Ryan Lobo and Ramon Martin, founders of the womenswear label TOME, dove into sustainable fashion with the launch of their White Shirt Project in 2014. With clean-cut, essential dressing at the heart of the brand’s ethos, the duo utilized one of their core pieces, the white shirt, as a vehicle for social and environmental sustainability.

“The White Shirt Project supports Katie Ford’s foundation, Freedom For All, which fights human trafficking and slavery,” Lobo explained. “The first questions Katie asked us when we began our partnership was ‘Is everyone involved in making your clothes paid well? Anything that does not meet industry standards?’ It urged us to examine our processes and supply chains.”

Since working with Freedom For All and participating in the CFDA + Lexus Fashion* Initiative, the designers have enhanced their approach to a holistic design process. “Choosing from sustainable fabrics is an obvious first step but production choices are a big part of the puzzle too,” Martin said. They now incorporate sustainability throughout TOME by visiting the women in their factories, continually monitoring their supply chains, and producing locally to reduce pollution.

“The fashion consumer is more and more conscious about the origin of their clothing,” Lobo said. “You can’t just throw around words like ‘sustainability’ without being able to prove to your customers that there’s real commitment behind those terms.” Lobo and Martin are internalizing this commitment by not compromising on their principals or beautiful design. TOME now approaches sustainability as “responsibility.”

See more of the CFDA/Lexus Fashion* Initiative sustainability story by following #ReDesignFashion.