We could go on for months talking about fabrics and the pollution certain ones cause, but we wouldn't do that to you. To simplify it all, we've broken it down for you by explaining fabrics in two categories, plant based fabrics and petroleum based fabrics. Our mission is to educate our audience by explaining the difference between fabrics. We'll tell you when we use eco-friendly fabrics, and we promise to stay transparent and tell you when they're not.

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1. Plant-based, natural and manufactured, biodegradable fabrics,

aka cellulosics fibers.

Examples of these include:

 - Cotton

 - Linen (made from flax)

 - Silk

 - Wool

 - Cashmere

 - Hemp

 - Viscose Rayon (made from bamboo, renewable plant materials, etc.)

 - Acetate (made from various wood fibers)

 - Lyocell (aka Tencel) - (made from Eucalyptus trees)

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2. Petroleum-based, unnatural, non-biodegradable manufactured fabrics. 

Examples of these include:

 - Polyester (made from synthetic polymer fibers)

 - Acrylic (a polycrylonitriles fiber)

 - Nylon 

 - Spandex

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Most polyester on the market is very poor quality, and used for fast fashion since it's a cheap alternative to natural fibers. More than 70 billion barrels of oil are used to make polyester each year.  It is not bio-degradable and it continues to pollute the landfills, oceans, and other ecosystems, even as it eventually breaks apart. However, there is a solution to this. Instead of creating new polyester, several companies are now only using post-consumer polyester fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles, old fishing nets, and dead-stock fabrics.

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Our first collection, Lovely In Bali, is made out of 100% Viscose Rayon. This fabric is created when plants are broken down and processed through tiny holes in a spinneret, similar to how a silkworm spins its cocoon. It uses approximately half the energy it takes to produce a cotton dress. However, even though this fabric is sustainable because it's made of renewable plant materials and therefore biodegrades, it's not the creme de la creme of sustainable fabrics because of it's chemical process and how the materials are sourced.  

 

The holy grail of sustainable fabrics on the market currently is Tencel Lyocell. This fabric is made by an Austrian company called Lenzing. Tencel is manufactured from Eucalyptus trees, which are one of the most sustainable plant materials. Eucalyptus grows very fast, thick, and it requires very little water. Also, it produces little air pollution, doesn't need pesticides or insecticides, and needs very little land to grow. And on top of it all, Lenzing uses 100% renewable energy to minimize GHG emissions. It uses a closed loop manufacturing process, meaning that, instead of wastewater being flushed out, 99% of the non-toxic solvent is recycled back into the system and reused.

 

When you compare this to Cotton, Tencel is an angel. Cotton needs at least five times as much land, it uses pesticides and insecticides, and needs 80% more water to grow. 

Therefore, our future goals are to incorporate as much Tencel fabric into our clothing as possible. And we of course promise to only use biodegradable fabrics and packaging. 

To learn more, check out Lenzing.

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