Polite Worldwide: It's All in the Name
Their products are all infused with consciousness — consciousness for the environment, for others, and especially for their customers. The brand’s founders believe that mindful thinking and actions are infectious, and they plan to spread those values through each of their products — from their chic strands of pearls to their biodegradable sunglasses (yeah, you read that right).
Read on for office’s exclusive interview with Polite Worldwide’s co-founder, Tavia Azzinaro, below, where we talk intentions, circular production, and carving out this important space within the luxury industry.
How do you seek to uplift wearers through your products?
Everything is energy and we are conscious of that. We make our pieces with the energy of love, healing, compassion, creativity, and the feeling of being polite to everyone who wears our products.
Why do you think sustainability is an important concept to introduce to the world of luxury fashion and jewelry?
We feel sustainability and mindfulness are paired responsibilities in fashion. We hope that more brands look closer at their supply chain to make adjustments to consider how they can be more environmentally conscious, how they can improve the working conditions and team energy within their companies, and how they integrate community service and mentorship. We feel all of these aspects combine solutions that will uplift our environment and humanity by working collectively as an industry to align broad goals.
A prominent part of the brand vision is to create a positive impact on the world at large — what is the desired impact Polite Worldwide strives to leave?
To have the impact of encouraging well-mannered behavior directly translates to how we treat the planet, how we treat one another, and how we treat ourselves. For Polite Worldwide to be a leader in conscious leadership, respect, the importance of values, community, and collaboration has many lasting benefits that can improve the way we create, consume, and the attitude we carry.
What is your advice to other brands who want to create more circular products, but may not know where to begin?
When you think about your project and start to plan out each step and each component, we encourage others to look for alternatives to what they hope to achieve. Research and find ways to be able to carry over materials across designs and styles, create with the idea of longevity to your pieces, and develop reasoning for why you make the choices you make. Don't be afraid to go at your own pace and create your own set of rules. The fashion calendar and typical marketing structures can be very confusing and wasteful. We encourage brands to look for ways to slow time and value it — to create ways to style over core pieces rather than having to always pump out more and more. We are always happy to provide resources for sourcing and answer questions that other brands and creators might have. Collaboration and mentorship are truly important to us. We believe information should be freely shared to create open-source value. Your intentions are to create designs that the consumer can connect with — designs that ultimately become a part of their identity.
How important do you think fashion is in articulating self-expression?
Fashion is a stylized way to build upon your character hues, to play and connect with yourself and feel confidence. Fashion can help people explore various moods and moments in life, it can allow for emotions to come to life when someone can't use the words to express how they feel. Jewelry is a nameplate and identity piece. It’s a fun way for people to personalize their self-expression and individuality. We wanted to blur the lines between what men and women wear and create an aesthetic that brought aspects of heritage pieces that are sustainable, meant to be worn for years, and have meaning to the wearer. We feel we have taken part in a new culture of jewelry where men are now wearing pieces that are more feminine and expressive. This is a very exciting time to be creating in this space. Fashion is an opportunity to connect with one another and ignite storytelling. These pieces are sentimental and uplifting — they are part of our memories and self-expression. Jewelry to us is art — we are creating sculptures with jewelry. We are excited to share our expanded vision for jewelry, ready-to-wear, and lifestyle items as a whole.
Polite Worldwide's latest collection is sold at saks.com, kith.com, selfridges.com, and politeworldwide.com. Check out photos below.
