What is Sustainable fashion to ATMAN
Sustainability can mean lots of things to different people. Sustainability is a complex concept and has many aspects. There isn’t an official definition agreed upon by the industry what sustainable fashion is.
1. We use only plant-based fabrics and minimise the ‘wet-process’
SDGs number 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
SDGs number 13: Climate Action
SDGs number 14: Life Below Water
SDGs number 15: Life on Land
2. We are a slow fashion brand who works predominantly with independent women tailors. We aid women employment while shortening the production chain.
SDGs number1: No Poverty
SDGs number 5: Gender Equality
SDGs number 8: Decent Work
and Economic Growth
3. We work mindfully on a small scale with zero waste in mind.
SDGs number 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
4. Packaging
SDGs number 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
SDGs number 13: Climate Action
5. Gender Equality
SDGs number 5: Gender Equality
6. We promote self-love and comfort in your own skin
SDGs number 10: Reduce Inequalities
Sustainability is defined as: “The integration of environmental health, social equity and economic vitality in order to create thriving, healthy, diverse and resilient communities for this generation and generations to come.”
- UCLA Sustainability Committee
There are many different definitions of sustainable fashion but what is it to us as a brand?
We believe sustainable fashion is about respecting and protecting all people and environment along the fashion supply chain (from design, production, sale and use of clothing) while always conserving and restoring ecosystems and minimising negative impact on communities and nature.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, commonly referred to as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), is a set of goals outlining a future scenario for people and the planet. At its heart there are 17 global goals that represent an urgent call to action for all countries and citizens to work in global partnership to succeed in achieving them. – Fashion Revolution
As a small independent brand, we are very committed to the SDGs. We are implementing these practices to every level of our production chain.
Which of the 17 SDGs can be related to Atman?
About 150 million trees are logged every year and turned into cellulosic fabrics – such as viscose.
To keep the vital conditions and diversity of the ecosystems involved and to minimise impact on the environment, we choose to work only with local plant-based fabrics which are not involved with deforestation (meaning no trees have to be cut down to make fabrics).
We refuse to work with synthetic fabric such as polyester, nylon and acrylic because:
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Firstly, synthetic fabrics require a considerable amount of fossil fuels, and release greenhouse gases (GHG) such as carbon dioxide (CO2). These gases when released into the atmosphere act as a blanket, trapping heat from the sun and warming the earth. By refusing to use synthetic fabrics we prevent the worst effects of climate change.
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Secondly, synthetic fabrics are shedding micro plastic. Research has shown that every time we wash our synthetic clothing, up to 700,000 tiny particles of plastic called microfibers – too small to be caught by conventional water treatment – are being washed into our water systems, ending up in rivers, lakes and oceans. They can be ingested by marine animals, many of which end up as our food. Our oceans are turning into a big plastic soup. We need to turn the tide on plastic entering the environment now so that we can stop destroying oceans, their wildlife and our health.
We choose to work with raw fabrics not only because of their unique, natural and authentic texture and colours.
Using raw fabrics can reduce the fresh water stress level which is already significantly high.
Raw fabrics are fabrics that have received no/minimum manipulation or treatment. Usually, they do not pass through the so-called ‘wet process’ in the fashion industry.
Wet processing is the scouring, bleaching, dyeing, printing, coating, laundering and finishing of raw textiles - typically involving harsh chemicals and large quantities of water
Loads of hazardous chemicals used for dyeing and processing fabric are discharged directly into our water systems, ending up in rivers, lakes and oceans which affects the life of people and animals alike.
Fashion, especially fast fashion, focuses on speed and low cost to frequently deliver new collections. Besides, in the fashion and textiles industry 70%-80% of the workers are women. Globally, nearly one in three female garment workers experience sexual harassment in their work place
– CARE international, 2017
We choose to work with independent woman tailors who work from their own homes in the north of Thailand for many reasons.
Firstly, we can directly support a person with a fair working rate that they ask for and find comfortable. Our payment is not framed by the factory owner but by fair trade only. Instead of working on an unfair contract (10-12 hours a day in a rush to produce an unrealistic quantity for fast fashion brands) our ladies’ working time is considerably shorter and they get paid the same amount minus the stress. This allows them to have more time with family and have enough to afford a decent standard of living, including healthy food, clean water, comfortable housing, education, health care, transportation, clothing, and other essential needs.
Secondly, working from their own homes allows them to work with minimum stress. By this means we reduce the chance of women harassment at the workplaces which happens constantly in the fashion industry.
Thirdly, because of working less and with no minimum quantity frames set by the factory owner, there is more space and freedom to learn and create which helps them to develop their full potential and be able to handle more complex sewing tasks.
We firmly stay against any form of child or forced labour.
While creating designs, we plan and think everything through to minimise the waste of fabrics and other resources. We keep small leftover pieces of fabrics and make beautiful things out of them such as face masks and hair bands. This way we can ensure that there is as little as possible fabrics left and thrown away in landfills.
We work with an idea that all clothing should have timeless quality which means:
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It can be worn for a longer time period without following the rapidly changing fast fashion trends.
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Designs and colours are beautiful and practical so the wearer can mix and match with many pieces in their wardrobe and reuse them in the next season.
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They are well made with great attention to details so they are durable and long lasting.
We design our packages with nature in mind. All of our packages are made of natural handcrafted materials such as cotton and recycled paper. They are biorientable, environmentally friendly and can be re- or upcycled.
We work to reduce gender-based discrimination, exploitation and violence towards all people. We wholeheartedly stand with LGBTQ. We support sexual diversity and differences.
Our team includes people from different races, genders and sexual orientation.
Our aim is to celebrate the unique beauty of each person. We wish to make you feel comfortable in your own skin, to embrace your own magic and be proud of who you really are.
We hope, with our creations, we will help you strengthen the balance within and promote self-love. This in essence is the true meaning of ATMAN.
No one will be left behind