The manufacturing process is entirely done using traditional handwork techniques by their own atelier. The production atelier is located in Barcelona. By producing the clothing themselves the brand ensures that production takes place in safe and ethical working conditions.
The European Union has strict labour laws and regulations. Because of this we can assume that the Sylvia Calvo collection is produced in ethical working conditions.
Sylvia Calvo only uses sustainable materials in their collection. In cooperation with the Dutch coffee brand ‘This side up coffee’, they use cotton coffee bags as a basis for their designs. This way the brand works in line with the principles of circular ecodesign. In the design phase of the bags, the coffee brand already takes into account the second life purpose. That’s why the bags are printed with ecological dyes so that they form unique features when later used in fashion.
Apart from this partnership Sylvia Calvo also uses other coffee bags made from jute. This is a sustainable material because it needs less irrigation water or chemicals than cotton or flax. Jute is not often used in clothing because of the roughness of the fabric.
Sylvia Calvo combines the jute with organic cotton in partnership with Organic Cotton Colours. The cotton is certified by GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and Organic Cotton Colours provides complete traceability from farm to fabric. Organic cotton is grown without the use of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides and also uses less irrigation water than conventional cotton, there are no chemicals used in the proces.
The Sylvia Calvo collection is very circular. The clothing is made from upcycled materials such as the jute coffee bags, combined with organic cotton trims. The designs are also biodegradable because they are made from organic materials.
All scraps and fabric waste from the production process is used to make new yarns. The yarns are used to make new fabric or to make traditional tapestry pieces. In some designs Sylvia Calvo also uses upcycled tapestry pieces. This brings a unique aspect to the design. The tapestries are handmade using traditional techniques. The brand really knows how to turn waste materials into new and fashionable products!
The supply chain of Sylvia Calvo BCN is quite long. The coffee bags are designed in Barcelona, made and printed in Indonesia and then shipped, filled with coffee, to the Netherlands. Then they are brought to Barcelona to be cleaned and transformed into fashion designs. The cotton originates from Brazil.
However, most of this supply chain movements are under the responsibility of the coffee brand. This side up coffee makes sure that the carbon footprint of shipping the coffee bags is compensated.
Thus, you can actually consider the supply chain of Sylvia Calvo a short one, as it’s only responsible for the shipment between The Netherlands and Spain.
The two main materials used in the Sylvia Calvo collection are recycled jute and organic cotton. These are both plant-based and animal friendly materials. Although the brand is not vegan certified it is in fact 100% vegan, as they only use plant-based materials.
Quality is very important to Sylvia Calvo. The quality of the coffee bags is strictly checked before they are used in the designs. Because the brand uses recycled materials, every piece of clothing by Sylvia Calvo is 100% unique.
The designs follow the same style, but are never the same. Sylvia Calvo pieces are often geometrically designed, with different materials and black lines throughout. The style is minimalistic and modern, while the materials are more traditional. The brand has both menswear and womenswear in their collections and even accessoires like laptop covers or bags.
Sylvia Calvo is very transparent about their processes, manufacturers and the origins of the materials. Because of that they score 90% on transparency.
Zaključak
Interested in circular fashion? Curious to see the Sylvia Calvo collection? Discover where you can buy it on the map below.
