Sustainability & Social Impact

What does Sustainability mean to Of an Origin?

We are committed to people and the planet in multiple facets of our company. These are our 4 primary tenets:

1) Natural fibers: Most synthetics are petroleum-based fibers used in polyester, nylon, spandex, acrylic. Our collection is made from 97% naturally-derived materials. As of Fall 2023, our cotton is GOTS certified, grown by Chetna Farms in India. We work with small family farmers from Chetna Organic Farmers Association.

Chetna was founded in 2004 and has grown from just 240 farmers to 15,000 small scale organic cotton farmers in the Orissa, Telangana, and Maharashtra regions of India. For nearly two decades, Chetna has supported marginalized farmers, enabling them to practice sustainable and profitable farming. Chetna farmers use 70% less water and 60% less energy than the average non-organic farmer. To learn more about Chetna’s inspiring story, click here.

2) Thoughtful Design: Through our convertible designs and flexible fit, we allow women to do more with less through multiple seasons of life. This means owning fewer things, slowing down consumption and simplifying your closet.

3) Stewardship & Fair Trade: We also believe in environmental stewardship. Our factory is Fair Trade certified, and meets rigorous environmental and labor standards. We partner with a reforestation NGO in Peru, and our production partner is active with several NGOs.

Our factory in India is Fair Trade Certified, and we pay an additional 1% of our costs in Fair Trade premiums that go directly to the workers' initiatives. The elected Fair Trade Committee decides how the funds will be directed for the most positive impact on the workers.

What does Fair Trade Mean?

Learn more about the Fair Trade Certification

Fair Trade Infographic

4) Packaging & Trims: Finally, we are using sustainable materials in our packaging, labels, and hang tags as much as possible. We have eliminated the use of virgin plastics where we can. We use Vela paper packaging and polybag mailers made of recycled ocean-bound plastic by Better Packaging Co.