Our Fabric
Bamboo
We chose fiber created from bamboo for our eco-friendly shirts because bamboo can be grown without pesticides and and needs little water, and releases up to 3x more oxygen than it takes in carbon dioxide. Most importantly, it is a rapidly renewable resource. In fact, we heard it can grow up to 3 feet per day! It has tensile strength comparable to steel. The many benefits and uses out of bamboo are unbelievable. There is no other plant that could be used for so many purposes: buildings, furniture, food, gardening, household goods, and even clothing!
Organic Cotton
The fabric of our organic tees is a blend of bamboo rayon and organic cotton. Organic cotton is grown without pesticides, a serious cause of many of today’s world problems. Did you know that conventional cotton is one of the most pesticide-laden crops in the world? We chose organic cotton because it’s grown with natural rather than synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and doesn’t use chemical defoliants. Because it’s processed using organic farming practices (the entire process consumes less fuel and energy), we are able to lower our carbon footprint. If you have allergies or are sensitive to chemicals, organic cotton clothing is great for you as conventional cotton may retain harmful toxic residues. As you may already know, organic cotton clothing is hypoallergenic, has excellent absorbing qualities and is very soft. Moreover, organic cotton blended with bamboo rayon just feels better against your skin!
Sorona (triexta)
We’ve picked Sorona, a polymer created by DuPont from corn, as an alternative to traditional polyester. One of the newest eco fabrics of today, Sorona offers a softer feel and outstanding elasticity compared to other polymeric fibers such as polyester and nylon. Sorona fabrics also provide a carbon dioxide reduction of 30 percent while the Sorona manufacturing process reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 63 percent, compared to conventional nylon made from petroleum. With superior dyeability, excellent washfastness and colorfastness, Sorona fibers make an excellent material for organic clothing. We love it for its exceptional durability, softness and built-in permanent stain and ultraviolet (UV) ray resistance! Did you know that clothing made from Sorona fibers can resist stretch and sag over time? Shirts made with Sorona fabric also dry fast because of its rapid drying capability. Oh, and did we mention that it’s stain and static resistant as well? By using Sorona, we remain true to our commitment to deliver classic pieces that you can wear over and over again.
Our Green Choices
Low impact dyeing
The dyeing of the clothing is also very chemically intensive. However, because bamboo is very absorbent and because we use a process known as low impact dyeing, this is less chemically intensive than regular dying. Our dyehouses have been certified by the Global Organic Trade Standard (GOTS). It has also received an award for its high energy conservation methods of using the latest heat reclamation system for its productions. And we also offer a color in “natural” meaning it has not been dyed.
Locally made in USA
Most of our environmentally-friendly clothing is manufactured regionally in the Los Angeles, California area. The fabric vendors, cutting, sewing, and dye houses are located within 25 miles of each other. We are proud to support the businesses in the Los Angeles garment district. A couple of our limited edition shirts were assembled overseas in China, and then dyed, washed, care label printed, and packaged in Los Angeles. By having them made locally, it reduces the CO2 costs of transporting them through the multiple stages of production.
Packaging and marketing
We noticed that a lot of waste is created in the packaging, marketing, and delivery of goods--all things that do not directly benefit the customer and usually end up in the trash immediately after receipt. With this in mind, we try to use the minimal amount of packaging as possible, using only what is practical to keep them safe from damage. And you'll be pleasantly surprised by our plantable hangtags! The hangtags are printed on handmade seeded paper with printing using soy-based ink. These, too, were purchased from a vendor in the Southern California region. So don't throw away your hangtags--PLANT THEM!
Designed for many uses
From our own experience, we've noticed that when cleaning out our closets, we tend to throw away last year's designs, or last year's prints. But there are some shirts that we tend to keep longer because they are so versatile. As stated previously, our clothing was intentionally designed to be timeless classics and worn years from now. The longer your keep them, the longer they stay out of the waste stream.
Conscious shipping policy
We proudly use the United States Parcel Service to ship our clothing. Why? Well, for starters, they recently announced that they are changing their fleet of delivery trucks to electric vehicles. They are also the first shipping company to achieve the Cradle to CradleSM certification for their mailing products, a certification process that looks at the entire life cycle of the product. Most importantly, it made sense to use a courier service that will already be traveling to your shipping address on a daily basis anyway, instead of using a courier that might make an isolated trip to deliver the products.
Limited Inventories
Instead of producing thousands and thousands of shirts, then hoping to sell them all, we have found vendors that are willing to work with a small manufacturer such as ourselves, so that we can make minimal orders at a time. Why do we do this? Because we truly want to avoid unnecessarily producing clothing that is not needed, and by doing this, we are doing our part of diverting clothes that may otherwise end up in the landfills.
