Sustainability at THE CODE

WE DON’T BELIEVE IN THROWAWAY FASHION

Fashion has a waste problem. We don’t want to add to it.

For THE CODE, sustainability starts with a simple question: how can we make and sell things differently?

That means choosing better materials. Designing clothes to last beyond a season. Working with smaller, independent brands that share our values. Producing thoughtfully. Moving away from animal-derived materials. Finding new uses for what already exists. And, whenever possible, not throwing things away.

We’re not interested in pretending fashion can have zero impact. It can’t. But we can make better decisions about what we create, what we stock, who we work with and what happens to materials along the way.

MATERIALS MATTER

Our own collections prioritise reused, recycled and more responsible materials wherever possible.

One of the most important is ECONYL® regenerated nylon, used in our Second Skin collection. ECONYL® is made from nylon waste including discarded fishing nets, fabric scraps, old carpets and industrial plastics. Through the ECONYL® Regeneration System, this waste is regenerated into nylon with the same properties as conventional nylon.

For us, that last part matters. THE CODE makes clothes for movement. For dancing. For long nights. Choosing more responsible materials only works if the clothes can still do their job.

We are also working to move away from animal-derived materials and towards alternatives that give us the look, feel and performance we need without relying on animal products.

DESIGNED TO STAY

Slow fashion means making clothes people actually want to keep.

We don’t believe every new season needs a completely new wardrobe. Our Classics use shapes that remain favourites year after year, while our collections are designed to be worn repeatedly rather than discarded when the next trend arrives.

Durability is part of sustainability. So is versatility. Clothes designed for years of dancefloors, parties and everyday life have a very different relationship with their owner from something designed to be worn once.

Our designer Karen Jessen has decades of experience in sustainable fashion and was an early pioneer of upcycling. Her approach looks for possibilities in existing materials, combining sustainability with experimentation, quality and high-fashion design.

Waste can be a starting point. Not an endpoint.

THE COMPANY WE KEEP

THE CODE has always worked closely with independent designers and smaller brands. We choose our partners for their creativity and quality, but increasingly, their values matter too.

We want to work with designers who think carefully about how and where their pieces are made, the materials they use, how much they produce and how long those pieces will last.

Working with smaller labels also gives us a closer relationship with the people behind the clothes. We can understand how pieces are produced, discover new materials and techniques and support designers who are trying to do things differently.

We want to give independent and local designers a platform while supporting an alternative to an industry built around enormous volumes, constant turnover and disposability.

USE IT. REUSE IT. USE IT AGAIN.

We have a fairly straightforward attitude towards waste:

If something can still be used, it isn’t waste yet.

We don’t like throwing things away. Fabrics, fixtures, packaging, display materials and leftovers can often have another life. We keep things. We reuse them. We repurpose them. We look for another use before automatically buying something new.

The same thinking applies to our clothes. Existing materials can become new garments. Leftovers can become details. Something designed for one purpose can find another.

Sometimes sustainability means developing innovative new materials and manufacturing processes. Sometimes it means something much simpler: use what you already have.

MADE TO LAST THE NIGHT. AND MANY MORE AFTER IT.

THE CODE comes from Berlin club culture. That means movement, dancing, sweat, streets, clubs and very long nights.

Sustainability cannot come at the expense of that.

Whether we’re designing our own collections or choosing the designers we work with, we look for clothes that balance more responsible choices with quality, durability and design. Clothes you want to wear again. And again. And again.

Because the most sustainable piece in your wardrobe isn’t necessarily the one with the biggest green label attached to it.

It’s the one you keep wearing.