About sourcing ethically and ecologically.

About sourcing ethically and ecologically.

Some of our astute followers and customers may have noticed that we place a large emphasis on the sourcing of our fabrics here at Baldakijn. We consciously choose to work with a majority of deadstock, vintage, and antique textiles, not simply because we love and appreciate the craftsmanship and beauty of specialized fabrics, but also because we want to reduce the ethical and ecological footprint that the production of textile leaves behind. 

According to the official website of the European Union, the textile sector was the third largest source of water pollution and land usage in 2020. Additionally 87% of discarded garments end up in landfills or incinerators. The negative impact of the textile-, and in extension the fashion-, industry has been a widely discussed topic as of the last ten years and has profoundly impacted the way Baldakijn looks at the usage of textiles and textile goods. 

We believe that the critical sourcing of our materials is one of our most important tasks as a small-scale and slow-consumption textile-goods business. For the sake of transparency I want to highlight the three types of fabrics we use for our products in this blog.


Deadstock fabrics:

Deadstock fabrics are leftover materials from textile mills or fashion houses that were unused or unsold, often due to overproduction or due to small flaws in the quality. Oftentimes deadstock fabrics are high-quality materials that would otherwise end up in a landfill or incinerator. Not only can you save fabric from being wasted, but it’s a very good way to buy brand new designer fabrics at a discounted price. The downside to deadstock is that there’s often a very limited supply. Sometimes you can source as much as multiple rolls of a specific fabric and sometimes as little as a single panel. This makes it difficult to use in large-scale productions. 

We source our deadstock from suppliers that specialize in these kinds of fabrics and sometimes from fashion houses directly. 

Second-hand fabrics:

Similarly to deadstock fabrics, secondhand fabrics are leftover materials that were unused and unsold. Oftentimes these materials are vintage or antique, the oldest fabric we’ve sourced so far was a beautiful flower jacquard that was produced at the end of the 19th century. Sometimes we get very creative in sourcing second-hand materials, recently we’ve been researching a way to reuse old silk ties into tape and ribbon for some of our future projects.

The downside to older fabrics is that there’s often a very limited supply and it can be difficult to find concrete information on your fabrics which makes quality control difficult. Additionally, older fabrics inevitably show signs of aging, although it’s usually these flaws that make them stand out and give them character. Especially the true antique fabrics that were produced without modern industrial equipment. 

We source our second hand fabric from all over, from auctions to flea markets. Occasionally we also buy unused scraps of fabric from local businesses to use for our products.

Newly manufactured fabrics:

As the title suggests, these fabrics were newly produced by a textile mill or designer and are widely available on the open market. For the reasons I outlined in the preface we research the manufacturer extensively before purchasing newer fabrics. Baldakijn values the ethical treatment of textile workers and the usage of environmentally friendly materials which is why we source from manufacturers that adhere to these principles. 

Additionally we want to avoid fabrics that were created using environmentally unfriendly production methods, which is why we tend to work with natural fibers and hand woven cottons.

We source our new fabrics from specialized fabric stores or local designers.


Sources: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/nl/article/20201208STO93327/de-gevolgen-van-textielproductie-en-afval-voor-het-milieu-infografieken
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