Natural Fibers
We focus on using natural fibers in our collections. These include cotton, linen, hemp, wool, silk, etc. Natural materials are long lasting, renewable and biodegradable.
Natural fibers are a renewable resource. They are grown - not from oil. Oil based fabrics include polyester and nylon.
They wear incredibly well, will last a long time in your closet and will turn back into soil at the end of their lifetime as a garment.
Carbon Footprint
If we look at the entire carbon footprint of a garment, the largest piece of the pie is at the textile level. . From fiber creation to dying, printing and processing.
Natural fibers use less than half of the amount of total energy to produce compared to synthetics.
They also do not create micro-plastics when washed. (Every time a synthetic is washed more micro plastics enter our water system). Fuzz from natural fibers is just plants and proteins. Fuzz from synthetics is micro-plastic.
Color
Sometimes when I think about natural fibers I think of earth tones. This collection is all about color.
There are new technologies that eliminate some of the detriment of dyes. I am using one of these new technologies. – Direct To Fabric pigment printing using water-based inks.
Direct to fabric printing eliminates dye waste. Exactly the amount of ink is printed on the fabric.
No liquids are discharged – other methods of dying and printing textiles often discharge chemicals directly into wild water sources. Creating chemical pollution for the surrounding area and beyond.
Organic Cotton
My collection uses organic cotton, which
Uses few pesticides (avoids exposing people and planet to additional chemicals)
Strong, durable fiber. Easy to wear and care for. (Will last a long time)
Does not leach chemicals onto the body (There aren’t many studies on this, but I do worry about the effects of wearing petroleum based fibers against my skin. Water in plastic bottles can contain many chemicals which are known to be potential endocrine disruptors. It’s possible plastic-based clothing could do the same)
We can do it
What’s great is that we have so many options. We can buy natural fibers – it’s listed on the labels, we can buy made in the USA, we can control our consumption by buying clothing that will last.
We have all of the tools we need to practice a more mindful consumerism that supports our values and our own vision of beauty.
Environmental Sustainability
With any talk about sustainability I think it’s always good to wrap up on a positive note.
We can take the best from new technologies and practices of the past, to forge a new path.