Sustainability
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Our Commitment. Our Truth.
Sustainability is inherent within passion. Sustainability is not inherent within business.
Sustainability at Kargede
Sustainability is not our marketing angle. It’s a product of how we work, day to day, in our own atelier. No factories. No mass production. No pretending.
Where We Stand (Honesty First)
We’re a small independent label in Sydney. We make every Kargede piece in-house. We don’t have corporate funding. We don’t have a sustainability department writing press statements to cover up volume.
And we’re going to tell you something most brands will not: you cannot “save the planet” if you never survive long enough to have impact.
The fashion industry loves to sell the fantasy that a tiny label should absorb all the cost, all the risk, all the compromise, immediately; while the giants keep flooding the world with cheap, trend based clothing marketed as “eco” friendly. That’s not how change happens.
Here’s our position:
1) We are not claiming perfection or pretending we’ve solved fashion.
2) We are building a brand with a real future; because once we have reach, that’s when we can move markets, pressure suppliers, train new makers, and change systems from the inside.
3) We refuse to greenwash. We refuse throwaway “sustainability language” that’s just there to make you feel calm about buying more.
There’s also a practical truth: making two “Perfectly Sustainable”, “Zero Waste” garments and then closing the doors after you’ve gone bankrupt is not impact. It’s theatre. Our job is to build something that lasts; and bake responsibility into every layer of how we operate so that growth does not equal waste.
We design for longevity, we cut for minimal waste, we repair what we make, and we slow consumption on purpose. That’s the work. That’s the baseline. It’s the difference between a designer protecting the integrity of their own work and a clothing company protecting a margin – we refuse “good enough.”
How We Build Sustainability Into Reality
Deadstock Initiative
Under our deadstock initiative, we work with deadstock fabrics; quality rolls of fabric that already exist, that were heading for storage or landfill, not fresh bulk production. When we find a fabric that meets our standard and sparks a real design idea, we cut it into limited pieces.
That means:
- We’re using what already exists, not asking mills to spin up thousands of new metres just for us.
- We’re not “making product for the sake of product.” We only cut when the fabric and the design both deserve to exist.
We go one step further: even in deadstock garments, we’ll line and finish with premium, non-deadstock materials and trims where it matters structurally. That’s intentional. It means we can actually repair those garments years from now. It means your piece isn’t just “cute recycled story,” it’s built to last and it’s supported under Care & Repair.
Deadstock isn’t aesthetic to us. It’s resource rescue with accountability and simply put, it’s one of the limited ways in which we can make a meaningful difference at this early stage in our journey.
Limited Runs. No Factories.
We do not mass produce. We don’t place bulk factory orders, we don’t offshore production, and we don’t gamble on huge seasonal volumes just to “look big.”
We cut and sew in limited runs inside our Sydney atelier. That protects quality, avoids unsold stock, and stops the classic fashion pipeline where half a collection quietly goes in the bin because it “didn’t perform”.
If we don’t believe in a piece, we don’t make 200 of it “to see how it goes.” We just don’t make it.
More than anything, our pieces are envisioned as unique. We dont want you walking into a room with a twin – we’d rather see a select handful of people own an original garment that speaks to their identity.
Smart Cutting and Material Respect
Waste is a design problem and truth be told, it’s a challenge that any design team should enjoy!
We finalise and grade our patterns with meterage efficiency in mind. That means we do the hard work up front: shaping pattern pieces so they use as much of each length of fabric as possible without compromising the design aesthetic or quality. We’re able to do this, because we keep the pattern making process in-house – this allows us to operate dynamically.
After cutting, every offcut is tracked.
- Remaining meterage is stored and larger pieces are catalogued
- Usable offcuts and panels are actively repurposed into small-run accessories, like our tote program.
- To date, less than 1% of our excess fabric has gone to landfill, because we either hold, reuse, or transform it into something with a real destination.
You can read more about our waste management here.
Care & Repair for Life
Our Care & Repair program exists to keep every Kargede piece in circulation for as long as possible. We offer ongoing support: reinforcing seams, tightening hardware, replacing panels, adjusting hemlines, even rebuilding lining sections where possible. Many repairs are complimentary, and anything chargeable is priced for longevity; not profit.
This is sustainability in practice:
- You don’t have to buy another dress just because a strap snapped.
- Small damage doesn’t equal “end of life.”
- You can come back to us and say, “Make this work again,” and we’ll happily oblige.
Care & Repair is built into how we design. We construct garments in a way that allows access for future reinforcement and panel replacement. We line with quality materials, not cheap filler, so those linings can actually be restitched or replaced when they eventually wear.
And at the end of the day, we get something from this too: every repair story is an opportunity to learn and grow in something we’re deeply passionate about. We get to see how you wear the clothing and what hidden opportunities for improvement exist.
Fit That Reduces Waste
Fit-based returns are one of the quietest forms of waste in fashion. We address that head-on.
We offer complimentary tailoring on every Kargede garment at the point of purchase; while keeping your returns rights intact. That means:
- You’re not stuck with a piece that “almost fits.”
- You’re not sending items back just because a strap needs 2cm or a waist needs a small take-in.
- You’re not throwing it out in six months because it never really sat right.
And if a return comes back to us? We don’t trash it. We deconstruct. We reclaim panels, finishes, hardware, and linings for future use. We place garments in new homes. We do not wastefully dump Kargede pieces. Every single item that’s passed through our atelier has either been worn, resold, reworked, or absorbed back into future builds – and that’s something we’re very proud of.
Slowing Consumption
We are not here to feed churn. We don’t design for trends with an expiry date.
We choose fabrics and silhouettes for longevity; both physical longevity and aesthetic longevity.
Instead of pumping out disposable cotton tops that demand constant washing and wear out fast, we prioritise smart materials like our high-grade vegan leathers. Those pieces are durable, structured, wipe-clean, and built for repeated wear without collapsing after five washes.
That matters because real sustainability isn’t “Buy more (but it’s organic so it’s fine).” Real sustainability is: buy less, buy better, keep it in your wardrobe for years. We actively design for that.
Also: most of our pieces are either naturally size-flexible or cut to accommodate subtle body change over time. Where a silhouette is close-fitting and sculpted, we still build durability into the internal structure so it won’t just blow out and become “unwearable” after a season. The goal is to keep you in the same piece, not upsell you on version 2, 3, or 4.
Our Packaging
Every Kargede order is packed using 100% cardboard, biodegradable materials, or recycled polyester — absolutely no virgin plastics. Your garment arrives in a sturdy matte white magnetic-closure box. It’s intentionally unbranded. We want you to keep using it: as storage, as a safe place for the piece when you’re not wearing it, or even as a gift box. Extending the life of that box means you don’t need to go out and buy something else.
We also design our packaging system so it can circulate, not just “arrive and die.” We request that all returns come back in the original garment box. The box is strong enough to protect the piece without being destroyed in transit, which means we can reuse it and avoid new packaging waste.
Materials we use:
- Garment box: matte white cardboard, reusable, no plastic coating
- Outer shipper: cardboard
- Tissue: biodegradable
- Tape: biodegradable
- Packing slip housing: biodegradable
- Ribbon: recycled polyester
- Hangtag: cardboard
Habitat & Restoration
Part of sustainability is acknowledging broader impact beyond the garment itself. We support environmental and social projects through our i=Change partnership, including initiatives focused on restoring natural habitat and protecting vulnerable ecosystems.
From every purchase, we donate $5 directly to one of three initiatives. Upon completing your purchase, you get to choose which.
Digital Sampling (No Throwaway Shoots)
Where it makes sense, we use digital colour adaptation in imagery instead of churning out extra physical samples with no guaranteed home. If a shade is still in testing, we’ll render the tone, not produce a whole extra garment that risks ending up in storage, or worse, in landfill.
This is one of the quietest, least-talked-about waste streams in fashion: samples made purely “for the shot.” We refuse that model: a little bit of extra work for us behind the scenes is a small price to pay.
General FAQ
Is Kargede a “sustainable brand”?
We’re careful with that label. “Sustainable” has become a marketing costume.
Here’s what we will claim:
- We produce in limited runs, in-house, in Sydney.
- We build for long wear, not seasonal churn.
- We actively repair what we make.
- We work with deadstock and we account for our offcuts.
- We design to slow consumption, not drive it.
- We’ve minimised our packaging footprint.
- We give back through initiatives aimed at natural restoration.
And Here’s the cold hard truth if you’re brave enough: any fashion label claiming that “sustainability” is its number one driver is still a fashion label. Fashion is consumption. Nobody needs another dress in the way they need clean water or medicine. Unless you’re selling the mythical one garment that warms, cools, never breaks down and replaces an entire wardrobe for life, you are still participating in waste. That’s the floor of the model.
So we won’t pretend our primary motive is “saving the planet.” Our primary motive is design. We are designers first. We care, almost obsessively, about cut, structure, integrity, longevity and how a piece lives on a real body. Because that’s where our pride sits. We could never be comfortable sending out something lazy, trendy-for-a-week, or built on harmful practise.
What that produces – almost by necessity – is a slower, more responsible way of working. We make in limited runs, not factories. We cut to minimise waste and keep our offcuts in circulation. We repair what we make so you keep wearing it instead of throwing it out. We price fairly, not to bankroll a Ferrari, but to keep control of the work and keep design in the hands of designers instead of a finance board.
So no, we’re not here to sell you a sustainability fantasy. We’re here to make exceptional clothing that earns its place in your wardrobe and stays there. And because we refuse shortcuts, chase longevity over trend, don’t chase the cheapest possible customer, and build for wear instead of churn — we end up operating more sustainably than the traditional model. That’s the honest version.
Why don’t you only use cutting-edge “eco fabrics”?
Because a lot of so-called revolutionary textiles are still unstable, unproven at scale, or priced in a way that would force us to fail as a business before we ever get the chance to influence anything.
Our approach is: build something that lasts, keep control in-house, make deliberate choices, and then use that platform to push for bigger shifts over time. We believe in long game, not self-sacrifice theatre.
What is your Deadstock Initiative, exactly?
When mills or brands overproduce fabric, those rolls sit. Eventually they’re written off, dumped, or destroyed. We intercept some of those fabrics and create new limited garments from them.
We’re not just “using leftovers.” We’re rescuing premium materials that already exist, instead of demanding new bulk production.
Then – and this is important – we often line / stabilise those garments with new premium materials so we can repair them in future. If we’re going to save a fabric from waste, we’re going to make sure that piece can live a long life.
How do you handle offcuts and scraps?
We cut intelligently from the start to reduce offcut size. We’re able to do this, because we keep the entire process in-house: Design>Prototype>Pattern>Grade>Cut>Sew
Anything left over is kept and logged. We’ve repurposed these materials into pieces like our tote program, and we continue to fold stored panels back into future work. Our current textile waste to landfill sits under 1% of total fabric handled in our atelier.
We view leftover fabric as future resource, not trash, and by keeping the process in-house we’re able to genuinely act on this.
Do you burn or dump unsold stock?
We don’t create unsold stock on that scale, because we don’t make on that scale.
We don’t manufacture hundreds of speculative units through offshore factories. We cut in limited runs and we can adjust our output quickly because we sew in-house. That basically removes the “excess inventory” problem most brands quietly ignore.
If a piece comes back to us, we either tailor and rehome it, or we deconstruct it for parts (panels, hardware, internal structure) to be used again.
Why vegan leather?
indeed, why Vegan Leather? It’s made of PU after all!?
The answer is simple, but extremely important. Durability. Longevity. Low upkeep.
Our vegan leathers hold structure, clean easily (a wipe, not a full wash cycle), and resist the rapid fatigue that ends a garment’s life early. We use them to create pieces you can keep wearing, instead of replacing, and we design those silhouettes to be genuinely timeless, not gimmick-trendy.
We’re transparent: vegan leather is not a halo material. It’s a tool. We use it because it supports slow consumption and real-world wear. Sometimes we need to look beyond the surface image of marketable “Sustainability” and understand the reality of “limiting consumption and waste”.
How does Care & Repair make you more sustainable?
Because the “throw it away and buy another one” mentality is the real problem.
We’ll restitch, reinforce, replace a failed zip, rebuild a strap, even swap out a damaged panel where possible. We’ll adjust a hem. We’ll tighten an anchor point. A lot of that work is complimentary. Anything that’s chargeable is done at a fair rate.
That means:
- One small fault doesn’t send the garment to landfill.
- You don’t need a “replacement purchase.”
- You stay in love with what you already own.
Care & Repair isn’t an upsell. It’s an infrastructure decision: we design our garments so they can actually come back to us and be worked on.
What if my body changes?
Your body is allowed to change. Your clothes should adapt.
Most Kargede silhouettes are intentionally size-flexible or forgiving in key zones (draped volume, elasticated regions, adjustable or tie-based support, intelligent panelling). That reduces abandonment – you’re not forced to “retire” a piece just because you’re not exactly the same measurements as last year.
Where a garment is deliberately structured and close-fitting, we bake in strength and offer tailoring and later adjustments. That keeps that piece in rotation instead of in a bin.
Why do you offer complimentary tailoring and still allow returns?
Because waste often happens at the “almost right” stage.
We keep your returns rights intact, because we don’t believe in trapping people in clothing that doesn’t serve them or the art we’ve created.
What happens to pieces that are returned?
Returned garments are:
- Assessed
- Tailored and rehomed if possible
- Broken down for panels / trims / hardware if not
Every Kargede garment that has passed through our atelier has either ended up on a body or gone back into future work. None have been wastefully destroyed.
What is your long-term sustainability goal?
Control, influence, then pressure.
Step 1: Keep production in-house and ethical.
Step 2: Prove that slow consumption, repair culture, responsible cutting and minimal waste can be commercially viable.
Step 3: Use that proof to scale jobs locally, mentor new makers, and push demand for better materials and better systems without compromise.
We’re not chasing a badge. We’re building the kind of fashion house we wish already existed and we’re working to reshape an industry that has already failed so many of us. We’re doing it because we love fashion design, and we hate to see what it has become – a societal and environmental burden.
Are you perfect?
No. And we’re not interested in perfection. Kargede will continue to learn and grow always, but at every juncture along the way our team will be able to look back and say “We respected the artform. We did right by the people it serves”.
