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tonlé

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Based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, tonlé produce a sustainable, wearable, womenswear fashion collection. Featuring piecework, tonal color blocking, gradating color stories, and tone on tone patchwork, the collection is punctuated with intriguing engineered block prints and artisanal hand knit shrugs. All designs are based on zero waste principles, with tonlé’s entire aesthetic based around the creative problem solving required to design from other people’s left over scraps of recycled materials. Tonlé also find a way to incorporate their own waste back into designs, with their designers working side by side with their production teams to incorporate even the smallest scraps that would otherwise end up in landfill. Even the tiniest textile scraps are utilized through tedious hand cutting, individually sewn back into yarn, which is then either knitted or woven into new fabric.

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Adhering to principles of transparency and fairness in everything they do, tonlé procure 10% of their total material resources from small, local suppliers, for things such as locally sourced clay belt buckles carved from reclaimed scrap wood. Employees earn well above the local minimum wage, as well as receive benefits and on the job training. tonlé encourage employees to move up the employment ladder through job creation and promotion.

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The traditional assembly method of production is thrown out the window, in favor of a team structure where individuals work on various types of products to improve their skills. In an effort to foster an environment where employees enjoy working, are given the confidence to rebuild their lives, and can express their creativity freely. Tonlé encourage a positive female body image, by featuring untouched images and models with a variety of body types. Endevoring to connect people at opposite ends of the supply chain through transparent policies and marketing, tonlé have built a culture of communication, where everyone is celebrated as a partner. The invest thought and care into every step of production in an effort to ensure that each piece has the smallest environmental footprint and the maximum social benefit possible.

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Website: www.tonledesign.com