Cult designer womenswear destination, Tuchuzy, has been working quietly to examine its brand offering, and more specifically, has taken a magnifying glass to the ever-growing collection of prestigious designer brands stocked online and in its Bondi Beach store.
More recently, Tuchuzy has welcomed an admirable group of new sustainable and ethical labels, including Agolde, Cotton Citizen, Nagnata, RE/DONE, Sleeping with Jacques, and Studio Jacklyn.
These brands now join a number of others, including Bassike, Baum Und Pferdgarten, Holly Ryan, Jasmin Sparrow, Nanushka, Veja, and St Agni, which altogether, contribute to Tuchuzy’s ‘Sustainable’ edit — a dedicated and curated portal on the site that rallies together the brand’s conscious labels, making it even easier for shoppers to browse and purchase from designers that align with their own values.
It’s an area of the business that founder Daria Sakic says is destined to grow even further. “As a business and leader, we can help influence the fashion and retail industry, as well as consumers. Helping consumers find sustainable and ethical designers as well as build their wardrobe with pieces that don’t compromise on quality, style and values is so important,” she tells The Latch.
“We need to ask ourselves what matters and rise up to it. Fashion can create a sense of community, confidence and help shape the times we live in. The future is what we will make it, and this is why, more and more, Tuchuzy is continuing to choose responsibly-led labels who we believe have the next covetable wardrobe essential and collection.”
Sakic says that in every new decision made for the brand, a new designer’s sustainability values and efforts is reviewed, to ensure it’s a match made in heaven.
“Circular production, innovative and sustainable fabrics, responsible supply chains, limiting or reducing waste, giving back to the community; these are all things the team at Tuchuzy look at when introducing new brands into store and to our customers.”
“We need to ask ourselves what matters and rise up to it.”
Tuchuzy’s sustainable edit allows shoppers the chance to browse and buy from those brands that align with their own conscious values. The curated destination shines a spotlight on the platform’s newest trend pieces, however, it’s not the only place to find sustainable and ethical pieces within the store. Ultimately, sustainability drives a lot of what Tuchuzy works to do for Australian shoppers.
“We’ve always been a proud platform for sustainable labels but we’ve renewed our focus and commitment to being a responsibly-led business,” says Sakic.
Though doing right by the environment has long been a priority for Sakic, the businesswoman acknowledges how the events of recent years are working to actively usher shoppers towards a more conscious mindset in the ways they shop.
“With everything that has happened this year, more and more, people are trying to find something more profound and to do better. Creativity is now integrating with sustainability and is driving a new era of fashion.
“The Tuchuzy customer tends to set fashion trends but our shoppers are also smart and conscious. We’ve had such great feedback to our new brands that prioritise sustainability. It’s what they, our shoppers, have come to expect from us.”
“We’ve renewed our focus and commitment to being a responsibly-led business.”
While featuring brands that prioritise circular design, recycled materials, and give-back initiatives is one key part of the sustainability journey, so too is stocking apparel with longevity.
Fast fashion is a huge, huge problem for the environment — In Australia alone, more than 500,000 tonnes of textiles end up in landfill each year — so in curating timeless garments that shoppers will be encouraged to keep forever, Tuchuzy is tackling the issue of sustainability in fashion in yet another way.
“We look for modern cuts and construction that will stand the test of time. I think our shoppers automatically brush over a cheap alternative that is mass made by companies that do not hold the same values they do,” Sakic says.
“Fashion has always been an expression of who we are and, more than ever, is also what we stand for.”
Before buying a new item of clothes, Sakic suggests asking yourself the below three questions. These are the exact questions she and Tuchuzy’s buyers ask themselves before adding a collection to their range.
- How will this build and add to my wardrobe?
- Is it well-made and made to last?
- What does the brand stand for and does this affirm what I want to stand for?
“When you can answer these confidently, the right decision for the environment and the world, as well as the right style choice, can be one and the same.”