SUSTAINABLE CLOTHING AND CIRCULAR FASHION
WHAT IS CIRCULAR FASHION?
Circular fashion is concerned with the full life cycle of a product, taking into account everything from design, materials, and fibre content to production, packaging, and biodegradable potential.
The studio uses a circular design approach to create high quality, sustainable clothing with the planet’s finite resources in mind. Each collection we make is in response to global heating, climate breakdown and Earth systems collapse, and biodiversity loss and breakdown: which the global fashion and textile sector has been a huge contributor to.
As a slow fashion brand we use the making of each collection as an act to explore and trial sustainable circularity, inventing less extractive fashion systems that can fit within a new and more circular economy.
Our sustainable fashion focus is on the design potential for the circularity of pre and post-consumer textile waste. We use what already exists and design with it creatively: crafting highly finished and considered garments while 'using up' this waste stream. This avoids textiles going to waste, reaching landfill or heading to incineration, and allowing us to make beautiful new items from 'waste.'
The slow fashion movement prioritises sourcing sustainable materials in an attempt to reduce carbon emissions, distance and fibre miles, as well as careful and limited production runs, promoting conscious consumerism.
SUSTAINABLE FASHION: HOW DO WE DO IT?
We actively look to shorten the fibre miles of our supply chain as much as possible. We strive to source all our textile waste streams and complete our making and manufacturing entirely in England.
Over the years, we have carefully created our own textile waste sourcing networks, consisting of partner businesses looking to avoid their textile waste from going unused or heading to the rubbish. After collecting these, the next step is the circular fashion design development process: circular design reverses the usual design routes.
We develop our collections based on the amount and type of waste material we have gathered from our waste network: a responsive design process. We ‘design out’ subsequent waste from our new work where we can, exploring zero-waste pattern cutting.
We make eco-friendly clothes without using any materials made from virgin fossil fuels. We pay attention to the materials and finishings used in each garment, aiming for a mono-fibre outcome.
This mono-fibre approach aids the potential for end of life deconstruction or biodegradability potential. For example, we don't use zips and we replace interfacing with a natural fibre version. Our buttons are Corozo nut or milk casein, both natural materials and we use organic cotton sewing thread where possible.
UTILISING REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE
Each collection features ongoing trials into replacing and omitting the synthetic chemical content of the colours used in clothes.
Following the framework proposed by the Fibreshed movement, a pioneering regenerative agriculture group who are creating alternative fibre systems, producing "more home-grown textiles and garments in a more healthy, resilient and regenerative textile ecosystem."
Under this, we are exploring the many possibilities of plant and botanical dyes. By looking into the potentials of the regional and regenerative growing practices of these plants as dye crops, we are prioritising relationships with organic and regenerative farmers and growers: people who are working in harmony with the natural world and actively enhancing it where possible.
Natural plant dye is used for an ever increasing amount of our pieces as our research expands collection on collection.
Regenerative fashion can positively impact our biosphere. Regenerative agricultural practices is able to enrich soil health, water health, aid in carbon sequestration and boost biodiversity. Instead of causing irreversible damage by working with inherited fashion systems, we are aiming to specialise in less damaging fashion practice.
GOING FORWARDS : THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY
Our commitment to a sustainable, circular approach goes beyond just creating beautiful clothing. It is about embracing a mindset of conscious consumption, reducing waste and importantly having a value system around the clothes themselves.
We believe that by making these changes, we can contribute to a more sustainable future framework for the fashion industry. We are not only aiming to make clothing but to propose a different blueprint with which to make it within. This blueprint is something we hope to pass on to others.
We live in a time where global heating and biodiversity loss is at an extreme stage. The fashion industry is vastly and dangerously out of balance with our planetary boundaries and limitations. All of this is to the detriment of our biosphere, communities and biodiversity.
We are further exploring an understanding to achieve a better transaction between our designs and our natural systems. We aim to put more back in than we take out, while prioritising preservation and enhancement over extraction.
If you would like work with us as a partner business or are interested in our sustainability work, please contact us to join our sustainability journey.
