Our Sustainability Promise
Our Sustainability Promise
It is impossible to achieve perfection, but at Dottie & Mae we promise to always focus on sustainability, create ethical clothing, and continue to learn and implement new ways to be even more eco-friendly.
We are proud to be a low impact fashion brand.
100% of our fabrics are designer deadstock, upcycled, or secondhand.
We practice "micro-batch" manufacturing (producing limited quantities) to ensure quality and reduce waste.
Our packaging is all recycled, compostable, or secondhand.
All of our products are made in-house by yours truly. Nothing is outsourced or dropshipped. -Kali, designer
In an effort to further reduce textile waste, most of our accessories are made from our own fabric scraps.
The True Cost of Fashion
The True Cost of Fashion
Fast Fashion is cheap and stylish clothing that is made quickly and, thanks to its poor quality and trendiness, is often discarded just as quickly by the consumer. We are purchasing more clothing than ever before and disposing of it even faster.
In the US alone, 85% of textiles will end up in landfills every year. The main source of this textile waste being discarded clothing. And according to the British Fashion Council, we have enough clothing on the planet to outfit the next 6 generations.
Fashion is one of the least regulated industries globally. It is a major polluter and a leading industry of modern day slavery. We need to stop the race to the bottom and Act On Fashion. Follow the link below to learn more about The Fashion Act and how you can help.
Secondhand & Deadstock Fabric Stores
A Sustainable Dictionary
Leftover, extra, or sample fabric ordered by designers, fashion brands, and fabric stores that is discarded and would otherwise end up in landfills.
Fabric that has been discarded from an individual’s personal fabric collection.
Cheap clothing that is mass marketed unethically at alarming speeds and volumes to keep up with current trends.
When a company makes themselves look eco-friendly but continues to engage in unethical fast fashion behaviors. A clear sign of this is when companies are deliberately vague about how they are being sustainable.
Organic Cotton is higher quality than conventional cotton and is shown to use over 60% less energy to produce. You may see it with an OCS or GOTS certification.
Can include fabric from the end of a new fabric bolt, random size & shape cut offs, and/or small portions of fabric leftover from larger projects.
Used or new fabric from household linens or garments sourced from thrift stores, charity shops, donations, and/or estate sales. May also see the terms upcycled/re-purposed used to describe secondhand fabrics.
The opposite of fast fashion. A lifestyle and philosophy that advocates for consuming less, investing in higher quality pieces, and making better choices for garment industry workers and the environment. May also see this referred to as Low Impact Fashion.
A broad term used to refer to unused fabric and unsold garments that is wasted by the fashion industry.
Used or new fabric from household linens or garments that is 20 years or older. (Note: vintage is different than antique, which must be 100+ years old.)