Sustainable fashion is a bit of a misnomer, considering the detrimental environmental impacts most textile makers contribute. In fact, the fashion industry is one of the highest polluters on the planet. Between the resources required to grow or produce materials, the emissions caused from transport, the copious water pollution and energy consumption during manufacturing and the post-consumer waste, our planet is becoming a dumping ground for the clothing and accessories we use every day. Tove Wear has set out to change all that with a clothing lineup aimed at function, fashion and sustainability in one combined package.
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Tove Wear is a denim skirt and dress apparel company based out of Vermont. The products are developed with workers across a variety of industries in mind. As a result, the skirts and dresses are highly durable and long-lasting, even when put through the rigors of day to day use. Each item is equipped with copious pocket space to hold tools and supplies, whether they’re worn by a glass blower, waitress, florist, carpenter, artist or gardener.
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Although the material serves a function through durability, the design is intended to transition from work to play. The versatility of the skirts and dresses, alongside the universal denim colors, provides many options for wear with a sweater, flannel, high boots, flats, tank tops or just about any other combination.
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Safe materials
Tove Wear is focused on more than fashion and function though. The company is also dedicated to environmental responsibility. Inasmuch, it partners with like-minded farms and factories. The result is products that are certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and the Fairtrade Labeling Organization (FLO).
All products are made from organic, fair-trade certified cotton that is grown on small farms in India who rely on responsible and regenerative farming practices such as crop rotation and water conservation. Once harvested, the cotton is sent to a mill also in India, where it is cleaned and separated, spun, dyed and woven into denim. The mill uses a dyeing process that reduces water consumption by 30% compared to traditional dyeing. Plus, it recycles water used throughout the mill for a closed loop, waste-free system.
Support for women
Tove Wear is a women-owned company who strives to “use [their] business to support creativity, inclusion, equity and justice.”
Locally, the company supports Vermont Works for Women in its mission to promote economic stability and equity as well as gender equality.
In its partnership with the production facility in India, Tove Wear witnesses support for the training and hiring of rural women in the region. The company reports, “Their facility offers safe and hygienic working conditions, they pay their workers 40% to 70% higher than the legal minimum wage, and they invest in the community for basic infrastructure such as water, education and health facilities.”
Review of Tove Wear
The company offered to send a product I could check out for myself and I took the recommendation to receive a Maker Skirt. The packaging was impressively minimalist with no plastic or unnecessary waste. The skirt is simply adorned with paper tags and a tie made from natural materials.
Stitching around all sides, straps and pockets is consistent and reinforced at all pressure points.
The skirt features a wrap around design. One hole along the waistline provides an access hole to tie the long straps. This design allows for an adjustable fit. I was originally going to request a Mini Maker Skirt for my daughter, since I thought she’d make an ideal model. However, the description states it’s a petite cut so we went with the more forgiving Maker Skirt Short in the Raw Denim color option.
My daughter is about a 26 inches in waist size and I am more like a 29. This small-size skirt fits us both, but I think the medium would work well for me too. In looking at the size chart, the company provides a waist-size range for each product size so you can easily identify where you fall on the sizing spectrum. The company notes, “The minimum waist size is the smallest that the skirt can tighten, but the waistband can extend larger than the maximum size.”
The skirt has a heavy, durable, denim feel, but the adjustable waist and skirt cut provide maneuverability to squat, bend and stretch as work requires. The pockets offer generous space for whatever you need to store. There are two large pockets in the front, a back pocket and a hammer loop on one side.
As soon as I put this skirt on, I feel like heading to the garage for some woodworking, the craft room or the kitchen. However, I can see the potential for a cute outfit to wear out with friends when paired with a top and some boots.
Images via Tove Wear
Editor’s note: This product review is not sponsored by Tove Wear. All opinions on the products and company are the author’s own.
