For luxury fashion houses, stepping up sustainability efforts is essential—and many are eyeing materials as a way to do so. LVMH-owned Fendi, for example, recently vowed to eliminate fur from its lineup and is working with Central Saint Martins and Imperial College London to develop lab-grown fur.

• Dolce & Gabbana also announced that it would stop using fur, with plans to work on creating “a sustainable faux-fur alternative that uses recycled and recyclable materials.”

Leather alternatives have also become trendy, with mycelium leather—made out of mushroom roots—already being used by sustainability-conscious labels like Stella McCartney and Ganni.

Now, as the hunt for the next big sustainable material marches on, Retail Brew spoke to four experts about what excites them about where the industry is going. Here are the takeaways.

Filling in: While PJ Smith, director of fashion policy at the Humane Society, shouted out the aforementioned mushroom leather—the key being “scaling these technologies, so that they’re readily available in the marketplace.”

• Smith said he’s also excited about how silk is evolving to become more sustainable.

“I also know that alternatives [that are] biodegradable are taking off,” he told us. “That’s going to be something that we’re not even going to see—we’re not going to recognize that transition. It’s just like, one day, all our puffers are going to be filled with more sustainable and animal-friendly alternatives.”

Mass appeal: Lizzie Horvitz, CEO and founder of Finch, a digital sustainability tool, believes luxury brands can help pave the way for the mainstream.

“We’re really excited about what the fashion houses are doing. The very high-end ones have the resources to test this out in the market,” she explained. “Regardless of the specific technology, when people who buy from LVMH are getting on board, that means that it can trickle down to all levels of fashion…Because if LVMH can do it, that means that H&M will be able to do it in five years, and it becomes more accessible, really, to everybody.”

Nature calls: But August Rust, a research assistant at the Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons, raised some questions. “In terms of scalability, we’re not going to see these plant-based, vegan bio-leathers scaled to [an] extent for a long time,” they said. What Rust is really interested in, they noted, is “the resurgence of natural fibers as something that has the ability to be completely widespread.”

Click here to keep reading.—JS

TikTok talent is in huge demand—whether at brands or creative agencies. Marketing Brew’s Phoebe Bain broke down why in a recent piece, but she also highlighted another priority role: copywriters.

Kirsten Ludwig, president and founder of creative agency In Good Co, told us that copywriters who understand how to master brand voice are in demand, explaining that brand voice is often an underutilized way to stand out.

“Copy voice is an inexpensive way to really separate yourself. And so if you look at brands like Oatly, or Chobani, they’re able to do things that are right for that particular brand, and be known for creating a very unique voice that kind of brings them to life and separates them,” Ludwig explained.

Additionally, multilingual copywriters have also become more sought-after, at least according to Madison Utendahl, VP of social strategy at creative agency Known. Especially with the rise of DTC brands—which are often internationally sold—it’s important to have copy that can pop in multiple languages, Utendahl explained.

For example, Utendahl worked with Halsey’s brand, About-Face, which has a 50% international audience, she said—and having multilingual copywriters was an “incredible asset” here. “You learn so much more about your consumer and the teams involved to bring these products to life if you have people who can properly communicate in their language,” she told us.

“Especially in the US, all these new kitschy, fun DTC brands use really conversational, colloquial language, that if English is not your first language, might totally go over your head,” Utendahl explained. “But if you can converse and have a copywriter who is fluent in Spanish or fluent in French and can understand the idioms between both languages and help translate that, then you have just expanded your audience for that product, especially on digital reach.”

Click here to read the full story on Marketing Brew.—GT

Today’s top retail reads.

Stocked up: While supply-chain struggles have made many products difficult to get a hold of, they’ve made others way easier to get, and a lot of categories are on sale. (the Dallas Morning News)

Bargain hunting: Coupons can often function like a cheat code for shoppers, but as inflation continues to rise, they’re becoming more difficult to find. (the New York Times)

Changing climate: Carbon food labeling may be a way to appeal to environmentally conscious consumers. (Financial Times)

Elevate your app in a snap: 1 in 3 US consumers prefer mobile shopping apps to all other channels, and 15% use ’em daily. So, what drives app adoption? A safe and simple UX. Learn more here.*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}

We asked Morning Brew readers for their take on salary transparency last week and there were some really eye-opening answers. We found the more money you make the less interested you are in salary transparency. Plus some interesting differences between genders and feelings on salary transparency.

Check out the rest of your fellow readers' feelings on salary transparency here.

Catch up on the Retail Brew stories you may have missed.

• How shoppers plan to spend on Prime Day—and the rest of the summer
• Tequila-seltzer brand Onda lands $12.5 million in funding
• Target completes its 1,000th store renovation