Alum launches sustainable fashion house

Written by Jess Brown:

Circular fashion is designed, sourced and produced to be used for as long as possible, in as many was as possible, then returned to the biosphere safely when no longer viable. Every part of the lifespan of a product aims to be cyclical.

Our limited-edition collections are created through majority use of existing leather and textile variations often rejected. Generally in the fashion industry, even premium materials and/or finished goods that fluctuate in texture and finish are viewed as expendable and discarded or destroyed. We consider these materials inconsistencies to be a stunning experience for the senses. We source these yardages, hides and gently used goods from factories, mills and the public, then purpose them to expertly craft our products at the scale of mass production.

House of JX is a direct-to-consumer company, so you won’t see us in department stores or other retailers. In order to gather materials in the way that we do, it is most effective for us to operate outside of congested seasonal supply chains. Continue to visit us at houseofjx.com for the latest collections.

Our goal for 2023 is to reach 65% sourcing and production within the United States. Long-term, we are saving up to open a circular production facility in Los Angeles, California to service sustainable domestic brands.

Packaging:
No plastic packaging or product components.

Community:
5% of House of JX Gift Card proceeds are donated to non-profit organizations in Los Angeles, California.

Company:
House of JX is a disability, woman and LGBTQ+ owned business.

I first founded this circular production fashion company in 2001 shortly after graduation, yet after a handful of years, decided I had more to learn and shut down to take an in-house design position. In the years since my time at RISD in the Illustration department, I have been fortunate enough to gain twenty years of experience in the product design, development, sourcing and production management of consumer goods across ~sixty brands and subsidiaries inclusive of industry leaders such as Nike, Coach, and Columbia Sportswear.

In 2020, the pandemic brought many challenges to my industry as disposable income was greatly reduced across a wide consumer base, and global supply chains were handicapped. Consumer goods companies stream-lined staff and/or halted hiring, while I began to reach a biological age where I was starting to experience a reduction of opportunities aligned with my salary requirements being commiserate with twenty+ years of experience. I realized the obstacles of the past few years had constructed a murphy’s law runway for a relaunch of this assertively sustainable product creation effort, and reopened the business I founded at the age of 23. I’m thrilled my brand has been received with open arms by a larger consumer base than was available in the early 2000s that prioritizes, and is increasingly curious about, methods of lessening their personal environmental impact.

The concept of ‘sustainability’ in the fashion industry can be confusing for consumers and is increasingly diluted by ‘greenwashing’ (a practice in which a company purports to be environmentally responsible in their product creation process/disposal etc... to grow its consumer base without actually adhering to meaningful sustainable practices or standards): they don’t know where to start. My aim is to continue making products people enjoy, through which they can effortlessly make a meaningful difference in their personal consumption practices. My advice to consumers is to purchase from brands that disclose specifics about their processes (successes and challenges), and steer away from companies who lean on vague catch-all claims such as ‘we support environmental consciousness’ etc. It is impossible and unnecessary to be perfect, but we can all be a bit better every day; do your best, try again when you stumble, and I’ll continue to do the same.