A large contributor to fashion's waste problem is the pre-consumer textile waste also known as fabric liability or deadstock fabric. Tons and tons of deadstock fabric is collecting dust in factories and ateliers around the world and if we start sourcing it, it could begin to reduce the amount of raw materials in demand and therefore the strain we put on the planet. One of the easiest categories to implement this strategy is knits, since deadstock yarn is still unspun and much easier to mold into the designs you need. "We see leftover production materials happen in real time, to the tune of at least 15+ tons of yarn per year in Peru alone," says Ellen, who has spent many years working production in Peru. This experience prompted her to create a solution with her newly launched deadstock sweater brand The Endery co-founded with Kelly Phenicie.

It has become a sad joke in the fashion industry, that if you want to see what colors are trending for the season, just look at the color of the river next to your garment factories. As fashion is finally working to make changes to be more ethical and sustainable, the textile dyeing process is one of the biggest areas with cause for concern. The standard dyeing process requires tons of water, energy, and chemicals. In response, the Chinese government has been cracking down and "in the summer of 2017, tens of thousands of China’s factories were forced to close and undergo environmental inspections." ​(Melody M. Bomgardner) In fact, "60% of China’s denim-dyeing chemical capacity has been shuttered, equal to roughly 30% of global capacity." Dalton Cheng says, Cheng heads a digital textile printing facility which offers a great alternative to reducing chemical and water waste, but we were curious what natural dyeing options there might be. We are introducing the alternative options to dye textile in the sustainable ways which focusing on the way to reduce use of chemicals.

Manufacturing overseas has it's advantages when it comes to artisanal skill, resources, and even reduced costs. However, before you get started it is essential to consider the cultural differences and production nuances so you are best prepared to form a great working relationship with your new factory.  

"According to the Ocean Conservancy, in less than 10 years, scientists predict there will be 250 million metric tons in the ocean and by 2050, there will be more plastic in the oceans than there are fish"  (Independent). You may hear about our global plastic epidemic on a daily basis, but do you actually know what you can do about it beyond carrying around metal straw? Sustainable business can feel a lot more overwhelming since the consumer side of the conversation is more common, but that doesn't mean that sustainable business solutions don't exist. To make it easy, we've put together a sustainable fashion brand checklist for you to be plastic free in 2020.

Climate week preemptively kicked off with a bang as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to protest for better climate action. As fashion is slowly waking up to the very real issues we've created for people and planet, sadly but not surprisingly most governments are still slow to make any real changes that create a more positive impact. 

Building a fashion brand is hard and most people who undertake their own label can tell you they had no idea what they were getting into when they begun. To make it slightly easier we like to spread the wisdom. So here's our interview with the founder of Poplinen at a look behind navigating the supply chain and creating a brand that is based on ethical and sustainable practices as well as body inclusivity. 

We've all heard of the dangers of being a small brand in a busy factory that suddenly gets a massive order leaving your stuff pushed aside and late, well we discovered Quavaro during a weekend getaway to Washington DC and were inspired by their story of turning a manufacturing disaster into a fully vertical ethical supply chain as they navigated manufacturing in Mexico. Take a peak into the process of starting an ethically made in Mexico brand with husband and wife team Cesar and Pial Vega, founders of Quavaro. 

After nine months of development, we are over the moon to finally announce our Ethical Manufacturing Platform is launching into beta! This platform has been 3 years in the making and was a result of the Research & Development trip our Founder, Jessica Kelly, took to India. Jessica encountered some really incredible factories but knew how hard it was to find them online. The THR3EFOLD Ethical Manufacturing Platform seeks to make it easy for apparel and accessory brands to get connected to ethical factories around the world and manage their production all in one place. 

Join us for the launch of Ethical NYFW, an event bringing the conversation around the social and environmental issues in fashion to the main stage during New York Fashion Week. We are partnering with human trafficking organization Who They Are and Arlo Hotels for a 4 day pop up shop and party and we cannot wait to kick it off. But that's not all we are celebrating...

Building a brand is exciting and has lots of twists and turns. Step behind the scenes of ethical fashion brand Poppy Row to see how the Founder Crystal Row went from an idea (half naked in a bathroom) to launch to serve all sizes with modular staples that work for every facet of life.