Eco-friendly fashion brand Bimby + Roy leads the way with sublimated clothing
Bimby + Roy is an eco-friendly fashion brand leading the way in printing sublimated clothing. They focus on creating unique garments using the simplest and most environmentally-friendly processes possible.
From their island home, Fiji, the cornerstone of their business is using dye sublimation printing on their products. This garment-making technique has become increasingly popular in the fashion industry in recent years – and for good reason. But what exactly is it?
What is the process of printing sublimated clothing?
Essentially, sublimation printing is the process of putting designs onto a special transfer paper. It is then heat-pressed over the top of the garments. This causes the design to transfer onto the material cleanly. The dye does not become a liquid but instead a gas. It is, therefore, more incorporated into the fabric of the sublimated clothing than it would otherwise be with traditional techniques.
A computer printer that works with polyester and polymer-coated substrates is used to transfer the designs onto the speciality paper. Furthermore, sublimation printing is only effective when using 100% white polyester.
This technique covers garment areas previously ‘unreachable’ in the printing and dye processes effectively. Whereas previous processes like direct-to-garment, screen printing and transfer printing often resulted in blank spacing around designs, dye sublimation covers every detail.
Why did Bimby + Roy want to utilise the sublimation printing technique?
Bimby + Roy made sublimation printing their chosen technique as they aim to be a leading eco-friendly fashion brand. Their designs are manufactured ethically at a large-scale factory in their beloved homeland. They wanted to ensure no adverse effects on Fiji’s natural environment due to the manufacture of their garments. By choosing sublimation printing, there would be no concern that ink dyes might end up in local waterways. The speciality papers used in the sublimation process are donated to recycling plants nearby to the factory. This continues the cycle of sustainability, as it is recycled to make products like toilet paper for locals.
How does Bimby + Roy contribute to the growth of slow fashion?
Beyond sublimation printing aligning with Bimby + Roy’s sustainable practice commitment, they also found that printing sublimated clothing allows for colour fastness. This is the resistance of a material product to change colour characteristics through fading or running. Running is where the colourants of the garment transfer to adjacent materials. Because of this, Bimby + Roy’s hardy garments encourage longevity of wear and less of the fast fashion turn-around. Sublimated clothing is the way to go!
Bimby bralettes, bottoms, mini tights and siqeletis are made from recycled polyester + spandex. Their products are quick dry due to the blend, allowing versatility in doubling as swimwear for impromptu swims. Due to the stretch, breastfeeding mothers are also finding comfort in being able to feed easily (pulling up or down the cup) as an alternative to the standard maternity clipped bra. They also have a generous following of yogis who appreciate the stretchy clasp-free wear.
By being multi-use, long-lasting and able to follow women through various life stages, Bimby + Roy clothing reduces the demand for multiple pieces, participating in the rise of slow fashion.
What else makes Bimby + Roy a leading eco-friendly fashion brand?
As highlighted in our previous blog, the fashion industry is responsible for more than a quarter of the global production of plastics each year.
With this in mind, we are proud to highlight Bimby + Roy as a top eco-friendly fashion brand in their use of compostable postage bags across their business. The concept is simple, the postage bags that Bimby + Roy products are delivered in are entirely compostable and can be tossed into vegetable patches to decompose over time. This simple measure is yet another example of how this fashion label is doing something different.
Furthermore, Bimby + Roy’s chief manufacturer built the first solar-powered facility in the region. Using solar energy to create garments in the sun-drenched islands of Fiji is a principal way this label supports the rise of eco-conscious fashion. Their solar-powered manufacturer reduces emissions from machinery and generates power without negatively affecting the natural environment around them.
Bimby + Roy are passionate about producing smaller production batches from recycled polyester materials while keeping solar-powered energy at the forefront.
Alongside this, with support from the Australian government, a childcare centre right next to the manufacturing facility was opened in early-2019. With help from the government and charitable donations, fees for child care were heavily subsidised. This allowed the children of mothers and fathers who worked at the factory to be close by during work hours. Bimby + Roy was incredibly proud to be a part of that initiative. Sadly COVID-19 forced the facility’s closure, but they hope to reopen the centre soon in a more stabilised global climate.
What is our connection to the eco-friendly fashion brand Bimby + Roy?
We have worked with Bimby + Roy for many years to support their sustainability journey. This brand was born from the minds of two sisters with a passion for their homeland. As their business progresses, we have seen them become a leader of the slow fashion frontier. They are proud to be an eco-friendly fashion brand, and we are proud to support them in these endeavours.
We’ve worked with Immago for several years and appreciate the easement of their professionalism and approachability in finding solutions for our business. We look forward to continuing our association with Immago, as our business progresses.
If you want to know more about how we can support businesses in this field, please get in touch. Furthermore, we have many sustainable packaging solutions on our website that could help you in your sustainable manufacturing journey.