At Miranda Bennett Studio (MBS), we build Sustainability into the everyday actions of our tiny company: from the packaging our flagship team uses to wrap our garments, to the non-toxic dyes our dye team formulates and applies in-house, to the fabric scraps we sort daily to ensure that 100% are diverted from landfills, and the biodegradable materials we source for our perennially-minded designs.

While we seek B-Corp Certification, we have found that as a small brand cut, sewn and naturally dyed in-house, many of the third party certifications available to evaluate, measure and report our ethical and sustainable practices are not engineered to measure our scale and particular production model.

After a deep look at our work and processes, as well as the areas in which we wish to grow, we have drafted the following pillars to hold ourselves accountable and measure our growth and goals in the coming months and years. Thank you so much for joining us on our holistic approach towards sustainability, we couldn't do this work without you.

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*as of August 2022 we currently employ 9 full-time team members and 4 part-time team members. This number includes our sewists, dye team and production director who all work in house to create our clothing.

Our goods are locally cut, dyed, sewn, packaged and shipped, reducing our carbon footprint, every step of the way. We don't ship samples, fabrics and sewn goods back and forth overseas per the status quo -- our manufacturing happens under one roof in Austin, Texas.

We use plant-derived, non-toxic dyes for the small batch colors in our collection. We keep chemicals out of our waterways and off our bodies by using non-toxic plant dyes. 

To source our dyes, we have organically grown plants locally without the use of pesticides, sourced byproducts from other industries that we collect, utilize, then divert from landfills, and purchase sustainably harvested plant materials that we source from a global network of suppliers.

We use Organic cotton and biodegradable textiles, no plastics or microfibers. We avoid the use of plastics in our textiles and packaging and work only with naturally derived, biodegradable fiber. Not using petroleum based textiles also ensures that we do not contribute irretrievable microplastics to our waterways.

From collecting and repurposing or recycling our fabric off-cuts to locally producing our garments, we’re consciously minimizing the waste we produce, every step of the way. We treat our clothes as living things, much like the dyes we use to dye them and the plants we use to weave them. To honor their life, we encourage proper care of them while in use through garment care, and we carefully repurpose them once they are ready to be retired.

We design to minimize waste, and divert 100% of the fabric remnants left behind after cutting our apparel from landfills. Remnants that are not repurposed into new products are packaged into our Boro Bags for community use. Everything else is given to a local textile recycler. 

We also design around our textile remnants, creating entirely new products. When we can use our scraps rather than discarding them, we preserve and honor the energy, water, materials, and labor involved in their production.

We recognize that our community will ultimately retire their MBS goods, and offer an apparel take-back program that then filters into our Zero Waste program and annual studio sale.

We make styles designed to last, spanning the ever changing seasons and our own ever changing sizes.

Our garments have deceptively simple silhouettes that can be worn many ways and are designed to flatter your shape as it is, both now and in the years to come. We eschew the norms of fast fashion by offering a core collection of styles year after year, enhancing the longevity of each piece.

By creating perennial clothing and embracing classic sillhouettes, we increase the versatility of our apparel.

Our all-woman team designs, manufactures, packages, and ships each and every garment at our home base in Austin, Texas. 100% of our garments are dyed, cut, and sewn in the United States, and all members of our team are paid a living wage in U.S. currency under U.S. labor standards. Through our staffing and model casting, we prioritize diversity and representation.

Through the panels and events that we host at our Austin Flagship, we create space to platform, amplify and ally with historically marginalized groups, creating space for communal healing and coming together.

So, what does community really mean to us? It means treating our employees with care and compassion. It means building a physical and metaphorical place where ideas are shared and celebrated. It means cultivating creativity and relationships. 

This is our promise that we are committed to consistently reconsidering and improving the way that we operate. Whether it be the inclusivity of our sizing, the diversity of our team and the range of benefits that they are offered, or where we source our materials and how we can minimize their impacts, progress is always possible.

As our company evolves and grows over time, we are dedicated to continue to re-evaluate our materials and sourcing, our product offering and impacts in order to constantly seek out opportunities and areas for improvement.

We are honored to have you here on this journey with us, and look forward to sharing our progress in the years to come.