Shoppers have clocked that fast, seasonal and trend based fashion isn’t good for the planet. Instead, longevity through considered design and quality is paramount. But where does that leave maternity wear? Garments that are needed but often for a reasonable short period of time.
You can find pregnancy and postpartum garments at every price point and level of quality, of course. But like all areas of the fashion industry, the cheap and trend-based styles have had a surge in recent years.
Brands looking to present an ethical alternative provide thoughtful designs that bridge pregnancy, postpartum and beyond. úton is one of them.
úton, meaning “on the way” in Hungarian, is an emerging Melbourne-based brand that brings a sense of style to ethical and sustainable maternity fashion. The label was created with the vision to deliver high quality, exceptionally fitting maternity apparel that blurs the line between pregnancy, recovery, breastfeeding and motherhood. Kinga, the face behind úton, has a strong vision for her business and the future of the fashion industry.
“úton takes inspiration from minimalism in more than one way: we only offer a small collection of considered designs in three core colours, focusing on the balance of functionality, comfort and style,” Kinga says.
“The fashion industry generates close to 100 million tonnes of textile waste annually, and the power is in the customer’s hands to change this.
“Our designs transcend seasons and were created with the conscious approach to ditch the relentless fashion calendar and, with the help of our made to order production model, it allows us to contribute to the global effort of waste reduction.”
A light and local footprint
In Australia alone, the average person buys 27 kilograms of new clothing per year, and then throws 23 kilograms into the trash.
Most maternity styles are generally only designed to be worn as your pregnancy progresses and you are showing off your baby bump. The lifespan of these clothes are generally nine months or less.
At úton, Kinga carefully considers the designs of her clothes so they can be worn well beyond the maternity period, eliminating excess waste. She is passionate about creating capsule wardrobes that move beyond the nine-month lifespan of maternity clothes. The brand also works to a made to order model to further reduce textile waste.
“Made to order fashion, traditionally associated with the world of haute couture, encourages conscious consumption by producing only what’s ordered by the customer,” Kinga says.
“It’s a key manufacturing tool to reduce garment waste and to stop overproduction through eliminating excess stock and the opportunity to buy unneeded clutter at a heavily reduced price at the end of each season.”
úton offers a curated selection of timeless minimalistic staples and wardrobe basics in shades black, white and charcoal that balance comfort and style.
The brand is designed and manufactured in Melbourne, Australia, which Kinga says allows her to maintain a close relationship with the makers, while providing the brand with the ability of ensuring high quality and ethical manufacturing standards are followed.
She says that manufacturing locally is not just an ethical decision, it’s also sustainable: reducing environmental impact through using less transportation, consequently leading to less carbon emission.
Find out more and shop úton here.
