Certified Organic Cotton-Tencel-Ecovero Viscose-linen-Hemp-Merino wool-Natural Cork
Sustainable & Eco Friendly
Knowledge
informed consumers are our best customers
Knowing what you're purchasing is crucial in today's fashion environment. There are many misconceptions & myths out there. We will try and give you information relative to our products so you can make an informed decision, regardless of whether or not you purchase here. We hope you find this information useful. If there is any additional information you may require , please do not hesitate to ask & we will do our best to answer them.
We will be updating this section as we add new products such as Linen, Merino Wool & Hemp items. If you would like us to add information, please contact us. Again, we posted in regards to our current products, but we are more interested in providing you the consumer with valuable facts you can use to make an informed purchase , wherever you shop!
ORGANIC VS GOTS CERTIFIED ORGANIC (global organic textile standard)
We prefer to source GOTS Certified Organic Cotton whenever possible. It is a textile processing standard, GOTS does not set its own criteria for organic farming. Rather it requires that at least 70% of the fibers used must be of organically-certified materials that would have had to be managed to organic animal husbandry standards. Those rules can be found in the applicable national standards - the EC Organic Regulation 834/2007 (incl. implementation regulation EC 889/2008), the USDA National Organic Program
Any product that is certified under GOTS standards can be labeled organic. While other eco-labels for clothing and fabrics address raw materials, chemical finishes, or labor standards, the comprehensive GOTS certification is the only program out there that addresses all of those and then some. Raw materials must be certified organic under National Organic Program standards, and at least 70 percent of the final product must contain organic fibers.
Organic cotton production is not perfect: because organic cotton yields fewer fibres than GMO cotton, it requires more plants and so more land to produce.
Plus, before the organic fibre is turned into your favorite t-shirt, it requires lots of processing and dying, which are also very chemically intensive. Unless the item garment is GOTS certified, it can be hard to tell if the dyes used in production were organic or not.
Nowadays, using the word ‘Organic’ can be in incredibly persuasive: beware of greenwashing and of fashion brands claiming to do better when they are still not addressing other vital issues.
Natural cork
All of our Cork comes from Portugal, some of the products are produced there, we also manufacture some items such as belts right here in New York. Cork comes from the bark of the Cork Oak Tree. The bark can be harvested from the tree over & over allowing new bark to grow in its place. The Cork tree regenerates within 7-9 years & the harvesting actually extends the life of the tree by 200 years. It's Durable, Highly Water Repellent, Hypoallergenic (substance within the cork prevents it from absorbing water, dust, dirt, mold & mildew), Organic, Sustainable, 100% Vegan Eco Friendly material.
CLEANING CORK
Use a soft damp cloth with mild detergent and wipe gently, let air dry.
Gentle baby wipes can also be used.
tencel/Lyocell
- Eco Friendly
Made from the natural cellulose found in wood pulp. The fiber is economical in its use of energy and natural resources, and is fully biodegradable. - Colour Rich
Tencel was created with color in mind, because of the fibers’ high absorbency. The fabrics can be dyed to high quality standards. - Moisture Absorbent
This eco fabric has natural breathability and 50% greater moisture absorption than cotton. - Anti-bacterial
Due to its moisture management, Tencel is also anti-bacterial. - Feel of Fabric
Similar to rayon in feel. Soft, breathable, lightweight and comfortable. Tencel has an extremely smooth, soft surface that drapes beautifully to flatter every figure. - Great for sensitive skin
Tencel’s smooth fibre surface feels soft and supple against the skin and its incredible wicking abilities keep the skin dry, making Tencel a great fabric for sensitive skin. - Versatile
This eco fabric has controllable fibrillation (the very fine hairs found on the outer fibres), which can be manipulated into everything form suede-like softness to a silky smooth finish.
MORE on TENCEL/LYOCELL ONE OF OUR FAVORITE FIBERS!
Lyocell fabrics are naturally biodegradable.
- The production of lyocell produces no harmful byproducts
- The main ingredient, cellulose, is easily gotten from managed tree farms.
- The amine oxide solvent is non-toxic.
- The farming of trees to produce lyocell materials does not require irrigation or pesticides.
- The amine oxide is recyclable. That is after using it to break down the cellulose spin and setting, the amine oxide can be re-used in the manufacturing process again.
- When compared to the manufacture of other cellulose fibers, lyocell production is significantly less toxic and wasteful.
- The amine oxide solvent used is non-toxic, and because most of it is recycled during production, it is not released into the environment.
- Production of lyocell is short. It takes about two and a half hour from chopping the wood down to the carding. Thus, compared to the production of other manmade fibers it uses less water and energy.
Theses properties of the lyocell material have made it a star in the realm of fashion and textile industry.
ECOVERO - the luxurious feel of viscose manufactured in an eco friendly & sustainable way.
key benefits
up to 50% lower emissions & water impact than generic viscose
The manufacturing of LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers generates up to 50% lower emissions and water impact compared to generic Viscose.
sustainable wood and pulp sourcing/procurement
LENZING™ ECOVERO™ fibers are produced using pulp, which is derived from the renewable resource wood as raw material. Lenzing purchases wood and pulp derived from responsibly managed forests and certified to come from sustainable sources.
supply chain transparency
A special manufacturing system enables LENZING™ ECOVERO™ branded viscose fibers to be identified in the final product, even after long textile processing and conversion steps through the value chain. Environmentally conscious consumers can be assured that retailers and brands are incorporating genuine LENZING™ ECOVERO™ eco-responsible Viscose in their products.
certified eco-responsible
You can be assured that your fashion choices are sensitive to environmental concerns. Manufactured only from certified and controlled wood sources and produced with significantly lower fossil energy use and water than generic viscose, LENZING™ ECOVERO™ branded viscose fibers are certified with the internationally recognized EU Ecolabel. This label of environmental excellence is only awarded to products and services, which have a significantly lower environmental impact throughout their lifecycle: from raw material extraction to production, distribution and disposal.
Synthetic fibers
We tend to shy away from synthetic fibers. While we applaud the Recycling of Polyester & Nylon, we're still not fans of the fibers for certain clothing. Below is information from one the leading sourcing publications in the world. We are not saying that these fibers do not have their place, but certain garments such as t-shirts, sweats, lounge-wear etc should incorporate more natural fibers & less synthetics. We are in the process of developing Eco Friendly Athletic items that do not rely on Polyester or Nylon, stay tuned. :)
Some fashion brands are turning to textiles made from recycled plastic bottles. While this is giving the bottle new life, the apparel ends up having the same ill effect on the environment as any other petroleum-based textile. And as Claire Arkin, communications coordinator for the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, told the Yale Climate Connections, “We can’t recycle our way out of the plastic pollution crisis. There’s simply too much plastic – single-use plastic – being produced and consumed.”
Which is why Henry advocates for using more natural, biodegradable textiles in the Cotton Incorporated interview.
“In terms of microfibers, there is little doubt that all textiles — whether natural or synthetic — shed during production, use and disposal,” she says. “But there is credible evidence that fibers of wool and cotton biodegrade in ocean water due to the action of naturally occurring microbes such as bacteria and fungi to produce harmless molecules that are used again in natural ecosystem cycles. On the other hand, plastic microfibers persist for many, many (possibly hundreds of) years.”
Laundering synthetic garments made from polyester can cause them to release hundreds of thousands of microplastics per wash cycle. A new first-of-it's-kind study shows that simply wearing them, however, can slough off even more over time.
While a gram of polyester fabric might discharge up to 4,000 tiny fibers during a single conventional wash cycle, according to the study, that same material could shed a similar amount with just three hours of normal activity.
Scaled up, the results indicate that a person could generate nearly 300 million polyester microfibers per year to the environment by washing their clothes, and more than 900 million to the air by wearing them. The numbers were published in the Journal Environmental Science and Technology.