How long have you been in business?
10 years as SS. Rebrand as ethical fashion last year.
How did you come up with the name of your company?
When I began Swankety Swank, I was looking to build a business that redefines true swankiness as luxury that is ethical. That serious determination for what is right, combined with the swagger of hip-hop, raver, street kid personality is how it happened. We rebranded last year into the evolution of sophisticated athleisurewear using mostly hemp.
What does “sustainable fashion” mean to you?
Sustainable fashion means slow fashion, made without harm to others, made to last, and made with quality.
What inspired you to start a sustainable fashion line?
As a maker and independent business woman, I have brought many ideas to market. I always wanted to work seriously in fashion because I love it, but just was able to focus on it with last year’s rebranding of Swankety Swank.
What is your company’s mission?
Our over-all goal and mantra is “hemp in every closet”! The Swankety Swank mission is to provide goods of quality, beauty and function with love for all people and life on this gorgeous planet Earth.
Do you have a 5 or 10-year vision for your company that you could share with us?
My vision is to bring forth very wearable unisex pieces that are produced and sold on a large scale in an ethical way in 8 sizes (xs to 4x), because THAT is how the fashion industry changes.
Who is your customer?
ALL who want quality, comfortable, long lasting clothes that look and feel good. The Swankety Swank brand has always appealed to the “conscious consumer” and that group is ever expanding with the education of the internet and the spread of the Global Citizen mentality.
What is something you wish people knew about sustainable fashion?
What I wish more people knew was how magnificent they feel in better clothing. When I transformed my own wardrobe from fast fashion low-quality cheap bargains into gloriously produced, mostly natural fabric outfits, it upgraded my entire life.
What’s the most challenging thing about running a sustainable business?
The costs, of course, are a challenge and the fabrics that I love the most are rare and often I must wait months to get them.
Is there someone who inspires you and why?
I am inspired by Eileen Fisher, as she has accomplished a larger scale version of sustainable fashion.
Other than your own, which sustainable fashion brands do you like?
Eileen Fisher, Fifth Dimension Clothing, Threads 4 Thought
Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you or your company?
We love to play with gender fluidity and design that changes the stereotypes of what people think about hemp.
Just For Fun
What’s your spirit animal?
Snake (thrives in hemp fields)
Yabette Swank says
Thank you for this platform to bring more awareness to ethical fashion brands!!
Christelle says
Thank YOU!