Sheep Selfies? Knitwear Brand Sheep Inc. Takes Traceability to the Next Level
Knitwear brand Sheep Inc. was founded by Edzard van der Wyck and Michael Wessely to create a new sustainable model for the fashion industry.
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Now they are digging even deeper to take consumers all the way to the farm level by offering up sheep selfies, real-time live streaming and on-farm facial recognition on their new platform. Launching Wednesday, the interface allows customers to choose a sheep by swiping right, name and follow the sheep — all in an effort to increase consumer awareness about the complexity of sourcing.
Van der Wyck, who previously cofounded luxury tights brand Heist Studios, became passionate about making meaningful changes throughout the fashion supply chain. In the company’s quest for “total transparency,” he wanted to drill down to where the raw materials come from, and after disclosing data about their manufacturers, realized that information should start at the farm stage and add an emotional edge.
“In creating this, it shows that there has been a very real, tangible journey that the garment has gone through,” van der Wyck told WWD. The company hopes it can spark consumer understanding of just how complex a supply chain can be.
“People should be thinking about where things come from. With this, you can see who would have contributed to the wool in your sweater, and for us this is super important. It’s something that’s real, otherwise you’re just reading a data point,” he said.
“And then there’s the slight absurdity of the fact that we’re sending you sheep selfies,” he joked. “But it’s more engaging than if we were simply giving you a list of information.”
With a removable near field communication (NFC) tag inside each garment, a quick tap takes the buyer down to farm level, where they can select a favorite sheep, get its GPS coordinates and tap into the livestream, enabling customers to view the farm at any time.
The company will also roll out short documentaries under its own Farmflix banner, examining how the farms operate. It will delve into biodiversity projects to help consumers better understand the brand’s work with regenerative techniques, rotational grazing, soil analysis and carbon sequestration. They also plan to add content showing the sheep-shearing process and their animal well-being approach.
It took six months to develop the technology and a dedicated app will be launched in February.
Particularly as traceability disclosure rules and digital passports start to come into effect in Europe, consumers will soon be bombarded with a whole host of data. Whether they know what to make of it is another question.
Van der Wyck said that instead of just showing the supply chain, the Sheep Inc. project wants to help customers connect, engage and understand how garments are made in order to build conscious purchasing habits — even beyond their own brand.
“We want to evolve that experience to make it more engaging and even more transparent so that you get real insight into the journey that your garment has taken. So hopefully next time you’re going to buy a pair of socks, you’ll also start to think and have a picture mentally — what process has this gone through to get into my hands?”
“Fashion is such a powerhouse, creative cultural force, that it can drive conversation in a bigger sense and it can drive change. So I see the huge value of fashion, fashion branding, and fashion’s impact will be able to help drive those conversations,” he said.
The company has also developed proprietary software that is integrated with its suppliers around the world, so they can track a garment in real time through the manufacturing process.
It already offers the Connected Dot traceability tracker through an NFC, which details the carbon footprint at each stage of a garment. Van der Wyck calls it “continuous visibility into the process happening in our supply chain.”
They’re also adding a new function called Time Capsule, where customers can add photos and keep a record of when and where they’ve worn their garment. The idea is to build a stronger bond with an item and encourage continuous use of the clothes already owned.
“This technology piece for us is really meant to hammer home the important understanding piece, and adding an entertainment layer. Yes, the sheep selfie is fun, but hopefully it digs a bit deeper to where someone thinks about where things come from and connect better than a sheet to read. It’s a whole journey that happens.”
The content will help foster understanding of sustainability from the farm on up, van der Wyck hopes. The sheep selfies “are just the cherry on the cake.”