While on my search to find the most eco-chic and modern brands to share with you all, I came across lur apparel, a newly debuted line providing women with beautiful clothing that “benefits more than just its wearer.”
Textile innovator Mark Heiman, along with co-founder Alan Brown, hope to create “disruptive, positive change within the apparel industry” by demonstrating that independent, sustainable start-ups can indeed survive in a mass market of “fast fashion” brands, all the while having minimal negative environmental impacts.
The entrepreneurs explain that lur apparel also is called ‘Fashion for Change’ because every facet of their production process, from sourcing raw materials to manufacturing fabrics, is centralized around three core values: People, Planet and Product.
People
Lur is on a dual mission to provide affordable and durable styles for socially and environmentally conscious women as well as empower impoverished Guatemalan women to work towards establishing their own businesses. The apparel brand gives a portion of all sales to non-profit organizations Friendship Bridge and Miracles in Action, which provide women with education and vocational skills.
Furthermore, lur pays fair wages to all of its employees and make certain all partners and suppliers meet criteria for healthy and safe working conditions. With every purchase from lur, you can effortlessly cross two items off of your holiday lists: giving a beautiful gift to a special woman in your life and helping someone in need.
Planet
Another value of lur apparel brand is limiting the amount of non-renewable resources and energy sources taken from the environment when manufacturing their clothing. All fabrics are colored with non-toxic dyes, and the company estimates every item produced by lur saves about 160 gallons of fresh water from entering the waste stream. You can read more about how lur is incorporating advanced technologies to preserve natural resources here.
Product
In addition to giving back to women in need and the environment, all of lur products are made from 100% recycled Reparel fabrics: 55% of the fiber content consists of pre-consumer cotton scraps and the other 45% from post-consumer plastic bottles. More simply stated, recycled + apparel = Reparel. Check out lur’s infographic (below – click on it for a larger version) to see how recycled materials are used to make incredibly soft and comfortable fabrics.
Treat yourself or an eco-chic fashionista on your holiday list to a gift from lur apparel by visiting their website or boutiques near you. You’ll be giving back to the environment and women aspiring to have a more prosperous future for themselves, their families and their communities. Check out lur on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for exclusive deals and the latest news in fashion.
Images courtesy of lur apparel