Biodegradable and Naturally Derived Fabrics
Here at Charlie & Paisley, our core values are focused on sustainability and the promotion of slow fashion. Slow fashion, which is a term coined by Elizabeth L. Cline (a fellow Vancouverite!), is defined as an approach to fashion, which considers the processes and resources required to make garments and accessories, particularly focusing on sustainability.
The various of components of slow fashion include limiting the output and the quantity of new collections, producing stock in smaller batches, ensuring ethical and non-exploitive methods of production and selecting environmentally-friendly materials for product creation. In this blog post, which is one of our first, we will focus on the materials component of slow fashion and how it relates to Charlie & Paisley.
As we are a sustainability focused company and strive to use exclusively naturally derived, biodegradable, remnant and deadstock fabrics, we figured it’s time to introduce some of the fabrics that we use to create our products. In this blog post, we will be discussing specifically our biodegradable and naturally derived fabric.
Organic Cotton
Organic cotton is a soft sustainable fabric because it is a low-yield crop and its production is safe for cotton farmers due to its lack of toxic chemical treatment. Its production also promotes and enhances biodiversity and biological cycles by maintaining healthy soils and environmentally friendly farming practices. The organic cotton fabrics that we use are all Oeko-Tex® Standard 100, which means our fabrics undergo specific procedures and meet specific regulations for producing and handling organic crops. The following products of ours are made with organic cotton: Beatrice Petite Scrunchie, Fannie Scrunchie, Miriam Oversized Scrunchie, Imogen Oversized Scrunchie and others.
Linen
Linen is a natural fiber that humans have been growing for centuries. Linen is made from flax plant fibers and requires very little pesticides. Linen is fully biodegradable with natural dyes, can withstand high heats, absorbs moisture without holding bacteria, and becomes softer the more it is washed. A large number of our products are made with linen, such as: Fannie Scrunchie, Violet Scrunchie, Rosalie Scrunchie, Rosalie Petite Scrunchie, Lavender Scrunchie, Matilda Petite Scrunchie, Marjorie Scrunchie, Lavender Face Mask, Matilda Face Mask, Marjorie Face Mask and others.
Tencel
TENCEL™ modal, also known as lyocell, is an extremely gentle fibre made from the wood pulp of Eucalyptus trees that is both biodegradable and recyclable. (Fun fact: Eucalyptus grows quickly without pesticides, fertilizers, genetic manipulation or irrigation). Tencel fibres are created in an environmentally responsible closed-loop production process, which transforms wood pulp into fibres with high resource efficiency and low ecological impact. Tencel is naturally odour resistant (perspiration) and wrinkle-free, because it quickly releases liquids back into the atmosphere. In doing so, products made with tencel will require fewer washes, which will not only save the environment but also save you on energy and water costs. The following products of ours are made with TENCEL™ modal: Elsa Flat Headband, Elle Flat Headband, Elsa Scrunchie, Thelma Scrunchie, Elle Petite Scrunchie and others.
“We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.”
Thanks for Reading!
We hope you enjoyed this read about the sustainable fabrics we use to make our products. Here at Charlie & Paisley we are always in search of new sustainable fabrics and we would really appreciate any suggestions of fabrics to use or of sustainable practices.
Email us at contact@charliepaisley.com if you have any insights or tips!