Bellantoni
Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Bellantoni is an independent, sustainable fashion label. In 2012, Bianca Bellantoni ventured to Toronto to pursue a Fashion Design degree at Ryerson University. Within her first year, she learned about the devastation the fashion industry has on the environment and was faced with the dilemma of whether she wanted to continue to pursue a career in this industry. Through much contemplation, she decided that the only way to make a change was to stay in it and be a part of the solution.
What was your reason for working with TreeEra to plant trees? How do trees fit into Bellantoni’s mission?
Bellantoni’s motto is to dress well while being kind to animals, people, and the planet, and working with TreeEra to plant trees aligns with this mission. We recognize that even though we are a brand that is focused on sustainability, we are still leaving a footprint on our planet. As an e-commerce-focussed brand, we are shipping packages each week, so planting trees felt like the next right step for us to help reduce our carbon footprint.
What are the main sustainability challenges for Bellantoni and the fashion industry as a whole?
There are definitely several sustainability challenges, but the main one we face is that we have to order various materials from outside of our local community. We source many of our materials from outside of BC, such as eco-friendly elastic from the UK, certified textiles from Asia, or our organic cotton labels from the other side of Canada. Shipping these materials across the globe is not ideal, but it’s a challenge we face today, and many other sustainable brands do as well, in order to source materials that are up to our standards in terms of sustainability and quality.
Do you have any other tips on how to incorporate sustainability into one’s everyday life?
Start small, educate yourself, and build upon that. There are many ways that we can “do our part” each day. Small acts do make a difference. Some actions you can start doing today are:
- Try to be mindful of the amount of single-use plastic you use. Opt for a glass jar versus a plastic container at the grocery store. Don’t say yes to plastic bags, instead, bring your own reusable bag or ask the store for a paper bag or a box.
- Swap your plastic shampoo and conditioner bottles for shampoo and conditioner bars or refillable ones. There are several refillery shops popping up across Canada dedicated to providing plastic-free alternatives for everyday products.
- Bring a water bottle instead of buying a plastic one.
- When shopping for clothing, try to shop from sustainable brands, go thrifting, mend your clothing, learn to sew or swap with friends instead of purchasing fast fashion. We have an entire blog post on what fast fashion is and the impact it has on our planet and people here.
- Try to eat less meat each week. There are so many great vegan options out there nowadays. We’ve put together a blog post with our favorites here.
- Opt for local, seasonal produce. Grow your own garden or shop at local farmers’ markets.
- Wrap your gifts with recycled kraft paper, newspaper, cloth, or fabric. We also sell sustainable furoshiki wrap on our site here.
We have a section in the Bellantoni blog called the Eco Guide where we dive into different topics with a focus on sustainability.
What are some other businesses that you are inspired by / think are doing well in the environmental space?
One of the sustainable clothing brands that I’ve admired for years, even before I started my own brand, is Tonlé. They are a true example of a zero-waste clothing brand in that they reuse every spec of textile waste produced from their collections. They use deadstock materials to produce their core collections. The leftover scraps from production get upcycled into knitted garments, woven rugs, and patchwork pieces. But, there is still waste from this, and they take responsibility for that as well. The tiny fibres and threads that are too small to make a garment or accessory are used to create paper. How amazing is that!? In addition to this, they also pay fair living wages to their workers.
Another company I admire and have been working with since they launched is The Kind Curator. I love the idea of giving a gift to someone that supports local businesses, contains sustainable and cruelty-free products, takes responsibility for their packaging, and also plants trees for every purchase!
Click here to shop Bellantoni’s range of sustainable styles!
TreeEra helps individuals and businesses reduce human impact on the planet we love by community-funding the planting of trees.
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