Fashion with Intention
From production to design, we strive to remind everyone how beautiful our Earth is and that we should be determined to protect it, that the Earth is our home as long as we treat it with care and respect. Sui has only been in existence for one year but in that time we have learned an enormous amount in how we can be a driving force in sustainable production and how we can involve like-minded people as well as inspire those that may not be so inclined.
We pride ourselves in being able to incorporate various methods of production to keep to our sustainability mission. This means we closely consider how we go about production, from how we source our fabrics to how we dye them. We ask ourselves how we can make our methods more environmentally friendly and if there is a way we can further reduce waste, all while making beautifully made clothes.
Our journey has been fulfilling but has not come without its challenges. Mahima, our founder, is a true advocate of the slow fashion model and recounts the amount of consideration needed to make sure Sui is doing right by its green promise. “We strive to save every single piece of fabric that falls to the floor and we are always looking for more sustainable options for things as small as thread, buttons, zips and hooks,” she says. Sustainability is a conscious decision and we have done our best to work with vendors who share the same green vision, those who believe in sustainability, in the classic ‘reduce, reuse, and recycle’ mantra.
How we dye our garments has been a considerable step in the right direction. We use azo-free or herbal dyes wherever we can. Herbal dyes have given us an immense opportunity to reuse and recycle water, so we are able to avoid polluting our environment and oceans.
In another sense, we have also made sure to use hemp, our super fibre, as much as we can to create our garments. It offers us a way to significantly lessen our ecological impact and create beautiful pieces. By using it as one of our main materials, we are able to reduce our water footprint by a third of what is usually used to produce traditional cotton. In saying that, we do also use organic cotton. The material, however, does not require pesticides, which makes it a more sustainable version of traditional cotton.
“For as long as I've known, I've had a deep appreciation for nature. It's given me a sense of purpose, creativity and ease. This is the core of why I believe fighting for the right steps is so important,” says Mahima. The journey to sustainability has been an eye-opening one and would not have been possible if we had not reached out and educated ourselves. It takes work and consideration and Sui is willing to take the steps we need to achieve it.
While reflecting all this, we know we are far from perfect and are always learning. We try to keep our selves accountable by being as transparent as we can with our customers so they know exactly how their garments are made, even by whom they were made by. It’s something we have been proud to share and we hope it will inspire others to be more conscious and responsible.
Our ultimate goal is for Sui to be 100% sustainable. It’s no small feat but we hope to better ourselves wherever we can and always look at how we can make changes within our production. The greener we can be, the better.
