While working together in the atelier of fellow CFDA Member Peter Som, designers Britt Cosgrove and Marina Polo bonded over a shared dream to create a collection that was thoughtful in every sense of the word. The label SVILU, launched by the pair in 2013, brings new meaning to the term ‘sustainability.’. Cosgrove and Polo go beyond just implementing less wasteful design processes, and believe that fostering a positive work environment is essential to their brand ethos. We sat down with the designers to discuss their approach to sustainability, and why they describe their brand as “mindfully made.” Here are their joint responses.
What inspired you to embrace sustainability in the first place?
When we started, SVILU we realized we had this amazing “blank slate” to do things exactly the way we wanted to. To us, that meant re-conceiving how and why we make clothes with consideration for the environment, maker and wearer. At the time, it just felt like common sense: why not make clothes that are less toxic and more timeless?
How do you incorporate sustainable practices into your design process, and the way you run your company?
We believe sustainability goes beyond carbon offsetting and recycled paper (though we like and use both these things). So we coined the term Mindfully Made to encompass what SVILU is all about. At the primary level, this means making choices that are better for the environment – using only low impact materials ranging from recycled polyesters made from plastic bottles, to organic cottons free from toxic chemicals.
We also think about the people that make our clothes – our manufacturing partners are compliant with state labor laws, pay their employees fair, livable wages, and provide clean and safe working conditions. We’ve visited countless manufacturers to build a network of factories we trust and that meet our standards.
Finally, we think about design. We believe good design is inherently sustainable. Clothes that are thoughtfully conceived to sustain both wear and whims; clothes that are worth holding on to, taking care of, and that make life a little bit better. Our goal is to build a wardrobe of fewer, better essentials that make you happy.
Is the design approach for sustainable product different? How so?
Yes, but in a good way. Having less materials to choose from makes us incredibly focused on fabric selection and only working with the most scrumptious low-impact options. Fabrics that feel wonderful to wear and take on a lovely patina with time. Working sustainably also forces you to slow down the process and think about the purpose and function of what you’re making.
What’s your advice for designers looking to become more sustainable?
Just start. There is no such thing as perfection when it comes to sustainability.I It’s easy to feel overwhelmed or that you need to change everything all at once. Swap out one or two materials, start asking your mills more questions, take time to slow down the design process and make things that matter.
Why is sustainability so important now, more than ever?
The current administration seems set on reversing every step of progress that has been made in the past decades in regards to environmental protection, energy infrastructure and carbon emission regulation. It is key that we all pay attention to what is happening and work diligently to fight back. Sustainability has always been at the root of SVILU, but we feel an increasing sense of urgency to continue on our mission. We believe it’s important to shed light on what sustainability in fashion means, and it’s clear it’s going to take a collective effort to implement the change we want to see.
