My woven textile studio Isidore Bryant is not 'sustainable'.
That is because the term to me is far far too ambiguous. I think if you asked 100 different people what sustainability means you would get 100 different answers.
That's a problem.
Over a year ago, I started thinking about the principles that I wanted my own textile studio to represent. Isidore Bryant was just a tiny little spark at the time, and I felt overwhelmed with the scale of what 'being sustainable' actually meant.
Reading articles about both 'greenwashing' and incredible ecological technological advances, I felt that there could be a happy medium, where I could limit harm ecologically and ethically and not get crushed by the burden of the enormity of the issue.
That is why I choose to be describe my designs as 100% traceable.
In practice that means not being perfect but constantly improving, and most importantly being honest about it.
By working with companies such as iinouiio: Recycled Textiles who utilise post-consumer waste to create incredible yarns, helping to replace yarns that use virgin fibres.
By using smaller yarn producers, that may not have certain certifications because they are so expensive, but produce in low impact, socially responsible ways that I am happy to champion through my designs.
By working in small made-to-order quantities, reducing waste produced.
The sustainability debate can feel overwhelming in it's scale and scope. By acknowledging a lack of perfection, Isidore Bryant is a transparent studio adapting, changing and striving to be kind to both people and the planet.