Consider the T-shirt.
The soft, breathable cotton T-shirt you might be wearing now began its life as a fluffy little cotton plant, maybe somewhere in China, India, Kenya, the US or Uzbekistan – all huge growers. After harvesting, raw cotton lint is sent somewhere else to be spun into yarn, knitted, sewn and dyed. This usually takes place in Asia or South America. Further processes – labelling, getting sent to a distributor, printing, getting sent to a warehouse and finally to the retail store where you picked it up, could happen in a multitude of places.
Imagine the extra steps – and consequently, resources, needed in producing anything more complicated than a T-shirt. Though some corporations have begun to address sustainability issues in certain segments of their supply chain, the reality of mass market fashion is that flown-all-over-the-place is how clothing is made, resulting in a lot of energy being spent to transport these materials.
This is where shopping local comes in. When clothes are designed and made right here, a smaller carbon footprint is attached to them (notwithstanding other sustainability factors). In the spirit of taking another eco-considerate step during Earth Day month, here are some great brands made proudly in Malaysia right below.
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- Hooded tops, dresses and versatile draped cover-ups are treasured additions in an effortless wardrobe, and ZVSH has them all. We love how the mint, pink and black of ZVSH’s current offerings are so Spring 2012.
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- A group of guys in the city decided to make T-shirts for the street style set and Pestle & Mortar was born. Check out the Rumah Sukan tees for a hit of sepia-toned nostalgia.
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- It’s virtually impossible to talk about sustainable fashion in Malaysia without name-dropping We Are ULTRA, where you’ll find modern classics crafted in sustainable materials, produced right here at home.
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- Organic cotton basics make total sense, being pesticide and contaminant free. Also, the farming of this crop supports small scale farmers. Can anybody say win-win-win? Melinda Looi’s Mell Basics line includes tank tops, strappy slips, and T-shirts.
Tags:
mell basics, pestle & mortar, we are ultra, zvsh
