OUR CONCEPTS
Your Purchase Transforms the Lives of People.
At Kivulini everything we make has a story. We’re making sure that at every stage of their journey, our pieces and the people making them are treated with respect, and in turn, respect the world around them.
Our Artisans work in safe conditions, they protect the environment around them, build sustainable livelihoods and get to earn additional money to empower and uplift their communities.
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Reducing Our Environmental Impact:
We take sustainability extremely seriously and are constantly taking steps to reduce our environmental impact. We’re looking at everything we do to see if we can be using more sustainable materials, reducing waste and working more efficiently. This might mean anything from recycling brass locks into beads for our clothes, or using off cuts of steel and pallets to turn into beautiful furniture.
Kivulini Strives to support people with disabilities
We aim to give them access to financial independence which in turn will help change their lives and those around them. We believe in people, we have the opportunity to transform lives and to provide people with the dignity to fulfill their individual potential. This, in turn, creates a supportive and loving environment for the entire community.
OUR MATERIALS
ORGANIC COTTON
Organic cotton is a big step in the right direction. It doesn’t allow the use of genetically modified seeds and restricts the use of many chemicals—making it safe for the environment, the farmers and you! It still uses water and land but it helps sustain the land it is grown on through crop rotations, natural ways of controlling pesticides, and did we mention it is usually rain fed?​
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RECYCLED COTTON
Recycled cotton is repurposed from either pre-or post-consumer cotton waste that would otherwise be waste and go to landfill. It allows us to have that soft cotton feel without the environmental impact that comes from virgin cotton.
DEAD STOCK & VINTAGE
Some of our products are made out of “deadstock” fabrics. Textiles make up a considerable % of the trash entering landfills around the world every year. We buy 'old', leftover, and over-ordered fabric from other designers and fabric warehouses. This allows us to reuse and divert these materials from the landfill and into your closet. It looks better than it sounds.
Some of our stuff is made using vintage materials. We buy vintage pieces from wholesalers to repurpose into new pieces. We also source lots of one-of-a-kind stuff for our stores. Remanufactured clothing can save more than 13,000 pounds of CO2 emissions per person, per year. Also, it’s super cute.
LINEN
Linen is made from flax, and is one of the best fabrics out there! It is strong, breezy, and oh so gentle to your skin and the planet. Linen uses basically no water, and emits ¼ of the carbon as cotton per pound of fiber.
RECYCLED WOOD PALLETS &STEEL OFF CUTS
Wood pallets, used to transport freight and goods, are often discarded after the merchandise is delivered. We upcycle these discards by creating modern furniture pieces. Steel Offcuts used in the trailer manufacturing industry are also used in our furniture design