In the US alone, over 11 million tons of textile waste ends up in landfills every single year. That’s why our new sustainable streetwear collection, Metamorphosis, is created with 100% reclaimed waste cotton — reducing waste, water use, and climate emissions.
Our Metamorphosis tees and sweatshirts, all manufactured locally in Los Angeles, are created from waste yarn from the cotton manufacturing process. The waste yarn is sourced entirely from North America and our graphics are printed on-demand to avoid overproduction. Our Relaxed Tee is designed with no side seams, meaning the tees require less sewing and cutting which results in even less fabric waste.
Using reclaimed waste cotton allows us to take something old and turn it into something new, one of the reasons we found the name Metamorphosis to be so fitting for our collection. By using reclaimed waste cotton we're helping the fashion industry evolve towards a more circular, sustainable, and ethical model.
Water Resources
The fashion industry is reported to be one of the most water intensive industries in the world. On average, it takes almost 2,700 liters of water to make just one cotton t-shirt, the equivalent to enough drinking water for one person to last for 900 days. The external impacts beyond production and consumption can be profound, from depleting and stressing local water resources to contaminating entire ecosystems.
Pollution
Chemical runoff from virgin cotton manufacturing in wastewater impacts biodiversity and damages the surrounding environment — leaching polluting chemicals into the air, water streams and soils.
Climate Change
It’s estimated that global cotton production emits up to 220 million tons of CO2 annually. This is the equivalent of over 48 million cars driven for one year. The average t-shirt requires 5 kg of CO2 to be produced — our Metamorphosis tees require less than 2 kg.
Reclaimed Waste Cotton
First and foremost, using reclaimed waste cotton, or reclaimed and recycled materials in general, minimizes waste in both pre and post production processes. In moving towards a circular economy, waste diversion is a top priority. The simple solution is to use what we already have when creating new things — either through recycling upcycling, reselling, or repairing. Reducing virgin cotton production overall reduces the impact of cotton farming minimizing the impact of on our climate, water resources and environment as a whole.
Why Not Organic Cotton?
Over 50% of all textiles are made from cotton, the growth of which accounts for 2.4% of Earth’s agricultural land. While demand for textiles continues to increase, so does the demand for cotton and the environmental effects that go along with it. While organic cotton is a step up from conventionally grown cotton, it still requires the cultivation of new fibers, the greater stripping of soil, and further depletion of water resources. Again we’re faced with a better alternative (and always striving to explore more) – reclaimed waste cotton.
Shop The Metamorphosis Collection.
