parking lot at their Edmonton store. They will also introduce LED lighting in the store, which will greatly reduce their electricity needs. “We encourage people to submit project ideas. We want to be involved as a hands-on community organization,” says Normand.
Westwood created the tee-shirt design exclusively for Simons in North America. As a fashion giant in the industry, Simons is making its mark in sustainability projects, from Save the Arctic tee-shirt campaign, to solar panel projects and much more. How will you step up?
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