Taking on the decades it takes for activewear to decompose in landfill, is new Brazilian and British brand Votig.
Using revolutionary new fabric from a Belgian supplier, Votig’s founder David Perez, reckons his label, which is handmade in Brazil, is one of the most sustainable on the market.
What’s more it’s also reasonably priced, creating a sustainable choice that is more accessible than the luxury activewear brands. From simple black cycling shorts to jazzy high waisted prints that will take you from yoga to brunch and back again, Votig are proving eco doesn’t have to be expensive.
Normal clothing takes around 50 to 60 years to decompose in landfill, Votig has cut that down to between three to five years.
But don’t worry, the clothes won’t break down while you’re still wearing them. David Perez, explains:
“Our garments won’t just start to degrade overnight. Every year millions of garments end up in landfills and this is where our garments will probably end up some day. When that happens, then the fabric will do its magic and start to decompose, leaving no chemicals or micro particles behind. The actual garment won’t suffer any changes throughout its life cycle whether is being worn or stored as its shelf life is the same as conventional fabrics.”
Votig make their clothes with yarn from Rhodia Solvay who have developed and invented the world’s first biodegradable yarn, called AMNI SOUL ECO.
What’s Wrong With Fast Fashion?
Decomposing fabric isn’t the only way this activewear brand is sustainable. The collections are made by hand in a family run factory in Brazil and any fabric waste is used to make masks or T-shirts.
Where the clothes are made in Sao Paulo, the manufacturers are part of a programme where water used to make clothing comes from treated waste water, rather than drinking water most factories use and then pollute.
“They extract and treat water from their Sewage Treatment Plants and make the water suitable for industrial use only, never ever using potable drinking water. The factory is normally located by the treatment plant, which is connected to, and the water is reused over and over again. It’s cheaper, safer and best of all it’s more sustainable and socially responsible,” explains David.
In addition, no single use plastic is used in its packaging, there are minimum swing tags which are made of recycled paper collected in Brazil and then studded with plant seeds. All packaging is either recyclable or biodgradable.
But why workout gear?
“The idea started a couple of years ago when my partner got into fitness. Everyone seemed to be doing the same, same designs and same level of comfort and she wasn’t happy with any of the gear she used to wear. There was a couple of popular brands which obviously are still around, that were popular due to social media but that didn’t mean quality. As we were always conscious about our planet we thought, why not designing and producing our very own range?” says David.
“It needed to be sustainable, responsible, friendly, both to the environment and everyone involved from production to customer. It took a while because it really isn’t easy to be a sustainable and responsible brand. Mass production, especially in China, is extremely cheap but we wanted something unique. Something that we could be proud of.
We got a few samples from one of our suppliers and we tested them thoroughly for at least three months. With minor adjustments we managed to achieve what we wanted. A premium handmade product that is ethically sourced, produced and distributed without compromising on price and quality and we were on our way to our core value of sustainability and beyond.”
What do you think? Would you buy clothes that decompose? Let us know in the comments below!
