ES VALORES DE EMPRESA
We've chosen transfeminism as the starting point of our project because it fills us with rage and love; it moves us; it gives us life; it shows us our rights; it makes us grow; it makes us understand; it makes us fight and gives us power.
We employ discourse that subverts ideas about women and femininity. We seek to challenge stereotypes and traditional gender roles, denouncing the inequality, subjugation, and frustration experienced by women who, being fully conscious of their rights, see them denied time and again by a patriarchal model of reality—a model whose social, economic and political evolution lags behind current thinking.
Since 2010 working on this project we're immensely pleased with the feedback we've received, the debates we've had, and everything we've learned along the way, not to mention the pride we feel for the community we've built. But Las CulpaSS aren't just passionate about feminism. We care about supporting local businesses, up-cycling, slow fashion and other consumer movements. Our pistoleras, fanny packs, patches and Riot Bags are manufactured entirely in Murcia by a small network of studios. The suppliers that provide the materials are chosen based on the quality of their products, the competitiveness of their prices and where they are located. The FABRICS used to make our clothes and accessories are purchased from local suppliers that sell excess materials from other producers in the region. Consequently, these fabrics are not necessarily produced locally or nationally and quantities are very limited: around 15 pieces per run.
BUTTONS, ZIPPERS, AND OTHER METAL ELEMENTS are manufactured in an industrial park 12 km from our studio. When we can't find a local supplier that has what we need we will buy from suppliers throughout Spain. This is the case with our zippers and bra cups, which are made in Barcelona, and the nylon used in our pistoleras and fanny packs, which we buy in Madrid. Some of our accessories are made with unneeded pieces of LEATHER that we get for free from large footwear and accessory companies in neighboring Alicante.
While we don't think it's ethical to pay for this material, we do believe using reclaimed leather is a sustainable option, since otherwise it would end up in landfills. It's also preferable to plastic materials like imitation leather, which has a short usable life and highly polluting manufacturing process.
The T-SHIRTS and SWEATSHIRTS that we sell but don't produce ourselves are from the brand Gildan and come through a supplier based in Girona (Spain).
We've chosen this brand for its quality and wide range of sizes as well as its commitment to responsible production: the brand is certified by WRAP (Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production) and complies with the regulations established by the Fair Labor Association (FLA), and requires the same of its external suppliers. If you'd like to know more, below you can find their code of ethics. We are looking into the possibility of offering basic t-shirts and sweatshirts made in Spain with sustainable materials, but because we are a small, self-managed business, for now we can't take on the additional costs this would entail.
The SILK SCREENING shops that do the printing for our clothes are also located within a 10-15 km radius from our studio. They are small family-run businesses with whom we work closely and have become friends. The TAGS that we sew into our apparel and accessories are made in Elche—it's good to know that the Spanish garment and textile industry hasn't completely died out. The EMBROIDERY for our patches is done at a workshop in a village 4 km from our studio. It's another small but growing company.
The DENIM holsters are born with the collection of clothes that is made in the more than one thousand containers Project Abraham has spread throughout the Region of Murcia. The collection of these garments is made by an average of 15 people: production workers and insertion workers. We bought these jeans from Proyecto Abraham and we paid for the preparation of the pockets they made in El Costurerico, a workshop that employs people at risk of social exclusion, an initiative of the same association.
Y para acabar desde Las CulpaSS queremos darte 4 briconsejos para que entre todis contribuyamos menos a la destrucción de nuestro planeta, ya que la moda es la 2º industria más contaminante de nuestro planeta, sólo superada por el petróleo. (There´s not Planet B).
What to do with your purchase's packaging:
Our clothes are sent wrapped in paper to protect them, and placed in a shipping envelope. You can put the paper in the recycling container. Regarding the shipping bag: it is a plastic bag provided by the courier company. We are looking for alternatives, but we have not found any agency that has different bags, so the only thing we can do at the moment is reuse them as many as we can. When our suppliers send us things, we always reuse the boxes, bags and packaging for another shipment; We invite you to do the same and give it a second, third or fourth life. Or if, on the other hand, you don't have anything to send, you can take it to the nearest recycling point.
Once you have your guilty piece in your hands and it's time to wash it, we ask you to be eco-friendly. Many of the chemicals present in laundry detergents have a negative environmental impact, so aim for those with an eco-label. Always use the recommended dose on the packaging. Using more detergent will not make your clothes cleaner. And if you also decide not to use fabric softener, the environment will thank you too 🙂
And when time passes...
If you have bought a t-shirt and after wearing it a lot you get tired of it, we recommend you to visit our YouTube channel and watch the tutorial we have on cutting t-shirts. We encourage you to tune it and love it again like the first day. If what you have bought is a holster, a dress or something else, you can give it to someone or donate it to an organization so that it can be reused by someone else. And just like with t-shirts, you can give it a second life by customizing it, for example putting some patches on it (on our YouTube channel you can also find a tutorial on sewing embroidered patches).
If you'd like to know anything else about our materials, suppliers or production process, please feel free to write us at weare@lasculpass.com and we'll try to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you for making the effort to be a responsible consumer.