The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
She took loungewear to the next level
Hollywood actress used quarantine to create sustainable fashion line.
LOS ANGELES — We’ve all had to adjust our routines since the pandemic — with many people pivoting professionally. Phoebe Tonkin is no different.
WhenHollywood productions halted in March because of the novel coronavirus, the actress and environmental activist used the downtime to revisit an idea she’d previously put on the back burner.
In October, Tonkin teased the new project on her Instagram account alongside a photo with theword “LESJOUR!” in red. The mysterious post left Tonkin’s 6.1 million followers Googling what the word might mean.
The answer is officially out of the biodegradable bag. On Thursday, Tonkin launched Lesjour!, a sustainable loungewear collection. It consists of six pieces ( four tops and two pants) in two colorways ( black and red) with each piece sold separately for $ 198. The sets, fashioned from earth friendly material, are exclusively available for preorder on lesjour. com in sizes XS to XXL.
Although Tonkin had long contemplated creating a sustainable fashion line, its aesthetic was ultimately inspired by her off- duty wardrobe and pandemic lifestyle.
“I felt like I was changing four times a day but in the same variation of pajamas,” Tonkin told The Times over Zoom in midOctober while clad in a red Lesjour! top, which she paired with gold hoop earrings by Oma the Label. “Then the pajamaswould elevate to sweatpants to go to the grocery store and then I’d come back and put something else on.”
To minimize wardrobe changes, the 31- year- old decided to design amodern take on the traditional 1970s leisure suit. “Iwantedtocreate something that was tailored, thatwas flattering, thatwas most importantly comfortable butwas also really chic and classic,” she said of the various styles, which include cardigans, long- sleeve tops and wide- leg pants.
“The set is a great foundation or platform for your personal style,” she said. “You can project your personality onto these clothes as opposed to these clothes being the personality.” She also wanted the pieces to be fuss- free without any need for ironing.“Youcanscrunch themupat the endof the day and then put themon again in the morning.”
Based in Los Angeles, Lesjour! is a quintessential West Coast brand. “I definitely feel it's been inflfluenced by the ease of living in California,” Tonkin said, adding that each garment is made in L. A. with all orders dispatched from the brand' s local studio.
“Imoved back fromNew York to L. A. to do Lesjour! full- time,” she said, explaining she has lived between the two cities but decided midquarantine to get out of her East Coast lease to focus on the newendeavor. Tonkin drives to downtown Los Angeles every few days to visit the manufacturer. Otherwise, she works from home.
“The less impact on the environment, the better,” she said, adding that the factory is within a fifive- mile radius of her home.
Because Tonkin is as passionate about the environment as she is about fashion, sustainability is built into her brand's ethos. The entire line is made of Ecovero by Lenzing, a Los Angelesknitted renewable viscose made from regenerative wood pulp.
“I'm excited to be one of the first companies to be using it,” Tonkinsaid, adding that the fabric has a “cashmere, super- soft feeling” but that each tree used to create the fabric is replanted using regenerative farming practices. Tonkin found the material while researching earth- friendly alternatives. “Fabrics like Ecovero are next- level innovative — the future of fabrics,” she said.
Ecological considerations can be seen in every last detail. Orders are shipped using the Better Packaging Co.' s limited- edition, reusable, biodegradable gift packaging. Additionally, each garment is void of a tag. “Why would we need hang tags?” Tonkin said. “If someone is going to wear it and send it back, they're going to wear it and reattach it anyway. It's just extra trash.”
While most companies have yet to consider their carbon footprint in such a comprehensive way, Tonkin said she doesn't necessarily want Lesjour! to be considered “this shouting- fromtherooftop- sustainable brand.” Her feeling is that she does “all of that homework for the consumer so they can trust us. It should be a given nowif you are creating anything more to put on this planet, it should be sustain ab ly minded .... That should just be expected of new brands.”
Tonk in acknowledged that some consumers' eyes might glaze over the word “sustainability,” which can feel like a buzzword but part of that may come down to its ever- shifting defifinition. In many ways, consumers don't know what the word meansbecause, according to Tonkin, fashion companies are still navigating the best route for minimizing their carbon footprint.
“Everyone's trying to bet on what sustainability is,” Tonkin said, noting that deadstock was at one point a trend before realizing it wasn' t doing much. She hopes companies continue to consider sustainability so that it becomes an industry standard. Kering, which owns Gucci, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga, employed a chief sustainability offifficer, while LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Armani and Vivienne Westwood have joined initiatives to offset their carbon footprint.
Tonkinmaintains theonus is on the fashion industry to do better. “The consumer's main objective should be buying something cute that looks good on them,” she said, “and then everything else is what we do behind the scenes tomake sure that they feel cute.”
Lesjour! plans to release a new colorway every six weeks andwill introduce different styles next summer. “The plan is to start small and manageable,” Tonkin said. “It's prettymuchjust us right nowout of my house.”
While Tonkin often says “us” and “we” while discussing her newbrand, Lesjour! is solely a one- womanproduction starring Tonkin. However, she occasionally asks close fashion friends for advice or assistance. Case in point: model/ actress Dree Hemingway styled and stars in Lesjour!' s look book, whichwas shot byphotographer AlexCramer inTonkin's living roomalongside Tonkin and model Loreal Ellis.
Fashion, sustainability and friendship are often synonymous for Tonkin. While she's anavid vintage clothing shopper, she said she understands that “people work hard, and they want to treat themselves and buy something newandspecial.” With this in mind, she's been an ambassador for Chanel since 2017. That's how she was fifirst introduced to the environmental advocacy group Natural Resources Defense Council. Thenonprofifit benefifits fromaChanel- sponsored Malibu gala thrown by activist Kelly Meyer each year.
Shortly after Meyer introduced Tonk into her daughter Carson, the women lobbied in Sacramento on behalf of NRDC.“We were there to talk about pesticides and oil spillage in the California ocean,” Tonkin said, adding she has since become active within the organization and particularly close with CarsonMeyer. Thewomenhope to lobby in Washington, D. C ., next. Tonkin has been interestedin environmental activism for as long as she can remember.
“Being Australian, it's sort of ingrained in howwe growup,” said Tonkin, who has been a working actress sinceher teenyears. “It'snot something that I've had to really teach myself. It's just the way I am.”