About

Luvxmi Clothing is run by 20 year old artist and McGill University Drop Out Emily Luu. Everything is made in Montreal from locally sourced and/or recycled materials. 

Maintaining and reviving Montreal's remainders of what used to be one of the biggest places in Canada for clothes manufacturing is a priority when it comes to contributing to the fashion industry. What makes me happy is going to these local fabric and sewing supply stores that have been here for decades, and knowing that I am helping this community that might just fade out really soon without our help.

Why is it important to support local businesses as an artist, or really, as anyone at all?

To begin with, supporting people in your community directly affects you and the people who surround you. It may be people that you know, or people that your friends or family know. It may be the stranger sitting next to you in the bus, or the aunt you never really speak to. For example, choosing to buy from your local sewing supply store, or choosing to get your t-shirts printed here as opposed to overseas, helps people around you find jobs or it helps them keep their jobs. Every dollar you spend is a vote towards which company or which store you want to keep in business. Buying locally helps our economy run, and the economy affects each and everyone of us in this community.

Then, going local as an individual is better simply because it reduces waste and pollution. When you get things shipped from overseas, it either comes to you by boat or by air. Many of the things you see in store arrive from different countries all over the world. China, Cambodia, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and the list goes on. As consumers, we have to think about the impact that shipping all of these items has on the environment. Shipping by boat releases oils and chemicals into our water that is already right now being wasted so quickly. Boats also pollute the air with harmful gas emission, such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides [1] . The growth of the aviation industry has caused carbon dioxide emission to triple since 1990 [2]. Choosing to buy locally significantly reduces damages on the environment because one can simply walk, take the bus, or do a short drive to the store. This is something to consider when you are a starting business because you are probably thinking about getting a large amount of stock made, and having bulks shipped can cost a lot to you and to the environment. 

Finally, it just makes more sense to get your things made locally as an artist. If you care about your business and your brand, would you not want to see how the people who are making your products proceed to manufacture them? Would you not want to see how these people spend your money? I would want to see their methods, the work environment, the people involved, in order to understand the process. This is not something you can easily do if you order your items from a company overseas, but if you are dealing with locals, you are just probably about one phone call away to find out, and they will most likely let you visit their workshop.

Supporting local businesses is about creating and sustaining a community. It is about helping one another while helping ourselves, because in a community, we all depend on each other, and your actions affect everyone else around you. I want to apply this concept to fashion because it seems to me the industry lacks the sense of inclusive community. Fashion wants to be individualistic and unique. We live in an era where everyone is trying to be the spotlight, everyone is trying to blow up as a brand, but no one is thinking about other people. I believe that by getting my ressources locally, I am making new connections with people who are so close to me, and together we are directly making an impact on our city, our economy, and our environment. 

Why is your about page so long?

Because I am such a fashion and ethic nerd that I wish everyone would do this. I wish brands would disclose information about how they manufacture their clothes, about where they are made, and about their personal work ethics. And when I see that a brand does not do that, I doubt. And I unfortunately have to retreat myself from them. When I start liking a brand, especially a clothing brand, I want to know everything about it.

And I believe that we can change fashion for the best all together.

-Em

Work Cited

[1] "Marine Problems: Shipping." WWF Global, http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/blue_planet/problems/shipping/

[2] "Air travel and climate change." David Suzuki Foundation, October 5 2017, https://davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/air-travel-climate-change/