Sustainability

THE ONLY SUSTAINABLE FASHION IS HIGH QUALITY, TIMELESS FASHION

How Senza Tempo thinks about sustainability

Timeless styles. Impeccable quality. American made.

Twenty years ago the word "sustainability" wasn't even a part of our vernacular. Today, it's imperative. The biggest difference between then and now in the fashion industry: the volume that's produced and the overall quality of our clothing.

Organic or recycled fabrics are great buzzwords, but the fact is that we simply consume too much. The only way to create a truly sustainable fashion industry is to help consumers buy less through better quality more versatile fashion.

At Senza Tempo, we focus on quality rather than quantity. Quality clothing requires highly skilled labor and domestic production has the added benefit of naturally reducing waste and emissions.

Shopping sustainably is about shop mindfully. It's about buying less, buying better quality items, and making them last.

Scientific studies have shown that buying less makes us happier than buying green. Read the study here.

Our goal at Senza Tempo is to create timeless, versatile clothing that can be worn throughout the year, and for years to come. This is sustainable fashion.

 

Modern_luxury_sustainable_fashion_is_quality_fashion

SUSTAINABILITY LIES IN SIMPLICITY

Every sustainability strategy needs to focus on reducing production volumes and increasing the utilization rate of each garment.

That's why we focus on making every item as versatile as possible. To help clients get maximum use out of every garment.

Scientists estimate that less than 15% of the clothing thrown away each year is recycled or can be recycled. Recycling is also viewed as the least effective step when it comes to sustainable practices in clothing production.

A streamlined wardrobe of high-quality, versatile clothing is one of the easiest ways to shop more sustainably. It's about shopping with value instead of volume in mind.

fashion_district_downtown_los_angeles
Senza Tempo is made in the fashion district in a building near the Eastern Building in DTLA.

AMERICAN MADE PRODUCTION

Senza Tempo is produced in a single atelier in downtown Los Angeles from sampling to production. Domestic production is about pride, quality, ethics — and sustainability. Senza Tempo's quality is apparent when you see or touch our clothing. What isn't always obvious is the impact fashion has on the environment and its workers. Domestic production ensures we can stay in close contact with our atelier partner, which we visit regularly.

From packaging to textile suppliers, we think about every step along the production process and aim to simplify it and use local Los Angeles-based suppliers as much as possible. Given the robust manufacturing sector in the city, we can source a large percentage of fabrics and notions from the greater Los Angeles area. This consolidated manufacturing approach reduces the amount of shipping required, which helps naturally lower our overall carbon footprint.

los_angeles_garment_factory

 The sewing floor where Senza Tempo is crafted. We view the atelier where Senza Tempo is made as our partner, not a vendor. This is the only way to achieve a superior product.

QUALITY FASHION & A COMMITMENT TO TRADITIONAL CRAFTSMANSHIP

Transparency is essential to ethical production and a quality product. The most transparent thing we can do is provide superior quality clothing. One can simply feel true luxury garments. We don't have to tell you how well our garments are made when it's apparent the moment you pick and turn a Senza Tempo garment inside out. It's not about a logo, certification, adjective or QR code. 

LEARN HOW BRANDS PLAY BUZZWORD BINGO

Quality is simply the ultimate form of transparency.

We choose the finest fabrics and then apply classic tailoring techniques to create true heritage garments that will live in your closet forever. Our dresses and suiting have blind hems finished by hand and employ other couture-like finishes like bound and covered seams. Generous seam allowances and moveable side darts allow clients to easily tailor our garments. Separate double fold-over bands to finish silk shirts, instead of a simple turn-back hem, take extra time to sew but create a finish that sets our tee shirts apart. 

FABRIC

We use the finest natural fabrics in all Senza Tempo items. We only choose high-quality fabrics that look and feel luxurious. The choice of fabric is one of the key factors that affect a garment's longevity. We primarily use silks and wools which are more durable (which is supported by academic research and well known by any vintage buyer). These natural fabrics are generally biodegradable when not combined with Lycra or Elastane. 

We source as many fabrics from local Los Angeles suppliers as possible. From suppliers that stock selections from their proprietary mills, or that purchase excess fabric known as deadstock. Deadstock is waste that would have been destroyed, but purchased by a third-party for resale. 

We purchase our signature fabrics directly from mills in Italy and Switzerland. Those fabrics are shipped in bulk from Europe directly to our atelier. Our European mills produce the best, most luxurious fabrics, and use only the finest inputs like virgin wool and the top 1% of cotton in the world. They supply all the top luxury houses. 

We simply look for the best fabrics. Our view is that by using only the best fabrics that garments will last, a view supported by academic research.

Our signature wool twill comes from a single mill in Italy, Tessilbiella. They are compliant with the EU's REACH standards regarding the environment and human health. 

We have sourced cotton jerseys from Eagle Fabrics, a family-owned mill located just outside of Los Angeles. Our silk is from a mill in Korea which uses non-azo and non-formaldehyde dyes. The factory also reuses and recycles its water using a dual filtration system.

We aim to provide as much information about our fabric supply chain and provide the information on our product listing when possible. Unfortunately, working with deadstock fabric means you cannot always trace the origins. When the fabric jobbers do have information on a fabric in our collection we always share it in our product listings. We believe the trade-off by using a local L.A. supplier and not creating additional fabric, outweighs the advantage of having a little bit more information about our fabric 

Please note: we provide the information that we are given from suppliers, but there are no domestic or international government or regulatory bodies overseeing what information textile manufacturers have to provide. This is why we believe that simply choosing the best fabrics, or choosing fabrics already in Los Angeles near our atelier is the best, most environmentally responsible route we can take as a brand. 

PACKAGING

Reducing unnecessary and disposable packaging is one of the biggest problems facing the fashion industry. We have recently switched our packaging inserts to a botanical seed paper that becomes wildflowers.

We are replacing plastic hangers with wood or bamboo hangers. We are hoping to eliminate the plastic garment bags that protect our clothing in transit but have yet to find a suitable option. We are always looking for cost-effective reusable options as we believe reuse is ideal.