Sustainability
At Divota, sustainability is the core of our brand. Our main goal is to express creativity and inspire it in people who interact with our brand. We see creativity as a way to heal the mind, body, and environment, so we ensure that our creative expression and production practices align with this mission. This means respecting natural resources and Nature itself in the process.
We’re not big fans of the term "sustainability." It’s vague and often used in greenwashing campaigns. There is a certain degree of complexity of terms like sustainable, eco, ethical, and slow fashion can confuse people who are not experts in the field. We believe this is also a strategy of confusing customers. So lets keep it simple: if a brand engages in overproduction, uses uncertified fabrics, and lacks transparency about its production process, it does not respect natural resources and is therefore not truly sustainable.
At Divota, we prefer the terms fairness and transparency, to which we are committed. This means fair practices for everyone in our production chain and towards the environment, as well as openness with our customers. We regularly share behind-the-scenes content on our Instagram, so you can see what goes into the development of our brand.
Divota is a small, artistic brand. All designs are original, from textile designs to garment patterns. Our main strategy to combat waste is small-scale production. We also create long-lasting, timeless garments and share our knowledge on upcycling and refashioning clothes to help you make the garments you own last longer while developing your unique style.
We invite you to explore the different facets of our production and internal organization, and to check back regularly for updates on our sustainable practices.
Production
Divota focuses on producing small, made-to-order collections to avoid overproduction and offer pieces made just for you. All designs, including textile patterns, are created by Dina Mohrs. Our production process varies by collection:
Reflections: The designs are original and created in-house. T-shirts are sourced from a white-label company with fair wage and organic certifications. The "Essence" shirt is the true champion as it is made from organic cotton cutouts and respun material, while the "Echo" t-shirt is made from organic certified fabrics. Printing is done by a microfactory in Croatia, with water based colors.
Refashion: This collection uses vintage and second-hand pieces, as well as deadstock fabrics. Repatterning, hand-painting, and refashioning are done in-house at Divota’s atelier. Each piece is one of a kind and an art canvas you can wear.
Div’s Spark: Our scarf collection features textiles that are either hand-painted in our atelier or printed by our partners on Oeko-Tex certified fabric. They are produced again by our partners at Caspar.
Stardust: Still in the making, this collection features original garment designs. Partnering with Caspar, a nearby factory, we ensure made-to-order production with organic certified fabrics and water-based printing, all while paying fair wages.
Sustainable Materials
We employ various strategies to source sustainable materials:
Vintage and Second-Hand Garments: Refashioning preloved garments to save them from landfills.
Deadstock Fabrics: Utilizing leftover fabrics from large brands to combat waste.
EU Certified Organic Fabrics: Using fabrics free from pesticides and choosing types that are long-lasting and resource-efficient.
In the description of each collection we again specify which fabrics are used for it.
Ethical Production
All production is either done in-house or with our partners, ensuring fair labor practices and ethical standards.
Read more here about our partners:
https://stanleystella.com/en-gb/
Environmental Impact
We minimize our carbon footprint through local sourcing and limiting shipping to our region. We hope to provide an official third-party report of our carbon footprint as we grow.
Packaging
Our packaging is made from paper and cardboard, produced from recycled fallen leaves. It is completely plastic-free, with eco-friendly stickers. We even write your addresses and names on the package by hand until we find a non-toxic shipping label option.
Circular Fashion
Divota's collections are designed with durability and versatility in mind, promoting a closed-loop fashion system. We encourage our customers to participate by sharing DIY projects and refashioning tips. Our goal is to support you in finding your unique style, unlike fast fashion brands that push you to follow numerous trends each year. You are unique as you are. The more you seek to express your creativity and develop your personal style, the more nourishing and authentic your fashion choices will become.
Sharing Educative Content
We are committed to raising awareness about sustainable fashion. By sharing tips and information on sustainable living, we encourage our community to make eco-friendly choices.
Future Goals
Our journey towards fairness and transparency is ongoing. We continually research new materials and processes to further reduce our environmental impact. Stay tuned for exciting updates as we strive to make fashion a force for good. We aim to switch production entirely to our atelier and our partners at Caspar, develop sustainability reporting for our production process and carbon footprint, and support other artist-based brands in adopting greener practices. This is just the beginning of Divota’s journey—a journey filled with passion, research, and dedication. Many more improvements are yet to come!
