In founding Vagadu, I set out with a mission to contribute to the fashion industry in an eco-friendly, sustainable way. Most people are not aware of the environmental degradtion caused by many common practices in clothing production. Here I will explore four key areas that need to be addressed when looking at the sustainability of fashion: materials, labor, transportation andquality/waste management. I will also put forth examples of ways that Vagadu is working toward addressing these concerns in our own production practices.

 

First, materials. At Vagadu, we only use fabrics that are donated (second-hand), found, or purchased from a second-hand source. In other words, we don't buy anything new unless totally necessary. The few items I do sometimes have to buy new (because I haven't found a consistent source yet) include zippers, interfacing, structural reinforcement, and thread.

 

All told, around 90 percent of our materials would otherwise go to the dump or sit around in someone's closet for eternity. I love working this way because it creatively deals with a big problem in the world of overflowing landfills. Although many designers are now taking the admirable step of using recycled fabrics and organic cottons, these are still more energy intensive techniques than material reuse.

 

Most mid-size to large design houses use factory workers in other countries to produce their garments. This allows companies to pay low wages in order to keep their production costs down and to provide cheap clothing for us. While this system doesn't have to be detrimental, and there are some very good factories out there, for the most part sweatshops are bad for people and for the environment.

 

At Vagadu, we are taking a different approach entirely. We are working to bring clothing back to the individual with one-of-a-kind pieces. So it doesn't make any more sense for us to to ship our garments to China than it did for Valentino. Furthermore, because we never have more than a small amount of certain fabrics, it takes constant care and creativity to finish each garment with the fabrics we have. All garments are currently sewn by me or my interns. However, in the future,I would like to hire in-house seamstresses to work with me to create the pieces. In this way I will know that no one is being exploited or treated badly under my label. Not only that, working together with the seamstresses we can collectively reduce waste, time and energy used for creating clothing.

 

Because I buy or get my materials locally, construct my pieces locally, and sell them locally, there is very little carbon footprint in the transportation of these garments. Most big companies buy their fabric from India, ship it to China to be made, ship it back to the U.S. to be sold, etc. By the time you see these items they have traveled thousands of miles! That said, as Vagadu grows, I will be selling in different parts of the country and world and the transportation issue will have to be addressed. I am hoping to use the most eco-friendly transport mode when the time arrives.

 

Lastly, I like to think about how garment quality impacts longevity. This point intersects with waste management as well. What this means is that the original quality of a garment dictates how long it stays in use or in someone's home instead of in the landfill. Unfortunately, many companies like Old Navy and Forever 21 make items that look good for a couple of washes, maybe even up to a year or so and then pretty much fall apart, requiring you to dump them. They were cheap, so you aren't totally sad when this happens, but this is not a green way to think. These clothes were made to be disposable. The low prices that draw the customers in here are an illusion, because the clothes don't last, and the cycle is perpetuated. At Vagadu, we are taking the steps to make sure all of the collections we create are of the highest quality we can achieve. Because we want these pieces to last like your grandmother's clothing... for generations. We are encouraging people to buy less, and buy better, in the hopes of phasing out the idea of disposable clothing for good.

 

Eco for me is not a fad, but a way of life and a way of doing business at Vagadu. It is the way I feel I can help make the world a better place.