ZERO-CARBON DESIGN

The pieces in this collection were made following my zero-carbon design philosophy built on three core tenets: 

NO ELECTRICITY 

Conventional clothing today is made in factories powered by fossil-fuel energy. Until renewable energy is readily available, our best option is to not use electricity at all. 

Each ANGEL CHANG piece is 100% handmade – from growing the cotton seed to spinning, weaving, dyeing, and sewing. No machine is used in the process. Even the buttons and button-holes are sewn entirely by hand. This is how clothing was made until 200 years ago, before the invention of electricity and rise of the Industrial Revolution. 

For the artisans, their remote mountain villages only received electricity 25 years ago so they are not dependent on it and practice their traditional way of living sustainably with the earth. Sunlight is our light source and everything is hand-crafted outdoors. The climate and weather determine the speed at which the fabric is produced. 

Making clothing this way can only be done using traditional craftsmanship, as it has been practiced for thousands of years. This is ancient couture. 

ALL - NATURAL 

Most clothing today is made from polyester, a plastic fiber made from oil-derived petroleum which is a fossil fuel. The chemical dyes and fabric finishes create toxic wastewater that pollute rivers and oceans. By contrast, our clothing is not made with any of these.

Our collection is made only from what nature provides and from what is seasonal. We grow the raw materials to make our clothing entirely from scratch, based on a farming and harvesting calendar dictated by nature. 

Native-seed cotton is grown organically on family farms. It is unprocessed so it feels the same as when plucked fresh from the field. Boiled leaves for dyeing are food-grade and do not harm the local groundwater; in fact, they can be drunk as an herbal tea. These medicinal plant dyes like native indigo and wild gardenia create a soothing experience when worn on your skin. 

These pieces feel alive, evolve as they age, and become more beautiful over time. 

LOCALLY-MADE 

Unlike conventional clothing that travels around the world to be made, our collection is made within a 30-mile radius – using locally-grown raw materials that nature provides abundantly for free. 

All the fibers, plants, and materials are grown on the land or foraged in the surrounding mountain forest. The entire process from seed to button is done without traveling outside of one location. It’s like growing a garden to make a salad in one’s backyard. 

This hyper-vertical and local approach is how clothing and objects were made throughout human history. There is no reason clothing must travel around the world to be made. We can simply design it using materials and labor found in one location.