A Small Footprint
It's so important to me as both an individual and a business that I have as small a footprint as possible and that there are few waste products produced by Badger and Bear.
It's no secret that the fashion industry creates a huge amount of refuse, in the form of offcut waste, deadstock and fast fashion where clothing is discarded faster than we can wear it. According to Earth.org up to 85% of all textiles produced go to landfill each year, it's a disgraceful statistic from big businesses and a disaster for the planet.
The absolute best way to reduce this footprint is not to buy new. That's why I want my customers to hand down their items, sell them on, reuse and repurpose their clothing wherever possible. As a family, we absolutely adore hand-me-down clothing and these clothes very much form the basis of everyone's wardrobes with special handmade Badger and Bear clothes adding the perfect colour and pizazz to those second hand outfits!
So, if I'm selling you clothing, where could I possibly fit into sustainability?
Most of us like to wear something new; something just for us. Badger and Bear ISN'T fast fashion, it's the antithesis, it's classic, thoughtful clothing bought once and made to last season after season, year after year.
I've been making clothing since 2017 and am still seeing those first outfits being handed down for the 3rd, 4th, 5th time and they still look good.
When making for adults, I ask for measurements so that the fit is perfect, the clothes are tailor made which means your clothing isn't left at the back of the wardrobe or discarded because it doesn't fit quite right.
For kids, I absolutely recommend buying a size bigger than your child's height. Particularly for trousers and shorts.. Because you give me waist and hip measurements, I can make sure they fit around the waist and don't fall down. They're a little baggy for the first year, fit perfectly the second and stretch to fit for even longer... Perfect!
Earlier this year, I was a little emotional when I saw a tshirt that I made for Bear in 2017, it was the first clothing that I'd made for him from 'proper' fabric, and not upcycled clothing. It was being worn by a little girl after going from Bear to Bear's sister, to Bear's best friend, his brother and finally to the little girl... what a journey that T shirt has had... and it's life is not over yet!
Badger and Bear handmade clothing is made with care and with the absolute best quality fabric, if it's cared for correctly, it will literally last years.
There are so many ways that I can add to that sustainability, which I'll talk about in my next post!