The fashion world is getting greener and greener, and the L.A. Textile Fair is placing sustainability at its core. You simply need to walk by one of the booths to see something almost inconceivable. A woman dips a plastic bag into a bowl filled with hot water. She stirs it. A few seconds later, the bag has taken a liquid form. It has vanished.
In 2020, Devana Ng co-founded Invisible Company with her husband in Hong Kong to create a water-soluble packaging solution. Ever since then, they have been expanding their client base and now partner with over 800 brands across the world. They have successfully replaced over 5 million plastic bags across Europe, India, South America and the U.S.
With a garment bag that is water-soluble, biodegradable, compostable and non-toxic, Ng and her husband’s products provide an alternative to mainstream retailers. Instead of using PVC plastic, the company chose a synthetic polymer called PVOH that leaves no harmful residue for the environment or animals. It is also used to wrap laundry detergent pods.
Ng takes pride in involving customers directly. “When customers receive and unpack their package, they simply have to dissolve it with hot water,” said Ng. “It will become invisible and not form any microplastic. Then, you just pour it down the drain. They are also compatible with home composters and are landfill biodegradable in case customers don’t want to go through the process.”
“People’s reactions are amazing,” said Ng. “They are amazed by the bag being dissolvable and compostable. Especially at the fair, there are people implementing sustainability in their business. That’s a very useful solution for them.”
Other designers have taken a different approach to creating sustainable products.
Buttonology Inc uses hemp, a type of textile that uses fibers from the stalks of the cannabis plant, to make fashion items, including buttons.
“Our main button factory, which is based in Italy, makes more and more different kinds of eco-friendly button materials. So now, you can buy buttons that are made out of hemp, recycled paper or recycled plastic,” said Jonah Levy of Buttonology Inc, a family-run business.
“We bleed buttons; we source our buttons from all over the world, mainly Europe and Asia,” he said. Levy is a third-generation “button guy” as he calls himself. “As time goes on, more and more of the new designers that we meet have an emphasis on being environmentally sustainable.”
RC International Fabrics now uses hemp cotton in their new eco-friendly line. CEO Ray Gabbay said that he used to import all his fabrics and yarns from China. He is now launching a new line of fabric that is made in the USA called Revolution Textile.
“During Covid, we became more conscious about sustainability,” said Gabbay. “We had the 100% tencel and the 100% linen fabrics, but we added a new line with hemp cotton and we launched Revolution Textile. The hemp uses less water than cotton fabrics as it comes from the plant itself. Even 100% cotton uses 30% more water than hemp. Saving water is one of the most sustainable things we can do.”
But sustainability may not be the top priority for all designers. Brya Nicole, who launched her own brand of everyday wear, said that both the look and the cost of the fabrics supersede the eco-friendly aspect.
“Sustainability is on my mind, but sustainable is not necessarily the cheapest route,” said Nicole. “It’s something that I’m interested in and I know we need to be on the lookout for, but it’s not something I’m currently doing. When I’m looking at fabrics, I’m looking for something that stands out, not something sustainable. I’m looking for that one thing, that one fabric that really catches my eye.”