Most Prominent Co: We Spoke To The Socially-Conscious Brand About Being Eco-Friendly In The Fashion Industry
Supporting sustainable fashion through meaningful stories.
We spoke to Avery Antonio who is the founder/creative director of the brand Most Prominent Co about the sustainable and ethical practices that go into creating their clothes. The brand believes ‘fashion can be a force for good’ which is visible in everything Most Prominent Co. creates and sell. The social-conscious brand ensures their clothes are made from ‘quality materials’ so they last longer and include messages which resonate with their audience. From projects such as the Akasa Community Pop-up Market which supported healthy eating in low-income neighborhoods, donating 8% of every purchase to victims and first-responders of the 2018 California Fires and most recently the REMAKE World project where 15% of proceeds were donated towards empowering female garment workers through documentaries. It is clear the core of the fashion brand is to serve and support others whilst also being in style with emerging trends.
It’s refreshing to see a WOC as an owner of a successful fashion brand. Did you always want to launch your own fashion brand?
We appreciate that FizzyMag noticed this. We need more media coverage on women of color creatives and business owners.
I’ve always had a creative bug in me and have been into fashion since high school. It wasn’t until university when I took a course on Environmental and Occupational Health that opened my eyes to the realities of laborers in any industry.
That lead me to deeply research the conditions of laborers in the garment manufacturing industry. Immediately I decided to dedicate my love for fashion to serve the underrepresented people behind our clothes--garment workers.
What is the creative message behind the brand?
Our primary message zoomed out is to be intentional and do more with whatever you create, purchase, or wear. In the case for Most Prominent Co., we use garments to foster a culture of social consciousness. Each piece is a platform to tell narratives around fair labor, sustainability, consumption, and community.
We love the brand’s cool streetwear pieces. Are there any inspirations behind the clothes?
Visually, our inspiration is often drawn from the past though we are not married to anyone era. Trends are eternally changing. We want to keep the pieces timeless so that years from now they can still be worn.
Our designs are heavily dependent on the story at hand. Each piece we release has a common theme highlighting a specific organization, issue, or other related messages. We incorporate elements of the message at hand in a way that we can educate and resonate with our audience.
We are hearing the words “sustainable” and “ethical” more in the fashion industry. How do these concepts apply to Most Prominent Co?
Similar to the previous answers, it is the foundation of what Most Prominent Co. is built on. Everything we create, share and do revolve around a common theme and focus the story.
We are intentional about what we source and how we produce. We either source from organic fibers or ensure we are using quality materials so that the pieces can last longer.
Our latest MAKE IT LAST Program promotes a circular economy. People can send us their unwanted clothes, we upcycle them, and in return, the sender gets 15% off their next purchase and chooses a non-profit or other organization for the proceeds to go to if that item sells. Everyone benefits through this program--the sender makes room in their closet, we give the clothes a new life, the chosen non-profit/organization gets 15% of proceeds, and landfills are less burdened with textiles.
Our production process is either in-house particularly with the MAKE IT LAST Program or outsourced to a local garment manufacturer whom we give back to in some form whether it be donations or cleaning their facility.
From the sold-out pieces online, it is clear the brand’s popularity is increasing (congrats!), were there any obstacles in the process? If so, which obstacle was the hardest?
Obstacles are an ongoing part of any business. Like any brand in its infant stage, there definitely have been difficulties as they relate to operations, direction, and impact. The challenge is outputting upcycled pieces on an ongoing basis as Most Prominent Co. is currently a two-WOC-ran brand. Although we have a team that spans across multiple parts of Northern America from Los Angeles to Canada, the production is still out of Los Angeles.
And finally, are there any launches we should look out for? By ‘launches’, I mean any pieces of clothing etc..
Your timing couldn’t have been any more perfect. We are actually going through a rebranding phase and will be releasing an entire relaunch collection in October to be more focused on our new mantra, “Made for more.”
The collection will feature new fall pieces and upcycled pieces from the MAKE IT LAST Program/clothes drive that we held in April for Fashion Revolution Week. Stay tuned!
Next up, Bolivian Fashion Designer Fera Schmidt Talks Design And Creating Her Nike Sneaker
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