In founding Vagadu, Joui set out with a mission to contribute to the fashion industry in an eco-friendly, sustainable way. Most people are not aware of the environmental degradation caused by many common practices in clothing production. There are four key areas that need to be addressed when looking at the sustainability of fashion: materials, labor, transportation and quality/waste management.

 

materials
First, materials. Vagadu uses almost 100 percent fabrics that are donated (second-hand), found or purchased from a second-hand source. In other words, nothing is bought new unless totally necessary. The few items that are bought new (because a consistent source hasn't been found yet) include zippers, interfacing, structural reinforcement, and thread.

 

All told, around 90 percent of materials used at Vagadu would otherwise go to the dump or sit around in someone's closet for eternity. Joui loves working this way because it creatively deals with a big problem in the world of overflowing landfills. Although many designers are now taking the admirable step of using recycled fabrics and organic cottons, these are still more energy intensive techniques than material reuse.

 

labor
Most mid-size to large design houses use factory workers in other countries to produce their garments. This allows companies to pay low wages in order to keep their production costs down and to provide cheap clothing for Americans. While this system doesn't have to be detrimental, and there are some very good factories, for the most part sweatshops are bad for people and for the environment.

 

Vagadu takes an entirely different approach. Working to bring clothing back to the individual with one-of-a-kind pieces, it doesn't make any more sense for Vagadu to ship garments to China than it does for Valentino Couture. Furthermore, because there is never more than a small amount of certain fabrics, it takes constant care and creativity to finish each garment with the fabrics available. Currently, all garments are sewn by Joui or interns. However, as Vagadu grows, production will remain in house using local seamstresses. In this way, it is certain that no one is being exploited or treated badly under the Vagadu label. Not only that, working together with the seamstresses can collectively reduce waste, time and energy used for creating clothing.

 

transportation
Because of buying materials locally, constructing and selling clothing locally, there is very little carbon footprint in the transportation of these garments. Most big companies buy their fabric from India, ship it to China to be made, ship it back to the U.S. to be sold, etc. By the time you see these items they have traveled thousands of miles! That said, as Vagadu grows, and as we start selling in different parts of the country and world, the transportation issue will have to be addressed. Vagadu is hoping to use the most eco-friendly transport mode when the time arrives.

 

quality/waste management
Lastly, it is important to think about how garment quality impacts longevity. This point intersects with waste management as well. What this means is that the original quality of a garment dictates how long it stays in use or in someone's home instead of in the landfill. Unfortunately, many companies like Old Navy and Forever 21 make items that look good for a couple of washes, maybe even up to a year or so and then pretty much fall apart, requiring disposal. The clothing was cheap, so the consumer isn't surprised when this happens, but this is not a green way to think. These clothes were made to be disposable. The low prices that draw the customers is an illusion, because the clothes don't last, and the cycle is perpetuated. Vagadu takes all the steps possible to make sure the collections created are of the highest quality we can achieve. At Vagdadu, we want our pieces to last like your grandmother's clothing... for generations. We are encouraging people to buy less, and buy better, in the hopes of phasing out the idea of disposable clothing for good.