Our First Zero Waste Jacket!
Textile waste is one of the world's largest pollutants, and since there is currently no way to recycle garments/textiles on the same scale as the way we recycle paper or aluminum, this means that the majority of our clothes end up in not just our own waste streams but in others around the world. While we prioritize working with natural textiles that will biodegrade back into the earth safer and quicker than synthetic materials, we are always looking for inventive solutions to give our textile scraps a new life and to keep them out of waste streams.
Because waste is not waste until you waste it!
This past season we asked our partners in Guatemala to save all of the fabric scraps from our quilted jackets and pants to give new life to a special project! Our incredible production manager Rosa worked with a local seamstress named Sandra to create patchwork panels which were then quilted and re-sewn, resulting in our first Zero-Waste Patchwork Quilted Jacket! While we are calling this our "Zero-Waste" jacket, we want to be clear that this is still a work in progress. Not all of our scraps have found a home, but we will continue to incorporate zero-waste practices into our design and production processes. These are just the first steps on our journey to circular design!
Shop the Patchwork JacketIn 2018 we began an interview series on our Journal featuring a few of the inspirational women in our lives, to see how they navigate their world while wearing Kordal -- be it as a chef, a lover, or an artist. Each one of you inspires us with your drive, your talent, and your genuine sense of self; you are the ones we do all this for. You remind us why we want to design clothing in the first place: to create pieces that encourage comfort, ease, and the unique and honest beauty in each and every one of us.
That’s why we’re so happy to offer the Lived In Collection. This collection brings together the Kordal pieces that we love to wear and that we’ve found ourselves reaching for time and time again, sometimes even day after day. We’ll admit it: we’ve worn our Alva Pants four days in a row. Go ahead and judge us! Or instead, you could join us… because it seems like our favorite styles are many of yours too!
Shop the Lived in CollectionOur knitwear is created using both handloom flatbed machines and Shima Seiki whole-garment knitting machines. Both processes create a fully fashioned product, meaning each piece is knit to the exact shape and there is no left over material waste. By creating a high quality garment with impeccable craftsmanship, our hope is that you will keep your Kordal pieces for many years and when it reaches its end of life it can be recycled back into the earth. To increase the lifespan of our knitwear, we offer mending services for all of your Kordal knitwear purchases.
Lived in Knit CollectionMuse Series - En Tsao of Even Keel
Produced in small batches here in Brooklyn, NY, Even Keel infuses Eastern Roots with Western Herbs to handcraft a vegan bath & body line with a principal focus on our earth’s natural clays, oils and botanicals. We've stocked Even Keel's candles and soaps since we first opened our Fort Greene shop, and have loved seeing you all interact with their products!
For this series, we had a chat with founder En Tsao to learn a little more about how she got started, what influences her, and how she stays true to her values.
"Initially, Even Keel was inspired by my mom’s herbal concoctions when I was a child and my initial recipes I created had many eastern herbs in it, it was a lot easier when I was frequently visiting Asia in the beginning years. However, I quickly realized a lot of the similar herbs I was sourcing locally came packaged dried and many from unknown sources in China, so I slowly turned my attention to what’s readily available to me here — things I can find wildcrafting while hiking, herbs I can source from reliable places where I know their growing practices are ethical and organic. Hence, Even Keel was inspired by my “eastern roots” and re-worked using “western herbs” - En Tsao
In an effort to do some good, we are now offering reusable Face Mask Sets for personal use in order to help ensure that the highest grade medical masks are reserved for those on the front lines – the doctors, nurses, and medical aids risking their own safety for the safety of others. These masks are made from 100% cotton with our dear friends and longtime partners at The New Denim Project. Their facility in Guatemala allows them to make larger quantities, which means that we'll be able to offer over 3,000 masks! Our initial goal with this project was to provide the public with resources to protect ourselves, but because there are so many communities who are struggling we wanted to take it a step further.
We will be selling masks (sets of 3) for $20 each. We will then use the funds to first pay for manufacturing, packaging and shipping costs, and once that is covered (we'll need approximately 345 sales) we will take the remaining profits and donate them to the Citymeals on Wheels organization. A designated emergency responder for New York City's seniors, Citymeals is delivering 450,000 meals in response to the Coronvirus outbreak.
Shop Face MasksKordal Studio is a clothing brand that creates quality, responsibly made garments that exemplify the possibilities of sustainable design. All collections are designed and produced in an ethical manner by designing garments that are not trend focused; by using natural, organic, and recycled textiles; and by paying our workers a fair wage.