The Dire Need for Sustainable Fashion

You hear people throw around the word ‘sustainability’ when it comes to fashion a lot nowadays. But what does it truly mean to be sustainable in the fashion world?

At Mimi Designs, we believe sustainable fashion is all about zero-waste quality designs. It’s about preserving the land we live on and the artisan craft of the designers who create the clothing.

The Issue with Today’s Fashion Industry

We’ve all seen it time and time again – companies dropping hundreds of designs weekly, stories of poor-conditioned clothing factories across the world, and so much more. This is the result of fast fashion. It is responsible for 20% of industrial water pollution, which directly contributes to greenhouse gases and landfills.

While we all love the feeling of buying new clothes, this comes with consequences.  We damage the environment and the livelihood of those who are in the process of creating these clothes.

Sustainable Fashion as a Solution 

Sustainable fashion, also known as slow fashion, attempts to minimize these environmental damages. The focus is on quality fabrics and designs to reduce the amount of waste accumulated throughout clothes manufacturing.

This is how Mimi Designs fits into the picture.

Sustainable Materials

The cotton for the threads and yarn is locally harvested from Oaxaca cotton fields. Not only do we support local farms, but we minimize the gas needed to transport cotton to our design site. Through local scouting for materials, we reduce our carbon footprint throughout the process.

Slow design process 

It takes time for each one of our dresses and pieces to be created. The artisans who hand-sew and weave the dresses spend anywhere from 4 – 6 weeks per dress.

Each thread and yarn are hand-sewn together piece by piece and eventually become a gorgeous product that will last a lifetime. The wait is worth it. 

Natural Dyes

Chemical dyes often used in fast fashion get dumped in lakes and rivers. This waste damages the livelihood and health of those relying on bodies of water. As such we use completely natural materials to develop our dyes.

For example, we use the Indigo plant for shades of blue, and for reds, we rely on the tiny cochineal insect. Since we have a slow design process, we don’t exploit and overuse these resources.

Care for Others 

Sustainability considers the people in the clothing design and creation process as well. At Mimi designs, our weavers use a traditional Mexican hand-weaving style for every dress. They’re protecting their traditions while being compensated fairly for their work and services. To us, it’s a beautiful way to celebrate and share their culture and art with the world.

Sustainable fashion is not a trend that comes and goes – it’s a commitment to a better and safer world. And that’s the mission at Mimi Designs. If you’re looking for a timeless piece made ethically, check out our range of designs at Mimi Designs and read our story.