UGG, Everlane, and More of Your Favorite Retailers Reveal Their 2021 Game Plans

Universal Standard
Universal Standard

As shoppers in 2020, we demanded more from the fashion brands we have grown to trust. We are often left questioning the broad statements made on a company's Instagram page about its efforts to diversify or focus on sustainability. And we are certainly quick to click away from a retail site, even with a full cart, if we do not see a wider range of sizes or clothing that speaks to everyone.

This has left us curious about whether fast fashion will survive the pandemic and determined to find labels focused on activism that we feel good supporting. We call this being shoptimistic, and in the name of staying positive and looking forward toward a more democratic industry, we checked in with the brands that have been on our radar for years.

These 11 shopping destinations and designers — Tanya Taylor, Universal Standard, Aerie, Rebecca Minkoff, UGG, Everlane, Nanushka, Aritzia, Reformation, Good American, and H&M — were able to shed light on their 2021 game plans that consumers will be happy to learn about. Ahead, hear from the creative directors, founders, and heads of sustainability about how they plan to contribute to fashion's future. You may even learn about some upcoming collections you're excited to shop — hello, UGG's first sustainable footwear capsule! — wink, wink.

Tanya Taylor
Tanya Taylor

Tanya Taylor

"2021 will be all about our customer — listening to her, learning from her, and designing for her — combined with a return to our artful design roots as a brand," Tanya Taylor told POPSUGAR. "This translates to clean, classic femininity with artful and surprising touches; functional pieces that fit the needs of our woman's lifestyle, but that also help her to feel energized, alive, and able to recapture the fun of fashion."

Universal Standard
Universal Standard

Universal Standard

"We set out to create access and unification in the fashion arena; to make size irrelevant, and represent all of us as we are, so it's very exciting to see the industry begin to respond and to get closer and closer to this new normal," said Alexandra Waldman, cofounder and creative director of Universal Standard. "Our ideal world is one where everyone experiences equal access and can shop just about anywhere they'd like, uninhibited by size. To get there, we've been helping the industry make long-overdue changes by empowering more brands to broaden their size range. In 2021, we're doubling down on our work within the industry and looking forward to more exciting partnerships."

Aerie
Aerie

Aerie

"We started #AerieREAL to challenge industry norms and it became a movement. Our goal is to empower our customers, bring them together, and maintain a strong community centered around positivity and love — this is the foundation of our brand DNA. Now more than ever, staying connected with our Aerie family is a top priority, and we've had to evolve our approach to make it happen in today's environment. Looking ahead to 2021, we plan to continue to show up where she is and deliver the comfy, cozy products that our customer loves wearing because they make her feel happy, good, and REAL," said Jennifer Foyle, chief creative officer, AEO Inc. and Aerie global brand president.

Rebecca Minkoff
Rebecca Minkoff

Rebecca Minkoff

"Our perspective has not shifted this year, but rather magnified. The minute the world shut down, we became a DTC company and took our five-year goals and condensed them into six months," Rebecca Minkoff said. "This has been the most challenging time as a brand, but also one of the more rewarding. My relationship with my consumer has never been stronger, our knowledge and understanding of our customers' desires has never been more full, and, as a team, we have seen what battling against all odds can do. The future of our company is already here as a platform for our expansion into new categories within beauty, home, and my first foray into being a published author."

UGG
UGG

UGG

"In October 2020, UGG announced Feel Good, a site showcasing the brand's commitment to people and the planet," said Lindsey Di Cola, UGG's senior director of global public relations. "In 2021, we are proud to debut our first sustainable footwear capsule. Thoughtfully designed with our environmental footprint in mind, the upcoming Plant Power Collection is made with carbon-neutral, plant-based materials, maintaining our signature wearing experience so you can feel good in more ways than one."

Everlane
Everlane

Everlane

"With 2020 coming to a close, we are ready to bring it on in 2021," said Sonia Martin, Everlane's vice president of design. "We remain laser-focused on creating relevant 'have to have' basics in the most responsible way, as well as amping up the emotion through color, proportion, and a little bit of the unexpected. It's time to fall back in love with getting dressed again. Comfort is here to stay, but our team explored what comfort can look like now. With every product we thoughtfully create, we remain committed to doing right for the planet and our customers, and in 2021 we will be expanding our sustainability commitments."

Nanushka
Lucy Sparks for Nanushka

Nanushka

"Sustainability has been a key focus point for us in the past year, but 2020 highlighted that we have to act even faster," Nanushka founder Sandra Sandor said. "In the next year, we will relentlessly work on implementing new measures and stay committed to finding new innovative materials and processes to incorporate into our collections. Early next year we will be releasing a fully sustainable eyewear collection. This year has also highlighted more than ever how important our mental health is — to find balance and methods that help us stay grounded in difficult situations. I have been meditating for many years now and next year we will be releasing a meditation capsule collection. The image [above] of our London store encapsulates our commitment to sustainability. All the wood has been sourced sustainably or was reclaimed, the seating is made of regenerated leather that we introduced in our recent collections, and all the furniture is either custom-made or vintage."

Aritzia
Aritzia

Aritzia

"Known for our timeless quality and style — and with our guiding principle of everyday luxury in mind — we've reimagined our iconic puffer in a new and contemporary way," said Rebecca Loyo Mayo, Aritzia's vice president of sustainability. "We're thrilled to have recently introduced the Super (Re)Puff, which offers all the top-of-the-line technical details that will keep you warm, and drives impact by using lower-emission materials including Econyl, regenerated nylon made from postconsumer waste, and repurposed down."

Reformation
Reformation

Reformation

"In 2021, we're more committed than ever to building on our mission to bring sustainable fashion to everyone," Reformation CEO Hali Borenstein said. "This includes incorporating new traceability technology into our denim, investing further in regenerative fibers, and launching new product categories that will make Reformation accessible to more people. We have a really big launch coming in February, so be on the lookout for that!"

Good American
Good American

Good American

"At Good American, diversity and inclusion have been baked into our business from the start. As always, we will continue to drive forward innovations in inclusivity, like with our recent launch of shoes that brought much-needed change to an industry that hasn't been innovated on as women's bodies change over time," Good American cofounder Emma Grede told POPSUGAR. "We rewrote the rules and added much-needed enhancements, like extended widths, our ultracomfortable Cloud Sole, and reinforced heels. Looking ahead to 2021, we're focused on continuing to deliver trend-forward designs and silhouettes including more '90s-inspired mom-jean styles while prioritizing comfort to meet our customers' needs."

H&M
H&M

H&M

"In 2021, innovation will be key for H&M as we look forward to further exploring inventions and ideas that help us transform from a linear business model into a circular one where nothing goes to waste," said Pascal Brun, H&M's head of sustainability. "2020 has been unusual for all of us and it is clear that the world around us is changing in different ways. I believe that sustainability is now, more than ever, business-critical for a fashion retailer and that circularity will be key to the future success of any fashion brand. At H&M, sustainability isn't just an add-on, it's fully embedded in everything we do, and we will intensify our work next year."