Good Clothing Takes Time: Why a Made-To-Order Model Makes Sense for Business and the Planet
CFC Member Spotlight: Aiste Zitnikaite of Devinto
Author and interviewer: Stella Hertantyo
Aiste Zitnikaite is the creator and designer of Devinto — a slow fashion brand based in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the United States. With a focus on elegant, timeless designs, made from eco-minded fabrics, Devinto pieces are all hand-cut and made to order in their studio avoiding waste and overproduction. Aiste started the brand some 10 years ago as an alternative to the fashion industry standards and practices she experienced while working in the field.
Aiste also works as a freelance product developer, pattern maker, sample maker, teaches sewing classes, and mentors students who are interested in a career in fashion.
I interviewed Aiste in the Conscious Fashion Collective Membership as part of our Member Spotlight interview series.
Below are some of the highlights from the conversation about:
The many benefits of a made-to-order business model,
How to balance multiple roles as a slow fashion business owner, and
How to teach consumers that good clothing takes time.
What led you to work at the intersection of fashion and sustainability?
I grew up in Lithuania. It was still the Soviet Union at the time. Growing up, I saw my aunties and my mother sewing and my grandmother knitting. That was my first foray into fashion and making clothing.
Back then, making your own clothing was one of the only options, because there wasn’t a lot of access to fashionable clothing. If you wanted a specific garment, you had to make it yourself. And then it got passed down many times. I still have a few of my mother’s blouses and garments from when she was young.
From pretty early on, I loved watching fashion television and runway shows. Then when my mother and I moved to Canada, I studied fashion in Montreal and worked at a few companies in the industry. This was 15 or 20 years ago and there wasn’t a lot of talk about sustainable fashion.
Once I started working in bigger companies, I started seeing the trends in their questionable practices. That’s what made me realize that I couldn’t stay working in those spaces and eventually wanted to start my own business — and I knew I wanted to do things differently from what I had witnessed.
I saw so much waste and overproduction. The Rana Plaza collapse also really affected me, because it proved to me that people are risking their lives to make clothes that we end up throwing away and dumping in landfills.
So when I started Devinto, it was important that I was intentional and not just producing clothing for the sake of it. That’s why I decided on the made-to-order business model.
image credit: devinto
This made-to-order business model is also what has kept me going financially for so long. Usually you have to invest a lot of money to be able to produce a collection, because you have to have all the different sizes and colors. You have to have a lot of cash flow, which I didn’t have in the beginning.
Starting Devinto also allowed me to work with my hands again, which I love and I didn’t get to do when I was working for bigger companies. I used to sit at a computer all day, but the part of fashion I love the most is making clothing.
Starting Devinto has allowed me to embrace the passion I have for sewing, pattern-making, and seeing a garment come to life from beginning to end.
How does your made-to-order business model lower the impact of your fashion brand?
First of all, I keep all of my scraps. I use the scraps to make underwear or scrunchies. There’s a lady down the street who runs a business that makes carpets out of scraps, so I donate a lot to her.
It’s impossible to have no waste at all, but it’s a lot easier to be mindful of how you cut material when you’re not producing on a mass scale. Because my brand is made-to-order and I make garments one by one, I can be mindful of where I place the pattern on the fabric and what I do with the leftover scraps.
Another benefit of the made-to-order model is that there is a greater connection between the consumer and the person making their clothing. Before mass production became commonplace, people would go to their local tailor and have their clothing fitted and measured. They understood the craft that went into creating well-fitted clothing.
Now with mass production, people don’t understand the time and effort that goes into making a garment. That’s why we’ve lost a lot of the value of clothing. This is always a conversation I have when people visit my studio because they can shop while also watching me make the garments.
Their fascination and reactions are always so exciting to me. People often say, “Oh wow, you make all the garments here?!” They’ll tell me stories about how they remember their grandmothers making clothing, or how the sound of the sewing machine is nostalgic.
With my brand, I try to bring back the connection to the person who’s making your clothing. A lot of people assume our clothing is made by machines and I always have to remind them that there are people behind those machines.
Are there any other benefits of the made-to-order model?
The made-to-order model has also had financial benefits for me. I don’t have to invest as much in production costs from the start, because I don’t have to buy all the fabric, pattern-making, and production for a collection in one go.
The other plus is that I can keep all of my designs on my website. With traditional brands, once you’ve produced the collection, you run out of those garments and can’t offer them anymore. Whereas on my website, you can still browse designs I created when I started the brand. If I have the fabric, and the design is there, I can always make it if someone wants to order it.
Plus it allows me to see which designers are most popular, without having to produce a whole collection. Sometimes I love a particular design, but it’s not the same one most of my customers gravitate towards. If I had produced a bunch of garments that I loved, but didn’t know if anyone else liked them, the clothing waste would end up in landfills.
So made-to-order makes it easier for me to have more designs on offer without having to make a large initial investment. I waste less time and money, plus reduce the likelihood of garments going to landfills.
How have you instilled in people that there is value in patience and helped them understand the longer wait time for garments?
I often speak about the fact that this garment was made just for you. I always encourage people to send me their exact measurements. If it’s a pair of trousers, people can tell me what their inseam is. Or if you’re ordering a sleeveless dress and you prefer to have sleeves, let me know. Or if you want your shirt to be a bit shorter on the arms, I can do that too.
When a garment is made specifically for you, you’re less likely to have to have it altered. I use this to explain the value of waiting a bit longer. Plus if a garment fits right, you’re likely to hold onto it for much longer.
When we started mass-producing clothing, we had to figure out how to fit each person’s unique body type into a limited set of categories so that clothing could be produced in large volumes. But each of our bodies is different and we don’t all fit into the traditional size curve. When people tell me, “Nothing ever fits me. What’s wrong with me?”, I tell them, “There’s nothing wrong with you. There’s something wrong with the way clothes are made.”
We used to have relationships with tailors. Now this is not common practice, because we spend so little money on fast fashion that it’s not worth going to a tailor. After all, you’re spending more on the tailor than on the garment itself.
I explain to people that there is nothing wrong with them and while they may have to wait a bit longer, I can create a garment that fits their unique body type — and that’s worth the wait.
Why did you decide to produce all of your designs in-house, instead of outsourcing production?
At the outset, it was a financial decision, because I couldn’t afford to hire people. I did it all myself. Now my business has grown and I’ve hired a few people.
It also gives me more control over the process. With other brands every time you work with a new factory you have someone different who’s making your samples and the production line is different. In my studio I have a few people that work with me and they know exactly how I like processes to be done.
If my business grows bigger I’d rather hire more people and teach them the Devinto way than outsource to a production facility where I don’t have a relationship with the people who work there.
You’ve been working in the slow fashion space for over a decade. What’s changed since you first started?
The first big shift is that people are talking about sustainability and ethics now. Before I used to tell people that I had an eco-fashion brand and they wouldn’t understand what that meant. They’d ask me, “How can fashion be eco-friendly?”
The younger generations seem to care about these issues a lot more, which is hopeful. We also have a lot more options to choose from when it comes to sustainable fashion now, which makes it more accessible.
When I first wanted to buy ethical, eco-friendly fashion, I couldn’t find garments that I liked aesthetically. I mostly have to go to thrift stores and then get my garments tailored. That’s why I decided that I’m going to make clothing that I want to wear.
The fact that we have more options and are talking about these issues more is important, because we are in the midst of a climate crisis.
What is your biggest piece of advice for slow fashion business owners trying to balance multiple roles while running a business?
It’s not easy — I'll say that from the outset. I’m still learning how to not overwork myself, because I’ll often leave the shop, go home, and then find myself working after dinner on marketing or replying to emails.
My biggest piece of advice would be: Don’t be shy to share your struggles with people, because you'd be surprised by how many people are out there who are willing to help. You should take the help without feeling guilty because we can’t all be good at everything all the time.
Prioritize doing the tasks that you love to do, are good at, and feel passionate about. For the rest, don’t be afraid to ask for help. I’ve learned to ask friends, family, and professionals for help. I have a marketing person helping me know, because social media and marketing were taking up too much time in my days, which is why I ended up working when I got home.
You can't overwork yourself, because when you're too tired, your business is going to suffer.
What inspired you to become a mentor?
I get as much out of the mentorship experience as the students do. I think it's important to be in touch with the new generations that are coming up and are interested in the fashion world.
As I mentor them, I get to instill and share sustainable and ethical fashion values. A lot of them end up going to New York or other states to study fashion. So if they already have sustainability top of mind, then I feel like I’ve made a difference.
I’m also not based in a major city so a lot of the young people here don’t have access to fashion professionals. It’s nice to be able to give them a glimpse into this world so that they can figure out if it’s for them or not.
What is the main piece of advice that you give to your mentees who are thinking of entering the fashion industry?
The biggest piece of advice that I give my mentees is to find their own voice. The fashion industry is very saturated and a lot of people are trying to break into the industry. So be true to yourself and find something unique to you that you’re passionate about. Fashion is a tough industry, and it takes a lot of work. If you don’t have a passion for it, you’ll give up pretty fast. You have to make sure you love what you do.
To connect with Aiste and get featured in one of our Member Spotlights join the Conscious Fashion Collective Membership! You'll also get access to live events, workshop recordings, career resources, extra job posts, and more.