Our Commitment

From start to finish, we focus on lowering our impact on the environment. From the styles we make, way we make them and how we ship them to you. Here are some examples: 

~ Our clothing is designed with intention and filling a gap/not trends
~ Slow made in small quantities (like really small)
~ All cutting room excess is repurposed into making patchwork pouches (which you get free with your order), scrunchies and hats. Smaller scraps are donated to a local paper maker who makes them into paper. 
~ We do not use any wrapping materials other than what is essential to shipping your order to you. Your order is wrapped in a free patchwork bag and shipped in a compostable mailer or recycled box. 
~ Our business cards and hangtags are made from repurposed cotton from the industry. 

DESIGN

Lights of All is a slow fashion brand. This means our clothing is designed to last through seasons, trends, etc.. It also means the garments are build to last using high quality eco-friendly and vegan fabrics. 

Our core fabrics are Organic Cotton, Oeko-tex Linen, Hemp and Tencel. For the most part we only use these materials because they are proven to be the best options to reduce the use of water, any pesticides or harmful chemicals and are not harmful to the people who make them. 
When looking for organic materials we look for GOTS certifications.

PRODUCTION

Production consists of turning the designs into garments. This is the longest process and the one that produces the most waste and (for other companies) consists of the most harmful processes. Here is how we create clothing at Lights of All! 

We only use undyed, recycled paper for our patterns & we recycle every last bit of scrap. 
As for the cutting and sewing itself, the fabric remnants from the cutting room are saved and used to make patchwork totes, scrunchies or other small items. The pouches are given free with any purchase! These bags/totes are not perfect and are sometimes in strange shapes but they are a symbol of our efforts to not throw anything away that can be used or repurposed.

We also work with a local paper maker, Ateliers Retailles, who takes our fabric scraps (those too small to make into bags) and past prototypes and repurposes them into paper. You can learn more about Ateliers Retailles here. 

photo taken from @atelierretailles instagram

We always chose the eco option every step of the way, we do not cut corners and we are passionate about making this world a cleaner and safer place for all. From the dyes we use, the fabrics we chose, what we do with our waste we always have the wellbeing of our planet and those that inhabit it.

SHIPPING AND PACKAGING

Orders are shipped in either a compostable mailer or a recycled box. Our shipping label paper is also made from 100% recycled materials. As mentioned above you receive a free cloth pouch with your purchase, so instead of wrapping your items in tissue, if it fits in the tote - we put it in! 
Our business cards/hang tags are made from t-shirt scraps from the fashion industry - no trees harmed in the making! You can read up on the process here. 

We limit our use of paper and plastic anywhere we can so we decided not to send out any hand written notes or extra items in your orders, however you can expect a personalized email from Katia once we see that your order is delivered.

GIVING BACK

As part of our goals and efforts to make the world a better place for all animals, we donate 5% of our profits to Cedar Row Sanctuary, located here in Ontario.

Cedar Row Sanctuary is a family run animal sanctuary, founded in 1999. "Cedar row has saved many animals from slaughter, and helped many humans make the connection to the animals that end up in the food system. The sanctuary helps show that there is no difference between a piglet who enjoys having her belly rubbed, to a piglet that ends up being slaughtered for bacon. The Pooles believe if one spends time with the rescued animals at Cedar Row they will be forever changed."

PRODUCT END OF LIFE

I'm sure you know how to care for your Lights of All items during their life (which means when they are still wearable):

Wash Cold, Hang Dry.

These two together prolong the life of your garments. When you tumble dry your clothing in the dryer, you are adding friction (rubbing together) which creates pilling. And for items that contain spandex, the heat actually breaks the spandex and makes them loose their stretch and resilience over time.

How about when your garments are no longer wearable? Big stains that won't go away? Holes that cannot be repaired? Now, expect the end of life of your garments to come in decades (because LOA clothing is made to last). However, when the day does come, we want you to be prepared.

Natural Fibres & Semi-Natural
Linen, Organic Cotton, Cotton, Hemp, Viscose

For garments made from these fibres, simply shred them and you can compost them! Our garments are made using non-toxic dyes and are safe to be composted. They will take a while to decompose so, shred them as small as you can and dig around/spread them so they aren't all in the same spot. 
This works for home compost, however, our cities and towns are not equipped with the infrastructure needed to compost clothing yet. So feel free to do this at home.

All Other Fibres
Recycled Polyester, blends including Spandex

Other garments we sell, which include Recycled Polyester and a blend of Spandex with Hemp & Organic Cotton cannot be composted.
In these cases, clean the items (even though not wearable) and donate them to a local Value Village-  they not only accept wearable garments, but ones that are not wearable are sent off to recyclers who repurpose these materials. They use them to make things like car stuffing and insulation. Just be sure that the items are still clean and in a bag. 

For a more comprehensive view of what to do with other garments when you are done with them, you can view our blog post about it here.