The MTL Diaries: Working Towards a More Sustainable Fashion Future
Written piece originally published in Mad About Doin’ Magazine Issue 03 May 2021
Ariel in the Camille Maxi Dress by Tara Collingwoode July 2020 Monika The Label Launch Campaign
Monika The Label is a love affair between Cali cool and East London grunge. Inspired by all the best parts of the ‘70s, I design sustainable clothes for wild-hearted women who want to make a change and feel pretty damn cool when they do it. Having grown up in and around London, the city’s style will always have a huge influence on me. I love the strong vintage influence the East side of the city has thanks to its markets, vintage shops and independent boutiques. My appreciation for California style came to fruition a little later on in life when I first ventured out to the West Coast and I became instantly hooked. But the main driving force behind starting Monika the Label was my growing concern for the fashion industry’s treatment of the planet.
I want to rewind a lil’ and admit that I was once a fast fashion fiend. At university, the income was low but the parties were frequent, and I remember browsing the local Zara, high on a dopamine drive, regularly for new party ‘fits. And when I got my job in the womenswear fashion fashion department at Zalando out in Berlin, shortly after graduation, I was stoked. The 40% employee discount fuelled my fast fashion habits even further. But as I rolled into my second year in the role in 2018, and having worked with some of the biggest fashion players on the UK highstreet - including Missguided, New Look and Topshop, it dawned on me that I was a part of the machine that was encouraging overconsumption and an industry that was having a detrimental effect on our planet and its people.
I switched out my Zalando splurges to weekly trips to the flea markets - my personal favorites were RAW in Friedrichshain and Neuwkölln Flea Market - to sell and update my wardrobe. One of my best selling dresses is actually inspired by a vintage scarf I found at one of these markets. Not only did my shopping habits change after this realisation, but also my desire to continue on with my job. I didn’t want to be a part of the problem any longer, and finally decided to turn Monika the Label into a reality.
With the fashion industry being one of the most polluting industries in the world, it’s important that all brands, current and new, are making a change to reduce their impact on the planet. It’s all well and good for fast fashion corporations to introduce ‘conscious’ fashion lines - but how can it truly be conscious when it's widely known they pay their garment workers the bare minimum? Or that so many of their products go to waste because of mass production or are thrown out by consumers after only a few wears because of ever changing trends and poor quality. New brands are in a position to make themselves as sustainable as possible from the get-go as they don’t need to worry about changing current practices. It’s much more difficult for established companies to amend their strategies - not only in terms of time and effort, but also in changing the way consumers perceive and trust them.
As a new brand, I wanted to create a label that allows women to find vintage-inspired wearable pieces without worrying about their impact on the planet. Monika the Label aims to encourage slow fashion with collections that are designed to be centre stage in wardrobes for years to come. MTL doesn't follow strict ‘seasons’ and nor do we fall for the pressure fast fashion thrives on - which is constantly having to create newness. It works in our favour that the label isn’t entirely dictated by current trends and has its own aesthetic that can be deemed timeless and unique. As a result, the longevity of the product is extended.
Anna Granskog from Mckinsey made an important point that cutting overproduction in half from where it is today would make a huge contribution towards a lower carbon footprint of the industry. At MTL, we believe in zero waste so we try to never create more than we need. We manufacture limited runs and only restock when we’re sold out to avoid any garment going to waste.
I design small size collections and I’m only just launching a second collection after 10 months. I believe it is far more sustainable to offer fewer but better quality products that last a lifetime. During the design process, I was heavily influenced by all the best parts of the seventies and vintage silhouettes. To find inspiration I was looking back to go move forward - and I think we also need to apply a similar mentality when it comes to looking after our wardrobes. Utility and durability was the main priority when making clothes in the 1900’s. Fast fashion over the past two decades has created a consumer culture of wanting newness constantly, at a low price, which has put an incredible amount of pressure on the environment. One reason is due to the high increase in clothes being thrown away, often as a result of low quality or being deemed ‘out of fashion’.
According to Fashion Revolution, it takes about 70 million barrels of oil — nearly the amount of all crude oil produced globally each day — just to produce the virgin polyester used in fabrics each year. So to avoid making anymore unnecessary polyester, we make our garms from Regenesis Light Satin, a OEKTO TEX-certified material made from recycled plastic bottles. All our garment printing is also carried out digitally, using Azo dye-free inks that are water-based and non-toxic. Digital textile printing has a well earned reputation as the eco-friendlier of the printing processes, with a reduced amount of waste produced, and less use of chemicals and water than traditional methods. Our rivers are already polluted with toxic chemicals used to manufacture and dye clothes so I believe it's important we find other methods to avoid this the best we can.
To work towards a more sustainable fashion future, I believe it’s now important to raise awareness in improving the relationships with our clothes. The aftercare of our clothes and our wardrobe is just as important as the moment someone wears their new dress for the first time. A polyester dress will take a minimum of 200 years to biodegrade in landfill so it’s critical we don’t let it get there! It’s therefore integral that we encourage the after care of a purchase. Ways we can do that include washing less at a lower temperature, air drying instead of using a tumble dryer and learning how to alter/repair.
Another way I encourage longevity is by renting. Sharing and rotating our wardrobes is an important path forward. High quality fashion shouldn’t be exclusive nor should it cost the earth. Last September we started offering our dresses on By Rotation - the UK’s first and largest peer to peer fashion rental app. At MTL, sustainability and style is at the heart of what we do and I’m stoked to be included on such a platform that is transforming the way we consume fashion in a forward thinking, diverse and planet friendly way. The app also allows you to calculate the carbon emissions you’ve saved by renting an item. Now people can enjoy MTL pieces for a fraction of the price, while knowing they’re contributing to a more sustainable and circular fashion economy.
But sustainability is not just about reducing our carbon footprint or using eco friendly fabrics; it's also about protecting the workers who make our clothes. It’s important we protect both our planet and the people that produce our clothing. A brand can’t be sustainable if the garment workers who bring their designs to life aren’t paid or treated well. There needs to be a focus on humanising the garment industry and people who make our clothes and it’s integral we become less reliant on the exploitative nature of low cost manufacturing.
By manufacturing in the UK, I was able to establish a transparent supply chain and be directly involved with the entire production process. We work closely with a team in North London and a studio in Glasgow. We also ensure everyone involved is paid a good wage and work in a safe environment. During the first wave of the pandemic, the North London factory shut to comply with government regulations and as things started to slowly reopen, our seamstresses worked from home instead in order to continue working safely. By working locally this also enables the brand to lower its carbon emissions and help support British businesses.
I’m sure we have all heard enough about Corona and I tried to avoid mentioning as best as I could. It has caused such a huge impact on the industry and it is important to figure out how to move forward post pandemic. There have been predictions that consumers are going to be spending less and have become more selective about what they buy for the foreseeable future as we navigate out of an economic crisis too. With all the added extra time at home, I feel like people have shifted their focus towards where their clothes actually come from and what impact they have on the environment. We are definitely seeing a growth in awareness around more conscious consumption when it comes to fashion.
Going forward, transparency is vital. Not only is it integral to build consumer trust, but transparency is necessary to educate consumers on where exactly their purchases come from. The less we know about a garment, the harder it is to create a genuine emotional connection to it and we are more likely to mistreat it. In turn, significantly reducing the time it spends in our wardrobes. I try to be as honest as possible about MTL’s supply chain and ways of working to create a valuable shopping experience. I’m by no means saying Monika the Label is perfect - we are still working toward carbon neutrality and in the process of introducing an MTL recycling scheme. There is still so much more to be done. But If I was able to change my habits, it gives me hope other people can too.
by Monika Young - Creative Director