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I think it's a crowded market and you're limiting your options with the above but others are succeeding with different but similar ethos
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Yep, Community Clothing is awesome. One of the main differences we are thinking about is made on demand, which stops unsold clothes going straight into landfill. (Not saying that is what happens with CC, just the mainstream fashion brands. CC keep repeating the same styles, rather than changing and following fashion, so I'm sure is another way of addressing the issue)
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Yep, agree. There is no perfect in garment manufacturing, so you just need to do the best you can and be completely transparent about what you are doing. Turkey is also a big grower of cotton and we looked into getting yarn and fabric from there, but then discovered a mill up near Manchester that is importing cotton from farms in California and spinning it's own yarn. That sounded like a pretty good place to start.
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That sounds like a good option!
Out of curiosity, can you match the quality of Japanese brands while maybe being slightly lower in price? If you can manage that while being eco-conscious + create a fit that people buying "vintage inspired made in japan" stuff, I think you could be onto something
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I know there's more nuance than this, but just out of curiosity, if you're trying to be more eco, why would you buy cotton that has almost 3x as many miles on it?
Growing cotton in California is not great. Water is diverted from the Colorado and San Joaquin River's where - up until literally the last two months - were in severe drought. Yes, alfalfa, rice, and almonds use more water here in California, but buying raw material from as close to home as possible seems to make the most eco-friendly sense?
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It's a fair question, and water usage for growing cotton is always a concern. There's no perfect production process, so there's always going to be trade-offs. Cotton grown in Turkey or Egypt is a lot closer but due to their wholesale buying system it's very hard to know exactly where your cotton was grown or the conditions on the farms and child labour in cotton farming is a big issue. You need to rely on external certifications, which can be a bit patchy.
The mill up in Manchester buys their lint directly from farms in California, so they know the working conditions on the farm and can trace the field each bale comes from and with help from their farms can calculate exactly how much water is used per bale/item of clothing.
It's not perfect, but that's the trade off. Maybe with a bit of time and effort, we can establish a fully traceable system somewhere a bit closer. Or give it 20 years and we'll be growing cotton in the sub-tropical climes of Kent.
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Kitsbow were trying to make MTB clothing in small batches/ to individual order. Sadly they emailed last week to say they are closing the business.
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I'm somewhat better versed in supply chain and sunstainability issues of seafood, take these armchair ideas with a pinch of salt!
I don't know what access small business have to these materials but looking at movers (an assumption on my part) like Patagonia , they are (or were) investing in hemp to reduce cotton use and parterning with providers like Infinited Fiber to avoid using virgin materials alltogether. Something to consider but none of these might make what you want, etc.
https://infinitedfiber.com/
https://eu.patagonia.com/gb/en/industrial-hemp/ -
I have some of their poplin shirts and like them. The collar might be a bit spicy though compared to the Polo one
Also Kamakura - I haven't tried them personally but they're well thought of
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Gitman vintage would get that look as well I think?
I'd also check out j crew for that style, at a different price level
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What size neck are you? Drakes are having a sample sale for 2 more hours at Truman breweryq
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very boring but I have one of these which is pretty spot on https://global.llbean.com/shop/Mens-Wrinkle-Free-Pinpoint-Oxford-Cloth-Shirt-Traditional-Fit/56686.html#start=1
Tenderloin
Lebowski
kboy
plantasia
JB
dancing james
spinnnout
owl
stappard
andyfallsoff
fredtc-
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Posted by
@coppiThat
Just read about a Swedish brand doing a similar thing but with wool. Turned out organic wool needs to be treated in Germany, so to avoid a lot of shipping they got german wool, treated + spun it in Germany, then sent to Sweden for the manufacturing of clothes.
Not as good a story as "100% made in Sweden" but since it wasn't feasible, they took the pragmatic approach. After reading through their statement, I'm quite impressed by the transparency.
Not saying your situation is the same with the US cotton, but that there's more to it than "made in x"
Anyway. Sign me up for a sweater!