Sustainability

AllFabEthical is based on the principles of sustainability and circularity. We oppose the treatment of clothing as a disposable product and against anti-social and un-ecological conditions in the producing countries and in the countries of Africa, Asia and South America, where used-clothing mountains and deserts arise.

  • The garment industry is a major employer in countries like Bangladesh, China, Turkey, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, etc., but brutally exploits the lack of strict labor and environmental standards
  • 1.2 billion t of CO2 emissions are caused annually by the manufacture, transport and use (washing and drying) of clothing worldwide––and thus more than, for example, by air and sea shipping combined
  • A German would have to do without his daily ration of water for ≈1,000 days so that conventional cotton for a T-shirt could be grown from it
  • 60% of clothing sold today contains polyester, which emits 3x more CO2 than cotton––and blended fabrics are difficult to recycle

  • Around 1.5 million tons of clothing are thrown away in Germany every year––the average European throws away 15 kg of clothing per year

  • ¾ of the clothing worn goes into the used clothing collection (half of which is exported, the rest is directly incinerated or dumped), ¼ is recycled inferiorly

  • Despite all the criticism, fast fashion is still on the rise with worse and worse practices, recently with up to 500 (!) new items a day, often as brazen copies of other brands and young designers

But there is hope.

Second-hand has been showing strong growth rates for several years and has shed its dusty image. Some startups have even inspired second-hand and rental business models through digitization so much that they have been able to go public.

At the same time, we are at the beginning of a boom in circular fashion and countless new fashion labels are committed to upcycling used textiles, giving them a second life with fresh designs.

This is also our approach. AllFabEthical acquires well-preserved fabrics and clothing and transforms them into new designs:

  • There is already a lot of creativity in sourcing, because possible designs and required material properties have to be considered when purchasing the fabrics. We source our fabrics primarily from used clothing collections and are currently in the process of opening up additional sources.
  • Along our style and inspired by impressions from trade fairs, from the Internet and last but not least from the street, but sometimes also influenced by the fabrics themselves, we then design and create patterns ourselves in our atelier in Potsdam.
  • When we are finally satisfied with a prototype, a small series goes into production in Berlin. Each one is unique, because our fabrics are not sold by the meter but ready-made textiles, which means that the previous cuts and fabric patterns vary for each piece.

To round off our range, we selectively buy a few pieces of newly manufactured clothing, which we refine with our designs. These parts are all based on either fairly produced organic cotton or recycled polyester. They are manufactured under fair conditions in Bangladesh in compliance with the strictest certificates and help ensure that the population dependent on the textile industry can make a living under fair working conditions.