Premium experience, positive impact
One of Christchurch’s premium shopping centres has sustainability in focus.
Merivale Mall, a unique blend of over 40 boutique stores – from designer fashion and lifestyle to chic cafés – places sustainability at its core. Here, sustainable fashion is more than just a catchphrase; it’s a deeply ingrained commitment shared by many of its tenants. This premium shopping centre actively celebrates the efforts of its retailers to prioritise responsible practices.
Take Max, a women’s fashion brand dedicated to reducing its impact on the planet while crafting garments with care and integrity. Their approach to sustainability includes sourcing regenerative, traceable merino wool through a partnership with the New Zealand Merino Company and incorporating 100 per cent French linen into their designs. One standout initiative is Max’s Wool Take Back Programme, created in partnership with Woolyarns, Inter-Weave, and their brother brand, Barkers Men’s Clothing. This programme invites customers to return wool garments with at least 85 per cent wool content, which are then repurposed into locally made New Zealand woollen blankets – exemplifying the company’s commitment to closing the loop and reducing waste.
Max has also embraced circularity through its resale programme. By teaming up with Designer Wardrobe, Max allows customers to resell their pre-loved pieces through the ‘Sell Later on DW’ programme, giving garments a second life and reducing environmental impact.
This ethos extends to boutique retailer STORM. Founded in 2005 by Deborah Caldwell, STORM focuses on quality over quantity, producing limited-edition clothing runs to minimise its carbon footprint and prevent deadstock. Its design philosophy prioritises longevity, crafting versatile, iconic pieces that transcend fleeting trends. STORM works exclusively with trusted factories that adhere to its Responsible Sourcing Code of Conduct, ensuring every garment is made with care and respect for both people and the planet.
Sportscraft is also raising the bar for ethical and sustainable fashion. The brand’s commitment extends beyond materials, focusing on fair labour practices and supply chain transparency. Sportscraft traces and audits all garment facilities, adhering to a strict Code of Conduct and Global Sourcing Principles.
Clothing and lifestyle store Flo & Frankie actively measures its carbon footprint. They work with the Toitū Envirocare Carbon Assess SME tool to identify their largest sources of emissions, allowing them to set targeted goals for offsetting. One way they’re tackling this is through their work with Greenspark.
Since 2022, Flo & Frankie has partnered with Greenspark to not only plant a tree for every order but also to enable customers to track their impact via a personalised dashboard. At the time of writing, Flo & Frankie had planted over 100,000 trees.
Nationwide boutique Blue Illusion founder Donna Guest shares: “Step by step, we are on a journey to transform our practices, reducing our carbon footprint so that future generations will be proud of the choices we have made.”
Alongside working on their supply chain, in 2023, they partnered with Upparel to improve circularity at the end of their products’ life cycle. They also contributed to reforestation efforts, planting 15,000 trees in collaboration with One Tree Planted.
While Merivale Mall has fostered a unique environment for a premium and relaxing shopping experience through care for its customers, it also leaves them with the peace of mind that the items they take home have been chosen with the same level of thought and responsibility.