LETTONNE was initiated in 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine (again). With roots in techno and sustainable fashion, we started a label dedicated to supporting communities in resistance. Following the release of our charity collection with digital wearables and a few fundraising raves it became clear to us that, if we want to offer structural support to our community, we need to make physical products. To make this happen, we assembled a bigger team, invited several contributors, and worked hard for half a year. We are thrilled to share our first season of products and media with you today.

As a small, independent team, we’re on an ongoing quest to evolve the sustainability of our products and practices. At the same time, we’re continuously developing our understanding of what it means to be sustainable, and what it means to create a net-positive impact. Sometimes, the most obvious choice (like sourcing locally) isn’t actually the most ecologically friendly or durable. Because supply chains and production technologies change over time, we never stop researching and evaluating our processes, to do better when we learn better.

LETTONNE is based in Brooklyn, and our current collection is sewn and assembled at a family-operated factory in Los Angeles. Some members of our team have worked with this factory for years. They supported us when no one else would, and we are grateful to develop a larger project together today.

The denim we’re working with this season is made from 100% North American-grown heavyweight cotton slub yarn, which is rope-dyed, woven, and finished in Ibara, Okayama, Japan.

We initially looked into dead-stock fabrics, which is our preference when available, but we could not source the quantities we needed at this time. We also could not find recycled black-on-black denim in the US. When looking to source virgin denim domestically, we learned that there are only two denim mills left in the country, and that it can take time to establish working relationships. Our Japanese supplier provides us with the material quality and transparency we desire to ensure the fabric we use is durable and manufactured with care.

The lining in our bags is made from a dead-stock cotton polyester blend sourced in Los Angeles, near our factory. When possible our hardware is sourced and manufactured domestically. The snaps are stamped in brass and polished to a nickel finish in Atlanta, Georgia. Usually, snap buttons come in sets. By ordering directly from the manufacturer, we can source more studs and less caps to meet our designs, and avoid waste.

For longevity and affordability, we use YKK zippers.

When packaging our products, we avoid using plastic. Instead, we use curb-side recyclable cardboard packaging, water-activated adhesive tape, and recyclable shipping labels. Our hang tags are made of paper, and we print and cut collection-specific detail cards to minimize waste.

We offer carbon-neutral shipping as a default and offset every order by planting trees through our partner ecocart.io. If you’re ordering from New York or Los Angeles, you’re welcome to pick up your item from our warehouse (inventory permitting).

We care about fair labor conditions throughout our supply chain and are developing our partner relationships to collaboratively improve conditions where we feel our standards are not met. We seek compliance with the Code of Labour Practices by Fair Wear, which are derived from ILO Conventions and the UN’s Declaration on Human Rights.

We're interested in making our products and production processes circular, and we're aware that a thoughtful end-of-life policy is important in this. We’re currently educating ourselves and working towards a process for repurposing.

We choose durable materials, so that ideally our bags last a lifetime. For this collection, we’re able to assure longevity with a 3-year hardware warranty. Within this timeframe, we offer free-of-charge repairs in case of damage due to wear and tear. If shipping the item to our warehouse for repair incurs too much cost or carbon footprint, we cover the fee of your local tailor.

Beyond making bags, we are involved in cultural production, where we also take a sustainability minded approach. With the intention to advance practices of fair pay, credit and respect for our contributors, we started to work on a circular, non-extractive model for cultural production. In our mind, this involves a mechanism for shared equity in a collaboratively owned creative organisation, that is built to return value with longevity. Foundational innovation takes time, but we’ll report our progress to you with the next season.

We’re always seeking to improve our practices and policies. If you have any comments, criticism, or best practices to share, we’d love to hear from you.