The Institute of Sustainable Fashion, IOM, was founded in October 2020 with the aim of producing, educating and spreading the idea of sustainable fashion. At the core of the activity is transparency, honesty, and the belief that sustainability is a path that we create together. The founder believes that if fashion strives towards sustainability, it will have to abandon the model of mass production of fast fashion. Fashion will have to slow down, and find a way to balance growth and sustainability because the essence of the problem is clear – we need to produce and consume less.
Why is this practice interesting? The founder naturally dyes the materials with avocado seeds, nettle powder, organic green tea, seasonal fruits, and herbs from Podravina (part of North Croatia). When painting, use only salt and vinegar. The process is very simple, you need herbs, material, water and salt, and a lot of patience. The founder uses GOTS-certified cotton, produced in Germany in an IVN-Best certified facility that has organic cotton factories in Uganda and Kyrgyzstan. Factories are certified in the entire production chain, from raw materials, dyeing, and weaving to stores. This guarantees a sustainable, ecological, and ethical approach to production at every step. Cotton is combined with organic linen and hemp in certain garments.
The process of creating a new item is unique. The founder of the Institute naturally dyes the materials with avocado seeds, nettle powder, organic green tea, seasonal fruits, and herbs from Podravina. When painting, use only salt and vinegar. The process is very simple, you need herbs, materials, water, and salt, and a lot of patience. The founder uses GOTS-certified cotton, produced in Germany in an IVN-Best-certified facility that has organic cotton factories in Uganda and Kyrgyzstan. Factories are certified in the entire production chain, from raw materials, dyeing, and weaving to stores. This guarantees a sustainable, ecological, and ethical approach to production at every step. Cotton is combined with organic linen and hemp in certain garments. Also interesting is that there are no collections in IOM and no seasonal access. Everything is done in small batches. The working model is fluid and the founder tries to listen to the needs of local women, to find a good balance of production, quality content, and spreading the idea of sustainability. Items created in the Institute are timeless, the founder practice circularity and a zero-waste philosophy regarding textile waste, and tries to be better with each series. In conclusion, Fashion as we know is not sustainable and changes are necessary as well as way of thinking about fashion.