For the past few years, clothing, accessories, and beauty brands have taken a green turn, thereby respecting the planet and its inhabitants. Today, the eco-responsibility of companies is often embedded in multiple aspects, starting from the creation of the brand. At MAD, it is a value that we try to demonstrate through the brands we endorse and the measures taken to make the festival more eco-friendly.
For this occasion, we present to you 5 brands that will be present in the Pop-Up MAD Shoppe area of the festival this year and that stand out in terms of ecology!
BEGO
Created by Audrey Lacombe-Pruneau and her partner in 2019, Bego is a vegan, sustainable, responsible, and ethical footwear and accessories brand. But how? It’s simple! To design its products, Bego uses pineapple leather or grape leather without any harmful synthetic substitutes for the environment. Moreover, the soles are made only from recycled rubber.
Having observed that the long leaves around the fruits were discarded and burned, causing a significant amount of CO2 emissions, the designer decided to use them to create pineapple leather. The leaves are stripped to extract the fibers and create a durable and recycled material. This method has been approved by the Society for the Protection of Animals Canada (SPAC) and the organization PETA. This year, Bego has introduced a new material in its creations: grape leather. Made in Italy, the leather is produced from grape marc, which is the residue from wine production, such as peels, seeds, and clusters. Pretty cool, right?
In addition to finding a solution to avoid pollution and the use of animal leather, Bego also offers a “second life” store where samples and damaged products are resold online. It’s also the place where customers can sell their used products and buy at attractive prices. Stay tuned, as Bego has upcoming projects involving apples, corn, and cactus!
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- Récolte de feuilles d’ananas
BOYISH
Straight out of California, Boyish is a sustainable women’s jeans brand. Designed in Los Angeles, each collection focuses on vintage silhouettes with a modern and “boyish” touch. By employing ethical and sustainable practices in the development and manufacturing of its products, the brand is committed to minimizing its impact on the planet and its inhabitants through several actions.
**For your information, the production of jeans is known to be one of the most polluting in the textile and apparel industry. Jeans can use up to 1,800 gallons of water to make a single pair, which amounts to around 500 billion gallons of water just for jeans sold in the United States each year. Additionally, the chemicals used in denim treatment are highly polluting and end up in nearby waterways.**
To counter the harmful effects of jeans production, Boyish uses only one-third of the water typically used by regular denim and ensures that all the water used is recycled, preventing any water pollution in their process. The company collaborates with factories that are part of the ZDHC program, Roadmap to Zero, where they advance water safety in the textile and apparel industries. In terms of dyeing, Boyish reduces the hazardous impacts of synthetic dyes by opting for plant-based dyes instead. Plant-based dyes not only reduce toxins on your skin but also come in a wide range of colors. Additionally, the fabric is washed less frequently to conserve energy and water.
The choice of fabrics is also crucial when it comes to designing jeans. The company strives to minimize waste and eliminate synthetic materials from their collections. Instead, their jeans are made from organic cotton (OCS Certified), recycled cotton (requiring no water), recycled fabrics, deadstock fabrics (saving 10,000 pounds of CO2 emissions per year), and TENCEL™ LYOCELL (one of the most environmentally friendly fabrics at the moment).
Boyish makes every possible effort to contribute to the preservation of the planet. In addition to making their jeans’ design and production more eco-friendly, the company also takes measures to use recycled labels and packaging, reduce transportation, and provide the best working conditions for its employees. If you want to learn more (yes, there’s even more to know), it’s here !
BKIND
Founded in Montreal in 2014, BKIND is a company that offers completely natural, plant-based, vegan, eco-friendly beauty and skincare products made in Quebec. From ingredients to packaging, BKIND stands out for its ability to provide the best options for you, your skin, and the environment.
Since the beginning, the company has implemented actions that make our planet a healthier place while respecting humans and animals. Since 2021, BKIND has committed to donating 2% of its sales to an animal shelter or organization (currently: SOS Miss Dolittle).
With a background in microbiology, the founder selects the best ingredients to maintain the skin’s natural beauty. Some of the natural ingredients used include aloe, seaweed, lavender, açai, eucalyptus, coconut, and more. BKIND also offers more eco-friendly biodegradable products such as Konjac sponges, peel-off masks, bamboo accessories, plantable cards, and more!
In terms of packaging, the company has already implemented several measures to avoid pollution. Online orders are shipped in cardboard boxes filled with 100% biodegradable cornstarch-based pellets (to protect your products), which dissolve in water, leaving no toxic waste in the environment. Product packaging is reusable or 100% recyclable if you no longer need it. Moreover, since 2020, BKIND has introduced Ocean Bound Plastic (OBP) into its packaging. Some of the tubes and bottles are made from recycled plastic collected in high-risk areas located within 200 km of shores and waterways to help reduce plastic waste in our oceans.
Lastly, we also have the option to purchase BKIND products in bulk at their store on Boulevard Saint-Laurent and at a few other retailers across the country. This is an opportunity to visit their beautiful all-pink boutique and significantly reduce your waste!
EDGE EXPÉRIENCE
Edge Expérience is a brand that offers sporty and elegant women’s clothing for both urban and outdoor activities. From design and manufacturing to sales and delivery, every step of the production process using recycled fibers is carefully anchored in the company’s social and eco-responsible values.
Their very first capsule collection is made from an innovative and eco-friendly nylon fiber called Econyl. Lost fishing nets at the bottom of the sea, retrieved by volunteer divers, are collected, washed, and then transported to the Aquafil factory in Slovenia. It is there that the fiber is regenerated and woven, before being sent to Edge’s offices in Quebec and to the clothing manufacturing factory. To make their creations softer and more comfortable, Edge also uses TencelTM (Lyocell), an environmentally friendly material produced from wood pulp and a non-toxic solvent.
**For your information, Tencel fiber is made by extracting cellulose (a naturally occurring sugar in wood) from eucalyptus, hardwoods, or bamboo, and then dissolving it in a non-toxic solvent. This solvent is recovered at a rate of 97.7%, making Lyocell a fiber with a low environmental impact as it is produced in a nearly closed-loop system, where materials are constantly recycled, purified, and reused.**
A little surprise when you purchase Edge items: you will also be able to plant flowers! Yes, you read that right. The clothing labels attached to the garments contain seeds that you can plant, growing beautiful wildflowers. The packaging is also very eco-friendly. Made from corn starch, it is biodegradable within 90 days of composting.
DAILYSTORY
Born out of a love for simple, comfortable, and confident fashion, Dailystory creates clothing designed to be proudly worn by all women. Great attention is given to the quality and durability of the garments, which is why all manufacturing is done 100% in Montreal. Since spring 2019, Dailystory has introduced fair fibers such as Bamboo and Tencel into their beautiful collections.
Recently, Dailystory received the Oeko-Tex certification for most of its clothing. This certification ensures that the textiles used are free from toxic substances for both the body and the environment. This aspect is verified not only once the finished product is completed but also at each stage of the fabric creation process, from raw materials to spinning, dyeing, and sewing.
In 2022, Dailystory added a section on its website called “Sale of Perfect Imperfections.” To avoid garment waste and thus reduce pollution, the company organized a sale of items with minor defects. The profits from this sale were also donated to an organization that promotes body acceptance and body diversity: Arrimage Estrie.
In the same spirit, Dailystory aims to maximize the use of its fabrics to avoid creating unnecessary waste. Fabric waste can occur during the cutting stage with the patterns. However, the brand strives to optimize this production step or create other garments using the remaining fabric pieces, such as bralettes or crop tops.
