From kHyal, Volunteer at The Carbon Almanac
Old School Style
I began wearing vintage apparel in grammar school. It started with hand-me-downs from neighbors, then continued with thrift store and tag sale finds that I cherished for their uniqueness. I could also easily afford them on my allowance. Later, I understood that giving these items a new life was also a great way to conserve our earth’s precious resources.
New School Knowledge
As a teenager, I began reimagining vintage and second-market clothing by refitting or remaking pieces that became a form of my art. When I started creating one-of-a-kind apparel and accessories more seriously for myself and found that others wanted it too, I went back to school. I wondered if it was possible to scale without doing harm and enrolled in the Sustainable Design Entrepreneur program at FIT. There, I met some incredible women leading the way in sustainable fashion.
Zero Inventory
Independently in 2010, I began researching and experimenting with on-demand technologies so that I could make only what I wore or what people ordered from me. This way, I could materialize my line of original textile designs without ever creating unused or unwanted inventory.
Sharing is Caring
Through my pursuit of knowledge, individuals and small companies started coming to me with their questions about on-demand manufacturing. This reminded me that each of us has critical information to share, whether we learned the ropes from personal curiosity or professional pursuits.
I jumped at the chance to share my resources and those of the passionate experts I met along my own sustainability learning journey with a larger audience through The Carbon Almanac. Together with others on the team, we created the Sustainable Fashion resource guide. You can check it out (and share it widely) right here.