What does it mean to be luxurious? Is it the name, the location, the materials, the cost? Luxury is a definition that has changed over the last few years and Archer the Fourth is the brand that is redefining its meaning.
Archer the Fourth is a Toronto based clothing brand that focuses on the use of natural materials, human rights in the company and the exclusivity of their garments and clientele.
Thinking about many luxury brands, it is known that the cost of a garment can be hundreds of dollars, but what makes the cost so high? For Archer the Fourth, the cost truly speaks to the thought of the brand’s image.
The main focus is the use of 100% natural materials including cashmere, silk, wool, bamboo and even down to mother of pearl buttons. Avoiding the use of synthetics and plastics in the clothing allows for the brand to be represented as more sustainable.
The brand continues its sustainability by following these steps throughout its entire brand including when it comes to shipping and packaging. Not only is the shipping of their merchandise important to them, but also where it is made.
Everything about Archer the Fourth is based in Toronto or made in Canada. The founder Adam Archer walks to his tailor, and physically sees his employees each week, showing that he knows they are being treated fairly in the workplace and living well.
Many mass production luxury brands exploit millions of workers in unsafe environments, unfair wages, and child labour laws. While Archer the Fourth ensures a happy and safe environment and a fair wage.
The most luxurious aspect of a brand would be the exclusivity among clientele. Yes, everyone should be able to reap the benefits of brands that promote sustainability and proper human rights, but it is the idea behind it that really matters.
The exclusivity plays a major part in allowing for all of these aspects to function properly. If production was at a major high, then the quality of the materials would have synthetics, the workers would be overworked and underpaid, and everyone would have access to these products at a low cost.
With Archer the Fourths production plan they manage to produce only what is necessary, limiting the waste they produce, and creating a brand that is truly exclusive as they practice the implementation of art into their clothes as one.
Luxury isn’t about the cost or the label, it’s about the brand’s image as a whole and how each step is in the right direction towards a better world, and a better environment, one garment at a time.