Manufacturing in Los Angeles
On this episode of Unspun, Kristen Gonzalez founder of contemporary fashion label SELVA \ NEGRA sits down with Danielle, Catherine, and Lauren to talk about the struggles and triumphs of being a small, sustainable brand manufacturing in L.A. and why incorporating her culture into the company was so important to her.
A Variety of Experiences
Kristen went through a range of experiences in the fashion industry before it culminated in the creation of the ethically-made fashion brand in her Brooklyn apartment. After graduating from FIT, Kristen leveraged her sewing and marketing skills working in everything from retail to bridal embroidery to production. It was there she realized the amount of waste that was being produced by the larger companies she worked at.
“I KNEW I WANTED TO BRING MY OWN CULTURE INTO IT BECAUSE FOR SO LONG, GROWING UP IN A WHITE SPACE, I ALWAYS FELT KIND OF ASHAMED OF IT AND NOT REALLY WANTING TO REPRESENT MYSELF IN THAT ARENA.”
After years of occupying white spaces, Kristen wanted to bring her heritage and culture to the forefront of her pieces. One of the ways SELVA \ NEGRA embodies Kristen’s culture and immigrant culture in general is through its resourcefulness. Kristen used her variety of experiences in the fashion industry, her sewing skills, and her resources to create the first pieces in her apartment.
Sustainability as Secondary to Consumers?
Part of being sustainable is making informed decisions, yet Kristen recognized sustainability was not at the forefront of consumer minds.
“IT’S A BUZZ WORD. PEOPLE WANT IT. BUT THEN THEY ACTUALLY DON’T CHOOSE WHAT THEIR VALUES ARE MOST OF THE TIME.”
The world of sustainability is a delicate balancing act for brands. Sustainability adds value to your products, but you must first catch the eye of the consumer with your pieces. It is secondary to other aspects for many consumers. Despite this, SELVA \ NEGRA has not compromised on sustainability. All products are shipped with compostable packaging, the fabric is saved to be reused in future products, and new fabric is purchased from deadstock (unused fabric often from prior seasons) suppliers.
The Limitations of a Small, Sustainable Fashion Brand
One of the struggles with working at a larger brand is reconciling with their rate of change relative to the impact they have. While SELVA \ NEGRA can be a role model for other brands in this respect, Kristen admits even this system is not perfect. Her company is still a business producing goods that contribute to consumption. Despite this, we should not stop trying to set an example for others and we should not stop questioning how the fashion industry can make less of an impact on the environment.
As a self-funded company, initially Kristen felt her options were limited. She acknowledges using plastic or synthetics in the early stages of her company may not have been the best decision. She also felt the tension between being sustainable and scaling her business. As a player in the fashion industry, there is an obligation to offset some of the industry’s environmental harm, and as a small business you can have more control over your production and business operations. All of SELVA \ NEGRA’s garments are locally produced in Los Angeles, which admittedly is expensive for a small, self-funded company. However, the investment with aligned partners is worth it in terms of sustainability, the quality of the pieces, and the labor conditions of the factory workers.
A Responsibility to LA Garment Workers
“I DO THINK THAT IS REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO PAY EVERYONE A LIVING WAGE...ESPECIALLY UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS.”
Kristen was an early supporter of the Garment Worker Protection Act or Senate Bill 62 and has worked with the Garment Worker Center to help the bill get passed. The Garment Worker Protection Act offers 3 solutions: 1) expanding the range of who is liable for worker rights violations; 2) eliminating piece rate pay; and 3) giving the Labor Commissioner’s Bureau of Field Enforcement (BOFE) authority to investigate wage theft. Kristen believes the law will help level the playing field between fast fashion retailers like Fashion Nova which have contracted with dozens of factories underpaying their workers and smaller brands like SELVA \ NEGRA that pay their manufacturing partners more to ensure their employees earn a living wage.
Visibility in the Fashion Industry
“I WANTED TO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY IN FASHION...FEEL LIKE THEY WERE BEING REPRESENTED BECAUSE GROWING UP LOOKING AT MAGAZINES THERE WAS ONE TYPE OF BODY, ONE TYPE OF WOMAN, ONE TYPE OF EYE COLOR.”
One of the ways Kristen has addressed a lack of diversity and visibility in the fashion industry was by hiring models that represented underrepresented women in contemporary fashion. SELVA \ NEGRA has also launched Womanism, a series of stories and interviews of women of different backgrounds within the fashion industry sharing the diversity of their experiences.
Companies shouldn't shy away from expressing their views and SELVA \ NEGRA has seamlessly woven their values—their views on women's rights, worker’s rights, and sustainability—into their business model.