Hamilton’s METTAMADE focus on sustainability is the future of clothing technology
- Shawn Smith
- 01 Mar 2020
Technology has been a process that focused on speed: how fast and cheap can a product be made and put out there for people to consume? The focus for the past few decades now has been to make as much as you can for as little money as possible.
In terms of clothing, that has meant a 52-season fashion cycle amongst the big box stores where clothes on the shelves are changing by the week and produced at the cheapest means necessary. It should come as no surprise that this focus on mass production is having dire consequences on the planet.
That’s why businesses like Hamilton’s METTAMADE have taken a different approach. Their approach is simple: create clothes that are made for a wide range of body types and sizes that are adaptive to each person’s unique shape. This brand is making long-lasting, fashion-forward clothing that won’t go out of style in a month and will be something that can remain in your closet for years. These clothes are made with sustainability in mind, both for the personal consumer and for the planet.
“The idea of METTAMADE came from a passion project of making clothing that was adaptive to a fluctuating body but was practical, comfortable, and stylish,” said Morgan MacDonald, who runs METTAMADE with her mother Carol Davies. “As a slow fashion brand, we produce clothing in small batches and on a made-to-order basis. It takes us many months to release a style and a lot of heart and soul goes into the design, research and development, sizing, and production before it makes its way being released.”
Davies agreed with the sentiment, adding “we consider what our customers are looking for and how we can come up with designs that have universally good fit. Since we are a size inclusive brand, we try to design things that look and feel good on bodies from extra small to five XL.”
By creating clothing that works for all bodies, METTAMADE is creating a world where the local consumer doesn’t have to spend hundreds upon hundreds of dollars on new items every few months. Instead, they can buy items that are designed to last and stay fashionable for years.
“We made the conscious choice of selecting bamboo-spandex fabric because it feels soft on the skin, and it’s breathable with some stretch,” MacDonald said. “The fabric that we work with, feels quite luxurious and comforting and that comfort was the feeling we wanted others to experience when wearing our clothing.”
The choice to go with bamboo-spandex fabric was made with the planet in mind as well; bamboo is a sustainable resource that requires little water.
The move towards sustainability isn’t unique to METTAMADE in the fashion industry.
“This industry (along with many others) is experiencing a revolution and companies are forced to respond,” MacDonald said. “We’ve already seen many brands transition towards using recycled fabrics and more sustainable fabrics that are less demanding on the environment. There is also an increased demand on companies for transparency in terms of their production methods.”
As concerns over climate change become more apparent by the day, technology is adapting. The move, especially among small businesses, is to create products that are entirely unique to them and made with sustainability in mind.
If businesses like METTAMADE can put sustainability and the future of the planet at the forefront of their model, surely the large department stores should be doing the same. We’re running out of time.
If you’re interested in more information on METTAMADE, visit mettamadeinhamilton.com or visit their store at 1032 King Street West in Hamilton’s Westdale Village.
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