REFORMATION
REWRITING
THE RULES
FEATURE: REFORMATION
CEO
YAEL AFLALO:
Can Fast Fashion Be Ethical?
Reformation Is Rewriting The Rules
Author: Elizabeth Segran
Yael Aflalo, founder of the clothing company Reformation, uses
tech to create less waste. Her inspiration? Tesla Motors.
24 WORTHWHILE | SPRING 2019
“
CLIMATE
CHANGE AND
THE IMPACT
THAT WE’RE
HAVING ON THE
ENVIRONMENT
IS THE BIGGEST
ISSUE FACING
HUMANITY.
”
We think of fashion as a creative industry. But is it innovative? I have
found that fashion is not at the forefront of technology as a lot of other
industries,” says Yael Aflalo, founder of Reformation, an eco-friendly,
fast-fashion brand favored by Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Karlie Kloss.
Aflalo was recently interviewing a candidate for a tech position at her
company who had a background in robotics. On the surface, it didn’t
seem like this fellow was particularly passionate about the industry, so
Aflalo asked him why he was interested in Reformation. She recalls him
saying, “fashion is so far behind that there’s just so much opportunity."
Aflalo, who launched Reformation in 2009, believes that there are
many aspects of the fashion industry that can be improved with the right
technology. As a passionate defender of the environment, she believes
that the entire fashion supply chain should be scrutinized. Fashion is,
after all, the third most polluting industry in the world. In a thoroughly
data-driven way, her company quantifies how much waste it creates at
every point in the manufacturing process, and then finds ways to offset
any pollution. The majority of Reformation products are made in the
company’s Los Angeles factory. When it comes to the experience, Aflalo
believes that technology can be used to make shopping more fun and
less of a chore. Her new store in San Francisco re-imagines how spaces
in a clothing shop should be configured.
In this Creative Conversation, we talk to her about what inspires her,
and why she thinks it’s possible for fast fashion to be sustainable and
ethical. You’ve said that you find inspiration in unlikely places. How did
you connect a car brand with Reformation?