On 12 February 2021, Azgard9 launched a new website and a new brand idea: Future Before Fashion. The message was simple: "Sustainable fashion is not a trend, it is the future."
The idea had been a year in the making. In 2020, the company brought in the Portuguese creative agency This is Pacifica and the strategic agency SaTG to rethink how Azgard9 presents itself. They landed on two concepts, Future Before Fashion and Mainstreaming Sustainability: the belief that sustainability should be part of everyday products, not a niche. As CEO Ahmed Shaikh later put it: "Being profitable is still a business priority for us. But we want to have a business that is responsible, that looks into the future and knows that sustainability is key."
Alongside the launch, Azgard9 released a series of films on its YouTube channel, including "Future Before Fashion" and "Pakistan, The Nation of Denim".
The positioning was built on work already under way. By 2021, more than 70 percent of Azgard9's energy came from renewable sources, including 100 percent renewable steam from biomass. Its accreditations included ISO 14001, GOTS, OCS, GRS, RCS, the Better Cotton Initiative and OEKO-TEX® STeP, with a Higg FEM score of 77 and a Higg FSLM score of 91.
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Future Before Fashion went on to shape the company's work for years, from TENCEL™ and recycled-fibre fabrics to CO2AT, the oxygen-producing garment that won a Gold Lion at Cannes in 2022.
Key facts
- Launch12 February 2021, new website and brand positioning
- AgenciesThis is Pacifica (creative) and SaTG (strategy), engaged in 2020
- Twin ideasFuture Before Fashion; Mainstreaming Sustainability
- Energy (2021)more than 70% renewable; 100% renewable steam from biomass
- Higg scores (2021)FEM 77; FSLM 91
Future Before Fashion remains Azgard9's promise to the brands it works with: responsible denim today, designed with tomorrow in mind.
