KTGFASHIONHOUSE's Sustainability

When asked what makes KTGfashionhouse a sustainable brand, I am transported back to the third grade. We had a few environmental experts visit our classroom. Their presentations on waste management, recycling, and repurposing truly made a lasting impact on my entire life.

I had my first fashion design internship the summer I graduated high school. It was amazing to be able to learn so many wonderful new things however, I was shocked by the amount of waste I witnessed. I encountered a massive storage room piled high, from wall to wall, with gigantic rolls of fabric. When given a tour, I remember asking what they planned to do with that fabric. I was informed that those rolls were left over from past seasons and would eventually be disposed of. The image of all those materials going to waste never left my mind. I feel like there was a seed planted from elementary about sustainability and being eco-conscious. I always knew that when it came to fashion design, I did not want to participate in any of the wasteful, harmful, or more stressful elements of the fashion industry. A few years later, I began creating my very first collection to showcase at a charity fashion show. I bought fabric from local vendors, I visited thrift shops for rare silk or synthetic garments, I also searched my own wardrobe collection for any garments I could repurpose into a new garment. My first collection was a great success. I didn’t put a lot of thought into what I was doing or intending to do, it all just flowed organically. From there, I maintained the same foundation for each new collection. In some cases, I have repurposed former collection pieces into something new, for the next collection. I have also taken past fabrics and dye them by hand to change their overall appearance.

So, exactly what makes KTGfashionhouse a sustainable brand? It is quite something to have to sit down and think about each element of my process and connect that to sustainability. I will begin by saying I absolutely love deadstock. I have always used it and I always shop for it in the fabric district in Downtown LA. Every collection I create has some element of deadstock. I support local vendors and tend to buy from the same people. I use public transportation when traveling into the fashion district. It’s not always easy to find, but if I can find recycled material or material made from recycling, I will go for that. While I can’t always trace the origins of every fabric, I do my best to use as much as possible and avoid as much waste as possible. I only buy small volumes of fabric for each collection; the most I’ll purchase is around 5 yards.

I keep my numbers very small. Each collection is numbered and is created by hand. I truly enjoy custom orders. Custom orders allow me to conserve resources and work at reasonable pace. Custom orders are probably one of my favorite things to do as a designer. I do not have a large team. I can work quite fast on my own. Within the next year I plan to expand my team with 1 or 2 assistants. I am very concerned with fair and ethical practices, so, I choose to do the bulk of the work myself. For the elements that I don’t do myself, I work with small businesses for fabric printing, etc. When I source a business, I like to research their practices and go from there. As for production, I try to operate machinery during non-peak energy hours. Finally, my designs are high quality and timeless. What this means is that they are created with high quality and high standards. They are not created to compete with wasteful, fast fashion practices. They are created to be timeless. Each garment can be worn year-round, season after season. They can be dressed up or down, and with good care, will become a classic staple in your wardrobe. That has always been my mission, to create classics and staples, not trends, or throw away fashion.

As the world delves deeper into climate and environmental issues, I feel that it is imperative to reimagine what the fashion industry should be. When I first began my design journey, I decided to reimagine fashion for myself, and I decided to design in the way that felt right for me and my beliefs. I wanted to break away from what fashion has become and return it to what it was. I make on demand or custom orders, I create small collections with controlled volumes, I create high quality garments, I repair, upcycle, and recycle, all while maintaining ethical and fair practices.

Read more about KTGFASHIONHOUSE on the brandpage: fashionunited.com/companies/ktg-fashion-house