At Otrium, we are committed to a fashion industry where all clothing is worn. Our core mission is to connect excess inventory with its perfect owners, ensuring a win-win situation for brands and consumers alike, while preventing this unsold stock from finding its way into landfill. Alongside this mission, we aim to empower our customers to shop responsibly through our collaboration with Good on You, a leading impartial organisation that rates brands against three key criteria - labour rights, environmental impact and animal welfare. In line with this partnership, we are showcasing brands for whom conscious fashion is at the very heart of what they do.
This month, we meet Amahlia Stevens, founder and CCO of Vitamin A.
Sustainability: what does it mean to you?
Our outlook is “sustainability is sexy.” We believe style and sustainability are inseparable and we commit to conscious fashion in all that we do. We adhere to our conscious goals through our fabric innovations, our packaging, our supply chains and manufacturing processes, and the quality of products that we create in the first place.
Even our HQ reflects our commitment to sustainability, with every lightbulb having been replaced with an LED alternative, the use of solar cooling fans in our warehouse and ensuring that all of our water fixtures are low-flow. We also support our team working from home whenever possible — reducing pollution and trading community time for self-care.
Tell us more about the Vitamin A journey and its founding philosophies.
I grew up on the beaches of Southern California, so a love of nature (and bikinis) has always been in my DNA. Before launching Vitamin A, I was a creative consultant developing California brand and product stories for friends in the surf, skate, and snowboard industries for companies such as Stüssy, DC Shoes, Levi Strauss and Co., and Patagonia. I was deeply inspired by Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard’s mission to create microfleece fibers from melted down plastic bottles, and I figured I could do something similar for swimwear. Researching and developing the first premium swim fabric made from recycled nylon, EcoLux, set Vitamin A apart as a brand committed to sustainability.
Now I lead a team who also believes that style and sustainability are inseparable. Our bikinis and one-pieces are produced locally in California, and stay true to the original design and brand ethos, inspired by 70’s California beach style, that does better for our planet. Every piece in our collection is made from plant-based and recycled materials and we also give back to organizations that work to protect our oceans through our membership to 1% for the Planet.
You are working with a lot of innovative, plant-based, and recycled materials. Which material are you working with the most, and which are you proudest of using? Can you tell us a bit more about them?
We consider ourselves to be fabric fanatics and in 2010, we launched EcoLux, a super-fine matte jersey swim fabric made from recycled nylon fibers, to conserve natural resources, and LYCRA XTRA LIFE fiber, a material that gives a long-lasting fit and extends the life of your swimsuit beyond that of traditional spandex. Although we sell globally, this material is produced in California, allowing us to stay true to our roots. As a reference, this material uses 77% less water than virgin nylon and conserves energy in the production process. We also work with fabrics such as BioSculpt - a breathable swim fabric made from plant-based fibres - and EcoTex - which similarly to EcoLux, is made from recycled nylon, with added Lycra.
Working with sustainable materials is luckily becoming more mainstream in the swimwear industry, and we have continued to innovate in the years since developing EcoLux. Our newer collections feature bikinis made from materials such as castor beans and discarded plastic bottles.
Our conscious mentality also extends to our packaging and all of our orders are shipped plastic-free in biodegradable and recyclable mailers. These are made from 90% post-consumer kraft paper and printed with biodegradable algae-based ink. Instead of shipping our bikinis in plastic bags, we use a fully biodegradable and backyard compostable paper material called Glassine, which is made from tree pulp and produced without chemical coatings. This is the same material that confectioners and European bakers use to wrap their food products.
You are donating a portion of sales to environmental organizations working with ocean protection. Do you have any organizations that stay extra close to your hearts?
As proud members of 1% for the Planet, we directly support organizations working on the ground to protect the environment. Some of our preferred causes are Oceana, One Tree Planted, Surfrider Foundation, and Women’s Earth Alliance.
Can you tell us more about 1% for the Planet?
1% for the Planet is an organization co-founded by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia. It acknowledges that if brands take from the planet, they must also actively give back. They donate to causes such as Oceana, One Tree Planted, Women’s Earth Alliance, Surfrider Foundation, and Greenpeace, amongst others.
Collectives such as Oceana and Surfrider, for example, work to protect and restore the world’s oceans and take care of their abundance and biodiversity. They do so by lobbying to create legislation that stops plastic waste at its source. One Tree Planted, meanwhile, focuses on planting trees and supporting biodiversity, while Women’s Earth Alliance provides leadership, strategy, and technical training for female leaders.
The organizations that 1% for the Planet support mix people, planet and animal initiatives, and Vitamin A are proud to engage with them.
You are producing most materials and products locally in California. What are the benefits of this?
Our motto is ‘Think Globally, Act Locally’. The vast majority of our collection is manufactured locally in Southern California in an effort to reduce the emissions caused by shipping and transporting raw materials. In addition, California is subject to the strictest environmental laws in the United States, so by manufacturing here, we are bound by those. When this isn’t an option, we partner with fair trade artisan groups that promote women’s empowerment. When working with these groups, we endeavor to ensure the production of materials is ethical, the women are provided with fair wages, and that their working conditions are safe. We make sure to visit these factories and remain in constant contact with these partners to ensure that they are meeting the same high standards as the local factories.
Tell us more about how you commit to sustainability within your supply chain.
Within our manufacturing supply chain, we utilize waterless digital printing instead of traditional wet printing, which saves water, removes the use of and dramatically reduces fabric waste. Whenever possible, we work with vertically integrated facilities where everything from dyeing to knitting is done in one location, to reduce our carbon footprint. And since we mostly produce in California, which has the strictest environmental laws in the US, we and our manufacturing partners are held to the highest possible standards.
How can your customers work with you to support the brand’s conscious goals?
We develop our pieces to be built to last, meaning less waste overall. Beyond that, we encourage our customers to spot clean their items with an all-natural biodegradable soap and rinse in cold water. The unfortunate truth is that all synthetic fabrics, even recycled ones, shed microscopic particles when they’re agitated, so we advise that our garments are washed gently by hand in cold water. This is to minimize the potential of micro particles finding their way into our oceans and rivers.
What do customers value most about the brand and products?
Our customers come to Vitamin A because we combine sustainable innovation with high-quality fabrics and fit. We also design for women, by women, meaning that we have an inherent understanding of the types of designs that will both flatter and deliver excellent performance and longevity.
What brand values do you want to be known for?
We want to be known as the brand that brought sustainability to the swim industry while creating a community of female allyship and inclusivity.
What is one thing you hope other fashion brands will learn from your journey?
So many new swim brands are using recycled fabrics and so many top-level fabric mills are now offering sustainable alternatives to traditional nylon swim fabrics. This was simply not the case when I started, but now many established brands are switching over. It's clear that the future of fashion is sustainability and I hope I am doing my part to influence my tiny segment of the industry.