The Mighty Has Fallen

Chapter Six

When Red said that the road towards my goals is going to be rough, I know that for a fact. The past months has gotten the best of me. Napagpasyahan kong simulan ang lahat sa sustainable textile, therefore I look for a space for lease down town San Jose. Hindi naman ako nahirapan, with the help of my friend-Nisha, I found the perfect place for my small textile factory.

There are so many things to consider in starting a sustainable and ethical clothing line. Noong nag-aaral pa lamang ako ay mas lumawak ang aking kaalaman tungkol sa industriya na balak kong tahakin and the more I learn about the fashion industry, the more I find it hard to sleep at night. The industry is guilty of some of the most sickening inhumane acts most consumers are totally unaware, or shy away from learning the truth, because they too will find it hard to sleep. Fashion industry ranked as second largest polluter on the planet.

As of the moment there's not a way of producing a hundred percent sustainable product, when you consider emissions, raw materials and everything that goes into a product. Although, with technology advancing as it is, I hope that in the near future there will be a hundred percent option available.

In building a sustainable and ethical line, I figured that this does not solely focuses on the clothes I make. That if I want to advocate something it should be through and through. From the electricity I'll be using to run the machines that will transform the fiber of the leaves into fabrics, down to the packaging. I wouldn't advocate sustainable clothing and use tons of plastics to pack it. That's hypocrisy.

Isa sa mga dahilan kaya kahit alam ko na mas mahihirapan ako ay ipinagpatuloy ko pa rin sa pagsisimula ng production of sustainable textile instead of outsourcing it is the greenwashing. That makes me angry. As sustainable has become something of a buzz word, some brands and suppliers are using this term, even though their products are actually bad for the environment. You see, you can't trust people.

Maingat at mabusisi kong inaral ang bawat hakbang, this has to be perfect and everything has to go as planned. Hindi lamang ang production ang aking pinlano, I also consider the after life. As much as I want my products to last, nothing lasts forever. I need to consider what happens to the garment when it's no longer wearable. By using entirely bio-based materials I can ensure that clothing decomposes easily, rather than sits in landfill for the next few hundred years. But if I'm going to use fabrics like recycled polyester, this helps to put existing plastic to good use, although it will be in the trash for hundreds of years as it is essentially plastic. To find a way around it, I'm planning to introduce a recycling schemes, repair services, or to encourage customers to upcycle their products, or give them to someone who likes to sew.

Hindi lamang piñatex ang proseso na siyang aking balak gamitin but I started from there. I have twenty people working on my small factory in transforming the leaves fiber into fabric, making a plant fruit leather. My grandfather is the one who hired those people, that's one help from him that I accepted because he's the expert on this and I trust that he hired the right ones for the job. Dahil balak kong magsimula sa maliit, napagpasyahan kong ang unang produkto na aking gagawin ay sustainable swimwear. I did a bunch of research about econyl or recycled nylon. It's made from oil, and is a plastic fiber. Mainit iyon sa balat at hindi magandang gamiting tela ng damit but it's perfect for certain garments such as swimwear.

I heard two knocks before the door of the library opened, iniluwa noon si Red. On his hand is a tray of food. Bigla akong nakaramdam ng gutom nang maamoy ko ang pagkain na kanyang dala. He stepped in and walked towards the coffee table nearby to put down the tray there.

"Roy had it prepared for you," he checked his Rolex and looked at me again. "It's past one and you haven't had your lunch yet."

"I didn't notice the time," sabi ko. I put my pen down and stretched my arms. "I'm trying to finish my portfolio by the end of this month and I want everything to be perfect."