We are RWS certified - American Vintage Interview

American Vintage is RWS certified as the Marseille-based brand commits to fairer production practices.

We meet with Charlotte Allègre, Head of CSR at American Vintage, who shares the brand’s shift toward stronger commitments. In order to optimize production processes and ensure high-quality traceability, American Vintage has chosen product certification through Ecocert Group.

Why did you choose to become RWS certified? "At American Vintage, materials are at the heart of our creations. They guide our inspiration and shape our collections. We chose RWS certification to guarantee the traceability of the fibers used in our products. A deep focus on traceability has been implemented, and this certification covers the entire production process, ensuring compliance with strict standards, including animal welfare during wool harvesting.

We opted for RWS after conducting a thorough analysis of our products. Wool is one of the key materials in our knitwear, so it was essential for us to obtain a certification with strong criteria."

What has this certification changed for American Vintage, especially in your production methods?

"Getting certified has transformed our internal practices—we trained our teams: product managers, creative teams, logistics departments… Everyone has been made aware of the certification and its requirements.

The certification also allows us to better structure our production and to implement more rigorous documentation and tracking processes. It has enabled us to launch an RWS-labeled range that includes cardigans, sweaters, beanies, and socks made with 60 to 71% certified wool."

What challenges did you face in obtaining this certification? "American Vintage is a company with a family spirit, where decisions are made fluidly and evolution is constant. However, certification required us to further structure our processes and to integrate CSR into every aspect of our production.

We appointed key contacts within various departments during the audit process, which helped us raise our standards and better incorporate certification requirements into our day-to-day operations."

What is the impact of this certification for consumers? How do you communicate about it?

"We’ve chosen a gradual and thoughtful approach to communicating our commitments. We want to fully understand our initiatives before promoting them.

To inform consumers, we focus on tools like:

• A label on the product’s composition tag to ensure transparency.
• Enriched content on our website, which evolves alongside our commitments.
• Certified wool from Ecocert is especially valuable since products with a majority wool composition are becoming increasingly rare. This certification highlights our responsible approach and assures consumers that our products are traceable and sustainable."

What’s your next goal toward a more sustainable textile industry? "We’re not stopping at RWS! American Vintage already holds four other certifications with Ecocert Group:

• GOTS and OCS to guarantee fibers from organic farming.
• GRS and RCS to ensure the integration of recycled fibers into our collections.

Our goal is to further expand our range of certified products and to develop a new GRS-labeled line (Global Recycled Standard). We are currently working on products that are fully GRS certified, from design to production.

Finally, we’re involving our suppliers in this transition by encouraging them to get certified as well. Because for a product to be truly certified, every participant in the production chain must meet the label’s requirements."