Valani: Sustainable Women's Clothing

Valani is a women’s sustainable clothing brand that prioritizes women’s style while helping the environment. Valani is on a mission of “Lighter Living” to help the planet. The brand is fun yet flirty, and it all began with its founder, Vanni, who applies the mission of “Lighter Living” to every aspect of her life. Vanni and her team are looking at sustainability for future generations, to ensure a healthy future for everyone. Valani makes sure their packaging is as eco-friendly and minimalistic as possible, by using straw, hemp, jute, and recycled materials to pack orders. Not only is Valani eco-friendly, but the brand also donates 10% of all its profits to women’s empowerment organizations, animal charities, and environmental programs.

What did you do before launching Valani, and how did you in your work now?
I ran an independent supermarket for 12 years. This is where I developed my management and problem-solving skills.

Was the idea there before the heightened emphasis on sustainability during the pandemic?
My focus on sustainable fashion stems from my vegan lifestyle of 25 years. Veganism is a plant-based lifestyle built on compassion and respect for everything, and so I wanted my brand to be the same. So yes sustainability was always part of the plan, pre-pandemic.

What are the difficulties of owning a sustainable clothing brand?
As a small business, spreading awareness of our brand and mission are huge challenges. Operating in a sustainable and ethical process along with offering quality fabrics is much more costly than operating as a fast fashion brand. This is something we have to educate the public. It’s more costly do things with sustainability in mind. Things are not as readily available and generally cost more. There’s also much more research and audits to conduct.

How did Valani get its name out there at the start?
We hired a PR agency and got into a few roundups and press releases.

What is your advice for someone who is trying to shop more sustainably but finds it difficult and/or too expensive?
Shop secondhand and save up for the occasional investment pieces.

How can brands such as Valani make their products more accessible, as they are known to be more expensive?
At some point where the demand increases, prices may be able to come down. Sustainable products generally require higher upfront costs in comparison to fast fashion. However, I encourage people to look at cost per wear and quality. Fast fashion items are created with the intention to be worn a few times and disposed. Sustainable fashion is the opposite: it is created with better fabrics and quality construction to last along with fair wages and eco-friendly production.

Where do you see the future of clothing sustainability going industry-wide?
It’s definitely a growing category and will continue to do so with technology improving and providing more sustainable options. Due to the pandemic, consumers are more conscious of their buying habits and the impact on the environment.

How does Valani keep up to date with the most sustainable practices?
Sustainability is an ongoing journey and we’re always looking for new ways that we can improve. Keeping up to date includes a mixture of reading new articles, online searches, customer inquiries, and vendor and partner inquiries.