Let’s Have A Conscious Party!
Why Funstigators is Ethically Made, Long Lasting Fashion
A Letter from our founders, Cookie & Jesse
As Funstigators, we take fun very seriously. We take time to celebrate every single day, because we’re alive, and we have the best job in the world!
We grew up in the green and lush land of Oregon, so thinking about how our times have an impact on the world around us is part of us. We grew up in camping, biking, so that history is woven into everything we do.
The Startup Dilemma: When we first started Revolver Fashion, we were thinking about the bright and shiny. Now, as we transition from Revolver Fashion to Funstigators, we get a second chance to look at the legacy we want to leave as a company and really get clear on our values and mission. Through the years, we’ve really grown our understanding of the fashion industry and also gotten an up close and personal look at its impact on the planet. As we step into this new name, it’s the perfect time for us to really look at how manufacture and deliver our products from beginning to end and how we can do better.
Producers and consumers need to work together to demand more sustainable products.
OUR challenge is to figure out how we can make fabulous, fun, sparkly products in the most ethical, conscious, sustainable way we can.
YOUR challenge is to become an informed customer, know what exactly the truth is about the products you buy, and to decide to support companies that support your own personal beliefs and values.
Let’s get real. Some pretty dirty facts about the fashion industry:
- Clothing production has doubled since the year 2000 and is responsible for
- Unfortunately for the planet, that has been in large part by “fast fashion” companies (think H&M, Forever 21, Zara, Nasty Gal, Fashion Nova, Charlotte Russe-- to name a few of the big ones). They make cheap, disposable clothing not built to last, often with no consideration for the environment or labor conditions. They produce new “seasons” every few weeks, and they encourage a cycle of wear and toss. Yes, the clothes are “cheap”, but what is their real cost the planet?
- Production, manufacture, and delivery of new clothes accounts for ~10% of humanity’s carbon emissions, one of the great drivers of climate change. That’s more than all the planet’s flights and shipping emissions combined.
- The fashion industry is the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply and laundry alone causes about a half a million tonnes of plastic microfibers to be released into the ocean every year.
- Every second, the equivalent of a garbage truck full of textiles is burned or landfilled, sending carbon into the atmosphere. That’s every second.
There’s some pretty sobering articles from the UN Environment Program, The LA Times, Business Insider, and EcoWatch if you want to learn more. Also, this is a REALLY well put together video touching on all of this if you've got time:
Cool facts, bro... What are you DOING about it?
- We are a part of For The Planet (onepercentfortheplanet.org): We pledge 1% of our total annual sales will be It’s a small amount, but every little bit counts. And we encourage other conscious businesses to join the movement.
- We are partnering with One Tree Planted (onetreeplanted.org), and we are pledging to plant 1 tree on our behalf for every pair of pants sold. Because trees are good, and because we can.
- We are a Made in the USA brand reducing our carbon footprint
- We use small, family-owned & operated manufacturing partners right here in Los Angeles!
- We pay fair wages, ensure great working conditions, and produce in small batches to ensure quality and consistency.
- We really know and care about everyone on our team, and you can feel confident that what you are wearing was made with love. And that makes a difference!
- We buy the highest quality materials available so that our products last as long as possible. For example, one of our most popular fabrics is made both in Korea and in China and at first, glance looks nearly identical, but we only use the Korean fabric which costs us 30% because it lasts significantly longer. We also do wear and wash testing on our fabrics and if a fabric just doesn’t hold up over time, we don’t produce with it, no matter how pretty it is. AND we save as much scrap fabric as we can and donate them to local after school programs or crafters.
- Switching our required product packaging to EcoEnclose (ecoenclose.com) 100% recycled and recyclable bags. We are required by some of our platforms to have our products in specific packaging, but we’re it as possible.
Funstigators fashions are not only fun, they are built to last. That’s why all of our clothes come with our Worry-Free-Stitch-Guarantee. If you ever need stitching repairs, send them back to us and we will repair them for you ***NO CHARGE*** for the lifetime of your product! If we can help fight fast fashion by giving you a little extra life in your products, then we will. No joke.
New product lines made with sustainable materials & recycled fibers:
Did you know that cotton is really not an environmentally friendly fiber? It takes up to 700 gallons of water to produce one cotton T-shirt, and 2,000 gallons of water to produce a pair of jeans. We only have so much fresh water on the planet. Cotton is not a long term solution. Regular (that means non-organic) cotton is also one of the most pesticide intensive crops on the planet, using almost 30% of the world's pesticide usage for that crop alone.
In 2020, we are introducing new product lines that feature:
- Lycra blends which use reclaimed fibers from plastic water bottles
- Sustainable natural fabrics such as bamboo and hemp
- Working with biodegradable fabrics that quickly & completely disappear in the landfill
Bamboo & Hemp are renewable, don't release micro-plastics into the environment, and use significantly less water than Cotton. Plus, they’re super soft and comfortable, they just love you up while you wear them (TMI? We don’t think so!).
What can we do as consumers?
Commerce makes the world go round. It’s not a bad thing- it leads to lots of connection. We wouldn’t have a relationship with you if we weren’t making clothes, and we think you’re terrific!
We can push ourselves to be the most conscious and sustainable brand we can be; however, we can’t do it alone. It relies on you to vote with your dollars by:
- Supporting ethically produced companies (like Funstigators!)
- Buying local- it keeps your dollars in your community, rather than sending them off benefit to some mega conglomerate that sells cheap clothes that fall apart.
- Avoid “fast fashion” brands that create essentially disposable clothing that was manufactured in the least conscious way possible.
- Spend More, Less Frequently: Instead of buying lots of cheaper clothing, spend a little more on higher quality clothing and just buy less frequently. If you pay attention to things like construction quality, fabric quality, and finishing details, you can tell when a garment is made to last or made to fall apart. You know that dress or pants you wore one time that ended up with a hole? Now compare that to the dress or pants you've worn for years that are still going strong. You can feel the difference in the fabrics. You can see the difference in the finishing (like... does it have a nice lining or does it look like a Halloween costume). While shopping this way is a more expensive at first, it actually saves you money in the long run and it also saves the planet.
Other ways to be a sustainable fashion consumer:
- Have us repair damages to your Funstigators clothing instead of throwing them out!
- Mend & repair clothing at a tailor or yourself to make it last longer. It’s not difficult to learn, and there’s a real sense of accomplishment that comes with caring for your own gear.
- Wash your clothes less often, and only do full loads. Most well made items will refresh by being hung up, if they’re not heavily worn. Also washing in COLD water saves energy and you can air dry clothes to reduce even further.
- Shop thrift and vintage clothing. The more wear one quality item gets, the less wasteful clothing is being made and discarded.
- Host clothing or costume swaps instead of buying new products! We love this! We host clothing swaps, and even more fun, we host costume swaps for festival clothing and costumes. We got some of our favorite pieces that way, and it’s a great excuse to get together with your fun friends and play!
Also we HIGHLY recommend if you are interested in this topic checking out the book Fashionopolis by Dana Thomas. (also available on Audible HERE)
THANK YOU for caring enough to get informed!
We really appreciate your dedication to our planet (and to being a Funstigator), so here’s a little special something this summer for you!
UPDATE:
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In June 2020 in Los Angeles, Funstigators is hosting an
EPIC costume and gear swap!
There will be DJ's, raffles, food trucks, costumes and camping gear.
You will walk away more fabulous than you came in, guaranteed!
Be sure to join our newsletter and follow us on Instagram to be sure to get the dates and details! Come celebrate your with us!
It’s gonna be a wild year, so let’s celebrate that we’re alive and together. See you soon!
With Love,
Cookie & Jesse Steele
Fun HQ
Want to know more? Reference links for you to
: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes by Dana Thomas
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/554229/fashionopolis-by-dana-thomas/
Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Fashionopolis-Audiobook/0593153294
https://www.vox.com/2019/9/12/20860620/fast-fashion-zara-hm-forever-21-boohoo-environment-cost
https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/fashions-tiny-hidden-secret
https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2019/12/03/fast-fashion-devastates-environment