sustainability
We believe sustainability starts at the inception of the item. Does it need to exist? Is it useful? Is it beautiful? How long will it last? Then you move on to material choices. Can it be made in a way that uses recycled and recyclable resources? Can it use less resources and not poison the environment? And then you look at labor. Can it be made by people who are paid a living wage? Do they have environmentally sound and safe living conditions? And finally transport. Can it be packaged and shipped in a way that is not carbon intensive?
There is no such thing as a perfectly made item. Creation is by necessity a messy and wasteful process. You must use resources, you always make mistakes, and you have to make compromises. But in the case of what we make, we try and meet the trifecta of necessity, material considerations and workforce to achieve a sustainable and ethical product. And what we offer you is radical transparency into our production.
fabrics
We limit ourselves to certain fabrics for ecological reasons.
Linen is a low water and pesticide usage material. It wears well and comes in a variety of weights suitable to any weather. When in doubt we default to linen as it is arguably the most sustainable fabric.
Cotton is an exemplary material for printing and is incredibly wearable. However the industry uses massive amounts of pesticides and a fair amount of the world’s water supply. Whenever possible we try and trace our cotton and use GOTs certified cotton.
Tencel is a manmade, cellulose based fabric that is biodegradable and out of all the cellulose material processes it is the most water sensitive. It can behave like silk but keeps cool. It is washable and unfussy.
Econyl is our choice for bathing suits. It is a 100% recycled Italian nylon and is the best choice right now. We have an ongoing concern about micro plastics and will continue to look for a suiting material that is biodegradable.
Natural/manmade fabric blends are not recyclable or compostable. There is no facility currently that can separate the polyester out in a cotton blend. Therefore by choosing natural/manmade blends you are creating a micro plastic issue for the environment. There is no way to recycle that material.
process
We do not believe in the current six season wholesale apparel market churn. Do you really want to buy a winter coat in July? When we finish a style, an item, or a thought—we launch it. We want our styles to last multiple seasons, wearings and memories.
Printing the material. We use azo free dyes and pigment based printing. This means the pigment is pushed into the fabric and our clothes tend to be a little stiffer initially. Whenever possible we use closed loop printing facilities. This means that water is recycled during the printing process and therefore less water is used or output into the environment.
Minimum run requirements. There is a fixed amount of printed goods that make the work worthwhile to a printer. We try and use every bit of printed fabric to bring us towards a zero waste goal.
Finishing the material. Often very toxic chemicals are used along with an incredible amount of water to do things like soften and age clothing. We feel that you can do this on your own with your washing machine. Your clothes will last longer if they are not received chemically aged.
Production
We do all our apparel sampling in the studio Upstate. For production we work with small factories in the NYC garment district and local individual sewers. With non apparel items we usually make them in our studio as well. If not, their manufacture is described on each product page.
We support a MTO (made to order) and limited batch production model. This means that we make each item as it is ordered and cut down on inventory waste. In the case of some items it is impossible to do anything but a limited production run. Our production partners are trying to manage workflow and allocate resources. It is impossible for a factory produce one item at a time. They have equipment, utilities and labor to manage.
Although we have gotten used to the convenience of an “on demand” model, it only works with huge economies of scale and upfront investment which, frankly, produce a lot of waste.
Packaging
Our packaging is compostable, recycled or recyclable. Anything paper related is 100% recycled and recyclable. Mailing envelopes are compostable. Garment bags, which we limit, are 100% recycled.
It’s confusing out there with everyone claiming they are “sustainable” using, and sometimes hiding behind, accreditations that small companies can’t afford. We practice ethical production. We provide information about our sourcing on every product page. We want you to know where your things come from and who made them.
Is what we do perfect? Is it zero waste? No. We live in the real world and are making things the best we can with the best practices available. So if you have a question please reach out.