Growing up and buying clothes and accessories, most of us only cared about looking cool. What were our favorite artists and celebrities wearing? What would your friends think of your new outfit? And how could you afford the latest trends? The more you learn about the industry, the more you understand that fashion isn’t just about style. There are many critical factors involved. Climate control, economics, and human rights play a huge part in the industry, and the brands doing the most damage are those in the fast fashion market. Fast fashion brands chase trends and knock off designers, making trendy items available for the masses as quickly as possible. In many cases, these items are made by workers who are paid poorly, sometimes under hazardous working conditions, using the cheapest materials available — ultimately creating clothing and accessories that only last a few wears before they’re discarded.
We come from design and can tell you firsthand that the cycle of chasing trends that has created fast fashion causes much more harm than good in the world. From the factory settings and low wages to the astounding environmental impact of low-cost mass production, FU#K Fast Fashion.
The world is a fast-paced place, and there is just SO MUCH GARBAGE. Every second of every day, there is more and more. The synthetic fibers and microfibers used to make many items from fast-fashion brands do not decay. Most of them sit in landfills, in the sea, or are incinerated. We work hard to minimize our waste on every level. Patterns are laid out with the most care to ensure there is less than zero waste. Also, all of the leather we use is a direct byproduct of the food industry. We even make our own binding, and donate any usable scrap materials and remnants to our local community reuse center, Turnip Green Creative Reuse.
We make our own products in-house. The factory staff at Tucker & Bloom are our co-workers — not just nameless drones. We listen to music together all day. We celebrate wins together. We care about the way our staff lives, and we all care about the finished product. It's the way we do business, and it's a small step in the direction of makers getting treated like the craftspeople they are.
We are big fans of Antiques Roadshow and feel that if you are going to go through the trouble of putting something into the world, you should take care to ensure it lasts long enough to make it onto the Roadshow. We pick the highest quality materials the world has to offer (down to the thread) and produce our goods with maximum utility in mind. That means the record backpack you buy from us today could turn into your kid’s diaper bag in ten years. That means the duffel that you take with you on a trip around the world will be ready for the gym and every vacation you can dream up.
Going against the trend of fast fashion and choosing quality over quantity is a big part of what Tucker & Bloom is all about. Our founders know what it’s like to work in a factory and are proud of the skills they acquired doing just that. We believe you don’t have to sacrifice great style by using high-quality products and treating every member of the team with respect. Most of all, everyone on our team is proud that our products will last a lifetime and would much rather see them on Antiques Roadshow than in a landfill. .