Ever since Be Kind was born, the main focus has been to create good practices in the clothing industry. Not only by making conscious decisions in the development process, but also by raising awareness of the need to change our way of buying and wearing clothing.
Why add a sweater to the collection?
The Skylar sweater was designed as the perfect basic in a capsule wardrobe. It forms a great basis in every season and is timeless as well as unisex. The beautiful and organic cotton makes it easy to wear, being not too warm in summer and enough as a top layer in winter.
The production process
At the start of the development process there were three factors of importance to us; quality, impact and honesty. At first we had to find a new supplier, as knitwear is a different technique from that of the production facilities we had been working with until then. We found a beautiful knitting factory in Portugal. After two visits with visual inspection and learning about policies and their way of working, we decided to start a partnership.
Working conditions, innovations, but also the complexity of deadstock have been topics in our conversations. Did you know that 'linking' is a part of the knitting process with serious health risks? This job, where two parts of the sweater are linked to each other, involves very detailed work with many small needles. This creates a serious risk of eye damage. We discussed this with the supplier and shared ways to prevent this from happening. With the start of a new production process, we always try to first learn and understand as much as possible about the risks and challenges.
Another topic has been deadstock and the way we could use it in future productions. As in many factories, this supplier has a warehouse full of leftover yarns. Not because they are disapproved on quality, but because of miscalculation, wrong colors or just a change of business on brands' side. In many cases these yarns are just eating dust and waiting to be dumped in landfills or burned. Similar to our aim at the other production facility, we hope to be using the deadstock yarns for sweaters in the near future too.
Materials
For this sweater we have carefully selected a gorgeous, strong and versatile organic cotton, responsibly sourced and certified by GOTS. Where possible, we use a melange version, as this is a fiber dyed product that can save around 60% water and reduces around 60% of waste water compared to conventional yarn dyed products as the fibers are spun before dyeing. The labels are made of organic cotton too, which makes this garment recyclable for new clothing.
Why not go for a lovely wool material you might wonder? The main reason is that the wool industry still often contains malpractices and issues regarding animal welfare. Luckily sustainable options are slowly arising, yet it is hard to verify. Besides that, we chose cotton to make this sweater as transeasonal as possible; it is perfect for layering in winter and for cool summer evenings. So you don't need a winter and summer sweater, just wear Skylar all year long.
Challenges around sustainability
With every new process challenges arise and again we have faced some serious issues where we had the choice to go for the fast and easy route. I just want to share a glimpse with you. Halfway the process our yarn supplier informed us that one of our colors turned out to be unavailable in organic. This was very bad news, as this would cause huge delay in the process. We received the advice from several sides to just go for conventional cotton, who would notice, right? I was shocked to hear this as an option from several sides, as it made me realize that it apparently happens often.
Another issue we dealt with was the overall delay due to raw material shortage and the workload in factories as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lots of brands are attempting to make up for the loss of production during lockdowns. Order volumes are pushed up and factories are dealing with lots of pressure. To not contribute to this pressure we decided to take it slow, be flexible, work with pre-orders and give the factory space to stay afloat.
How can you contribute to positive impact?
In so many ways! By simply having read this story and trying to understand a little bit of the effort and bumps in the road, you already make impact. Change needs knowledge. And by consciously decide on your next purchase you're an even bigger change maker. Really, it doesn't have to be that difficult. Every step matters. And think about the way you wear this item. Would you throw it in the washing machines after 1 or 2 wears or can you give it a good airing? And what about detergents? Use an eco version and go for liquid instead of powder, as this is softer and kinder for the fibers in your sweater.
Thanks for reading along and supporting us in the journey. Do you have any questions for us, or suggestions, do let me know!