Fall in love with Laine
Allow me to introduce the wonderful human that is Laine Sanchez, Take a look at BY LAINE, and the moving words below.
BY LAINE is a London-based brand focussed on creating vegan and plastic-free home decor/slow fashion items, with minimal impact on the environment.
My name is Laine, and I started this business in May 2020. My goal is to create a cohesive brand with a large variety of sustainable items for every room in your vegan home!
I use hand embroidery, crochet and punch needle to make a variety of modern and unique pieces that will last a lifetime, without damaging our planet. My main inspirations are plants and celestial patterns- I will be adding lots of new items to my online shop in the coming months, and I’d love for you to see what I have been working on!
I decided to start this business not only to share my love of fibre art with the world, but also to fill a gap in the market- a business focussing on sustainable handmade pieces, with very transparent information on what the pieces are made of, and why.
“Eco” has become a buzzword overused by many corporations to make money from their regular consumers. The use of greenwashing in the fashion and textile industry is at an all time high- companies are claiming their products are sustainable and vegan with no information about where they have actually come from.
Additionally, a lot of these “eco” items from big brands are surprisingly low in price- should we question this?
If the products really are created from sustainable materials, are the workers in safe conditions and receiving a fair wage? If an organic/vegan item feels extremely cheap, there’s a very high chance that somewhere along the production line, people are missing out on the compensation they deserve.
As well as choosing sustainable fabrics, being conscious of the fabric wasted is extremely important to consider- even organic fabrics can be very water intensive to create, and so it is important to waste as little as possible. I purchase my organic fabric cut in one continuous length, and save every scrap for use in other projects so that none goes to landfill! The fast fashion industry is very problematic- 350,000 tonnes of textiles are disposed of in the UK every year, and I do not want to create a business that contributes to this.
I really wanted to create products using colourful fabrics, but I did not want to purchase fabric dyes that contained animal products or toxic chemicals. I was also very concerned about how I would safely dispose of the dye water afterwards. So, I started to explore ways that I could create these colours naturally myself.
I use food waste to create fabric dyes for all of my organic fabric- this is a very time consuming process but it is worth it every time. The pink shades come from avocado stones, and the lilac comes from blackberries! I obtain these items either from my own food waste at home, from neighbours, or from local supermarkets throwing out old food at the end of the day. The dye water is completely natural and even contains nutrients from the food scraps used- I use this liquid to water the plants in my home!
One third of the food created for humans is wasted globally every year- that is over 1 billion tonnes! The amount of greenhouse gas emissions created by making this food, and the amount created from this food decomposing in landfill, is almost unfathomable. Something to
bear in mind is that a lot of this food will be vegan produce- so even veganism has a long way to go in it’s sustainability! Creating beautiful dyes with food waste is a great way to reduce food waste in my local community.
Veganism is so important to consider when purchasing items for your home. In the media, veganism is too heavily focussed on the food we eat, and it can be easy to forget that the textile industry exploits animals on a daily basis. Animal fibres used in fashion and homeware are obtained using cruel methods- the workers who shear sheep are not paid an hourly rate and are instead paid by volume. This leads to heavy-handed and rushed shearing which harms the sheep, leaving them with untreated injuries.
The amount of animals farmed for textiles also has extremely damaging impacts on the environment. Deforestation takes place to make space for the livestock, and this not only destroys the wonderful landscape, but also significantly reduces biodiversity, which is harmful to our ecosystems. Shopping for vegan alternatives is a great way to preserve our planet and avoid causing unnecessary harm to animals. It is not just sheep who are exploited like this- rabbits and goats are exposed to the same methods because of the fashion industry.
Incorporating vegan products into your interior decor as well as your diet can significantly reduce your waste and your impact on the planet. Filling your home with non-toxic, cruelty free pieces is guaranteed to create a peaceful and positive living space!
Purchasing a greenwashed product from a large corporation will only exacerbate the destruction of our ecosystems, and the cruelty to animals that takes place to make that product a reality. Purchasing from small vegan businesses is a perfect alternative! Buying from artists who devote hours of their time and attention to creating contemporary and sustainable items that will look great on you or in your home, is a great way to support real people, and help them to achieve their dreams!
Sources:
https://www.wrap.org.uk/content/textiles-overview https://www.peta.org.uk/issues/animals-not-wear/wool/
https://ec.europa.eu/knowledge4policy/publication/global-food-losses-food-waste-extent-cau ses-prevention_en#:~:text=Further%2C%20it%20identifies%20causes%20of,1.3%20billion %20tons%20per%20year.