Our Sustainability Journey.
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We believe sustainability is a journey and we would like to share with you our effort towards being more friendly to the earth around us.
Materials
At the core of the design process are the materials we use to bring these designs to life. Working with a smaller library of sustainable fabrics, the Kinquo team carefully selects comfortable, eco-friendly fabrics for each piece based on three factors:
- Wearer’s comfort
- Suitability of the fabric for the design
- Best value to bring better prices
What is Lyocell?
Lyocell is a natural cellulose fibre made from wood pulp (from trees like Eucalyptus). The process of making Lyocell is a “man-made” process because it is chemically broken down and then reformed into more easily woven fibers.
We choose Tencel branded Lyocell fabrics because they are manufactured using an environmentally responsible closed loop production process. The fibres are certified as compostable and biodegradable, thus revert fully back to nature. Find out more about Tencel’s production process and certifications here.
Why Lyocell?
Comfortable:
Tencel/Lyocell fabrics are smooth, breathable and comfortable on the skin. While more expensive, it also lasts a long time.
Moisture Management:
Tencel/Lyocell fibers are structured to regulate the absorption and release of moisture, contributing to fabric breathability and supporting the body’s natural thermal regulation.
Minimal static charge:
Compared to synthetic fabrics like polyester, the ability to absorb moisture makes Tencel Lyocell fibers tension-free with no electrostatic charge under normal atmospheric conditions.
Tencel/Lyocell fabrics are more expensive than Cotton, but the properties of the fabric as well as it being more friendly to the environment made the decision to use this material worthwhile. We hope to share that with our Kinquo family.
We are also looking for other environmentally friendly fabric alternatives, please reach out to us if you have any suggestions or if you have a fabric you love that you would like us to explore for the next collection!
Product Lifecycle
Our designs are aimed to transcend seasons and our products are made with high quality sewing methods and finishing so that with the proper care, our community can use them for a longer time. We encourage you to take care of your Kinquo and purchase only what you see yourself wearing in the long run. Some recommendations on how to pamper your Kinquo:
- As much as possible, handwash in cool water and mild detergent. Be sure not to wring or twist the item.
- You can also cold/gentle machine wash your Kinquo in a garment bag
- Line dry in the shade
- Steam iron your Kinquo or iron with pressing cloth between fabric and iron at medium heat.
Our Factory Partners
Our day-to-night capsule collections are conscientiously produced by a small factory in Thailand. Over the last 9 months, we have developed a close relationship with the amazing people who made your clothes.
Employees arrive at 8am and leave at 5pm sharp, and also get 21 days of leave a year. Other than the staff working on-site, the factory also gives work to home seamstresses in Thailand who are unable to commute to work daily due to personal struggles, and works with rehabilitating women in prisons to help them earn an income while serving their sentences.
Packaging
We send your Kinquo garments to you in 100% recycled, recyclable mailers. These are made from a combination of post-consumer and post-industrial recycled LDPE that is fully recyclable themselves. We made this choice because we found that most of our customers will have access to recycling facilities compared to composting facilities – simply segregate the mailers with your recyclable items (be careful not to contaminate) and place them in a recycling bin near you.
Our hangtags are printed with exclusive illustrations for each collection so that you can extend their life and reuse them as bookmarks!
As a brand, Kinquo is committed to continuously improve our process to be as sustainable as we can. We are also open to suggestions on how we can be more eco-friendly, please drop us an email if you have any thoughts or would like to have a conversation with us at hello@kinquo.com.