Tove & Libra believes in Fashion Made Better – contemporary style that doesn’t compromise on sustainability or quality. Leveraging on insider expertise and experience, their mission is making fewer but better clothes that fit well, feel good and don’t cost the earth (in more ways than one).
IMPACT
People
Tove & Libra use their own factories. As third-gen manufacturers, the founders believe that ethically-run operations are not a trend but a given. The founders also independently ran their own manufacturing operations for 10 years. Tove & Libra’s production teams are all in-house and tasked with prioritising quality over price.
Product
50% of their collection uses deadstock materials left over at existing and partner factories and suppliers. For the rest of the collection, Tove & Libra explores various natural materials like wool and cotton, as well as sustainable synthetics like Tencel. As sustainability is a complex issue for materials, the team wants to give consumers choices depending on their priorities. They also believe material choices are just as important as design choices – where a well-fitting polyester pant that can save you from buying 10 other pants, is a better choice than an organic-cotton H&M tee designed to last two washes.
Production-wise, with technical expertise and small-business flexibility, Tove & Libra does their best to also accommodate order quantities to material availability (say if a roll of ribbon can make 30 drawstrings, they won’t knowingly order 35 pants), and make use of offcuts to create tote bags to sell for charity.
Packaging
Tove & Libra avoids all single-use plastic in all labelling and packaging. In particular, they wanted to avoid the single-use garment poly bags that are commonly used and disposed of by the fashion industry. Tove & Libra designed a ziplock-style garment pouch made from 100% recycled plastic, which can be easily reused for travel or seasonal storage.
Planet
They consider the garment’s life cycle during the design process, to ensure smart and ethical production. By using thoughtful materials, and designing multi-functional and seasonless styles, their customers can cherish their purchases for years to come. The brand has also redesigned their own overstock into “new” collections to extend their products’ lifecycle.
Principles
The brand believes the fashion industry needs to do better. Tove & Libra’s goal is to reduce waste, from the production process through to consumers’ closets. Tove & Libra’s founders are charting a path to make sustainable style the new fashion essential.