How Your Threads are Sustainable
Fabrics are made using the most sustainable materials possible such as organically grown cotton, and polyester derived from recycled water bottles. Fabrics are dyed using low impact dyes. Often, water used in the dye process is purified and then reused. Fabric is cut and sewn into a specified style. Embellishments such as prints, beads, stones are applied last. Screen prints are often done using K2 water based inks. Other embellishments come from recycled materials whenever possible.
Growing Organic Cotton
Organic cotton is 90% less toxic than conventional cotton. Organic cotton starts with untreated seeds, never genetically modified organisms. The seeds are planted in healthy soil that stays strong through crop rotation and retains water efficiently due to increased organic matter in the soil, not by synthetic fertilizers. Seasonal freezes and water management supports defoliation, not toxic chemicals. Weeds are physically removed by hand hoeing and cultivation. Farmers use beneficial insects, biological and cultural practices to control pests. Trap crops are planted to lure pest insects away from the cotton crop, not a toxic aerial spraying technique.
Turning Water Bottles into Fashion
1. Bottles are sorted according to color and SNV plastics. Next, the plastic bottles go through a sterilization process. Then, they are dried and crushed into chips.
2. Liquefaction occurs under high temperatures, as a mixture of the recycled chips and new plastic from petroleum derivatives are melted together to form a syrup-like material.
3. Threads form when the material is forced through holes and exposed to air. The hardened threads, called tow, then go through a strengthening process.
4. Drawing strengthens the molecular bonds of the tow; the tow is pulled to double their size and then shrunken.
5. The Threads then go through a dryer where they develop a woolly texture. The texture is inspected for strength and thickness, and then spun into a finer yarn to be to be dyed and knit into fabric.