B The Change

     My happiest and most inspiring moments have always been in nature, especially when saddled up on a horse or in the water. When I was a young girl, my parents had a small farm on the bayou. Every chance we had, we would steal away as a family down to the farm, unbuckled and windows down in the big yellow Oldsmobile. I can still hear the birds chirping, see the turtles sunning, and feel the mosquito hawks landing on my arms. Almost always barefoot and with an adopted dog by my side, being outdoors with animals was my happy place. These unbridled and wild times are cherished memories of exploring, discovering and being in amazement with the beauty of nature.

     Yesterday as we celebrated Earth Day for all, we signed with B Lab to become a certified B Corp. We toasted our roots and commitment to Mother Nature and our triple bottom line of People, Planet and Profit. And we also raised a glass to you, to thank you for believing in us and being (very) patient with our intentional “slow fashion” growth. 

     Believe it or not, back in 2011, the word “sustainable” was hardly used in the fashion industry. It was absent in the media, on company websites and especially on content labels. I knew we needed to push beyond the status quo. I had friends that said, “The consumer doesn’t care about sustainability”. But I cared, deeply. Already an early member of Italy’s Slow Food movement from my time in the food and wine industry, I had done my research and I was in “the know” on fast food and fashion, textile waste and labor atrocities and the immense environmental damage already being done. Growing up with receding and disintegrating wetlands due to industry off of Louisiana's coast, I spent years building a non profit and raising awareness about this fragile environment. As an avid diver and sailor, I was aware of our oceans continuing to be filled with plastic shoes, accessories and clothing. And a shock effect had already set in regarding climate change when on a dive in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia in the late 90’s; bleaching from warming waters had already begun. In good conscience I could not see any other way to build the brand aside from clean textiles, good practices for the planet and ethical and safe production. When I hired our team, I ensured our core values were in alignment and sustainability was woven in from the start.

   When I started Stick & Ball, the existing state of fashion was prioritizing a purely profit centric model and almost everywhere I looked, the content label read some form of plastic — whether it was knitwear, wovens, outerwear, sportswear, intimates and even most leather bags (even by the big luxury houses) — pure or partial plastic or plastic coated or plastic wrapped. Plastic was the overwhelming majority of the supply chain. And it was/is for a reason. 

     I fell in love with alpaca and in one of my initial production runs or knits, it was explained to me that if I incorporated even a mere 15% polyester, I would significantly reduce the cost of goods. Alpaca fiber (especially "baby" or "royal" grade) can cost anywhere from $20 to $40+ per kilogram depending on quality. Polyester, a synthetic fiber, typically costs $1 to $2 per kilogram (sometimes even less at scale). 

     When I went to Milan to learn about leather, I was offered polyurethane coated leather, or “PU” leather. PU leather was hawked by almost all tanneries (except for the pure vegetable tanneries), accounted for the majority of leather used by brands, and still does to this day. PU coated leather was 10x’s less in price than vegetable tanned leather. If you plastic coat the leather, it doesn't matter how the animal is treated - less care about scars and production time entails a quick process of a few days being bathed with heavy metals and chemicals to preserve it, then painted in plastic. “Genuine leather” on labels can be compressed particles of chrome treated leather with formaldehyde and coated in plastic. The industry to this day does not practice full transparency. But we hold it, wear it next to our skin and after it is discarded, we breathe it and drink it in small, microscopic parts as it slowly breaks down into our ecosystem. Vegetable tanned leather, on the other hand, uses organic compounds of bark and berries to tan leather and takes almost three months to preserve- the care of the animal is evident in the final product as vegetable tannins don't coat the leather. They enhance the natural grain and continue to patina with time; they are not toxic to your skin or when eventually disintegrating into the earth. PU coated leather is $2 to $5 per square foot. Vegetable tanned leather is $30-$40 per square foot. Short cuts in production and chemical based textiles are compelling if only analyzing the P&L in the short term, not caring about animal welfare or the rivers and streams surrounding these chemical plants or our own health. The long-term costs of synthetic textiles and harmful chemicals are paid in polluted ecosystems, compromised human health, and an increasingly fragile planet.

     Fast forward our 14 years in business and the cat is out of the bag. Microplastic pollution fills our air and water, as well as is in our bodies and those of all of the animals around us. Hormone disruption has begun in humans and animals. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals from petrochemical based products in fashion and beauty are a key contributor to decreasing sperm counts in men. By 2050, projections suggest that a significant portion of men will face infertility due to declining sperm counts. Petrochemical fertilizers run off into the Mississippi River and elsewhere causing thousands of miles of hypoxia in the water — literally huge swaths of unlivable water. Factories have caved in and set fire with workers inside due to poor working conditions, lack of safety regulations, and pressure to produce fast and cheap clothing. Yesterday, (not tomorrow) we began facing urgent challenges that cannot be ignored.

     If you have followed my brand over the years, you have only really heard my team and me speaking to the great qualities of the natural fibers we use, not condemning others for the very dirty practices in our industry. My hope in sharing the data is that consumers will begin to make educated decisions about products and purchases. It is important to hear the whole truth and to begin your own journey in discovering what is healthy for you and your community. Our new B Lab certification helps us and other fellow companies to provide the transparency consumers deserve. Ultimately, the future of sustainable goods lies with you, in the hands of the consumer. In beginning to choose products that do not pollute the planet and uplift other people, you are paving the way to cleaner pastures and a more positive planet for all.