Sustainable Style: Aden Bera’s Commitment to On-Demand Printing

Launching a brand in today’s fashion landscape is a complicated endeavor. It forces us to ask difficult questions. How do we share our creativity with the world without contributing to its destruction? How do we offer style without sacrificing substance?

At Aden Bera, we are currently in the midst of a significant relaunch. As we introduce our new brand of apparel, specifically our hooded sweatshirts and T-shirts, we have made a deliberate choice to step away from the traditional, volume-based business models that have dominated the industry for decades.

Instead, we are embracing On-Demand Printing.

This is just a logistical decision.We have found that at this time the on-demand production model presents the only logical path forward for a company that cares about its environmental footprint.

In this post, we want to pull back the curtain on how this process works, why we chose it, the honest realities of our supply chain, and why we are asking you to wait a little longer for your clothes.

The Silent Crisis: The Problem of "Deadstock"

To understand why we chose on-demand printing, we first have to look at the "business as usual" model of fashion.

Traditionally, a brand estimates what people might like. They place a massive order—let’s say, 5,000 units of a specific hoodie—manufacture them overseas, ship them to a warehouse, and then cross their fingers hoping they sell. This is called "Just-in-Case" manufacturing.

But what happens when they guess wrong? What happens when trends shift overnight, or the weather changes, or a color just doesn't resonate?

You are left with Deadstock: brand new, unworn clothing that has no buyer.

Have you ever wondered where clothing goes when it doesn't sell? It is a question most consumers rarely ask, assuming that unsold items are simply stored away or eventually find a home. The reality is far grimmer. There are a few options for clothing that doesn’t sell, and most of them are devastating to the planet.

1. The Landfill

Unfortunately, a significant portion of unsold inventory ends up in landfills. Despite global efforts to minimize waste, many retailers struggle to find sustainable solutions for disposing of excess merchandise. This leads to massive environmental concerns related to textile waste and landfill pollution. When synthetic fibers sit in landfills, they do not decompose; they sit for hundreds of years, releasing methane and microplastics into the soil.

2. Incineration

It is one of fashion's darkest open secrets: luxury and high-street brands often burn their unsold stock to "protect brand value." They would rather turn their product to ash than see it sold at a discount or given away. This releases carbon and chemicals directly into the atmosphere, rendering the entire resource-intensive production process pointless.

3. Liquidation

If apparel fails to sell even after markdowns, retailers may resort to liquidation. Excess inventory is sold to third-party liquidators at deeply discounted prices. These liquidators then sell the merchandise to discount retailers or through online marketplaces. While this extends the life of the garment, it devalues the labor of the people who made it.

4. Down-Cycling (Recycling)

In some cases, unsold t-shirts may be recycled or repurposed. This could involve shredding the fabric to create new textiles or converting the material into insulation. While this is better than a landfill, it is still a loss. The energy, water, and labor used to grow the cotton, spin the yarn, dye the fabric, and sew the shirt are lost when the garment is shredded back down to raw fiber.

The Statistic That Haunts Us: Approximately 80 lbs. of clothing waste per person finds its way into landfills each year. We are steadfastly committed to not contributing to this trend through hasty or ill-considered design decisions.

The Solution: The Aden Bera On-Demand Model

To help prevent our products from becoming statistics, we developed our business on an On-Demand model.

In simple terms: We do not print the shirt until you buy the shirt.

When you browse the Aden Bera store, you are looking at digital representations of our designs. The physical product does not exist yet. It is only when you complete your purchase that the gears start turning. A signal is sent to our production partners, a blank garment is pulled, and your specific design is printed.

This unique system ensures that we produce only the styles you desire. It aligns our supply perfectly with your demand.

Strategic Flexibility and Agility

This model does more than save the planet; it fosters creativity. By embracing on-demand production, we gain the flexibility to control the timing and quantity of our design releases.

In a traditional model, launching a new design is a high-risk gamble involving thousands of dollars in upfront inventory costs. In our model, we can strategically introduce new designs to the market instantly. We have the freedom to randomly showcase specific designs at any given time and remove them just as easily if they aren't resonating.

This allows us to keep our offerings fresh and responsive to evolving trends and customer preferences, enhancing the overall shopping experience. We can take creative risks on niche artistic designs that a traditional retailer would never stock, simply because we don't have to sell 1,000 of them to break even.

Radical Transparency: Who Makes Your Clothes?

At Aden Bera, we believe that sustainability is impossible without transparency. We want to be open about how we are building this business, including the compromises we have had to make.

The Vendor Choice

We have decided to work with larger companies that offer complete, end-to-end on-demand services.

We want to be clear: This was not our first choice.

Our initial vision—our "Plan A"—was to collaborate with a small, local print shop. We wanted to support small business owners and have a hands-on relationship with the people printing our garments. Unfortunately, after months of research and vetting, we did not find a small-scale partner that fit our specific needs at this time.

Many small shops require minimum order quantities (which defeats the purpose of on-demand) or they lacked access to the specific high-quality, organic base garments we require.

Why We Chose Larger Partners (For Now)

While we would prefer a smaller partner, working with larger, established on-demand fulfillment companies offers distinct advantages that benefit you, the customer:

• Quality Control: Quality is paramount to us. By working with larger companies, we can utilize their vast resources for testing and maintaining strict quality control standards. They have the technology to ensure the print holds up in the wash and the color vibrancy is consistent.
• Consistency: Large partners have redundancy. If one machine breaks, they have ten others. This ensures that we can guarantee delivery even during busy seasons.
• Access to Technology: These companies utilize state-of-the-art Direct-to-Garment (DTG) printing tech that uses less water and energy than traditional screen printing setups.

As we grow, we hope to expand our offerings and the list of who we work with. We are still actively looking for the right small-scale partners who can grow with us.

Material Matters: The Organic Cotton Commitment

Our on-demand process is paired with a strict focus on materials. For our hooded sweatshirts and T-shirts, our focus is the use of mostly organic cotton.

Why does this matter? Conventional cotton is often called the "dirtiest crop in the world" due to the heavy use of pesticides and insecticides. By choosing organic, we are supporting farming practices that keep chemicals out of the soil and water.

However, this choice limits who we can work with. Not every print shop carries organic inventory. By insisting on organic cotton, we narrowed our pool of potential partners significantly. This is a constraint we are happy to accept. We would rather have a harder time finding a partner than compromise on the fabric that touches your skin.

By combining Organic Cotton with On-Demand Printing, we achieve a double-layer of sustainability:

1. Input: We use materials that are grown responsibly.
2. Output: We ensure those precious materials are never wasted on a garment that nobody wants.

The Art of Patience: Redefining "Fast" Fashion

We live in the era of Amazon Prime. We live in a culture accustomed to instant gratification, where we expect a package on our doorstep hours after we click a button.

Aden Bera is asking for something different. We are asking for your patience.

Because we commence production only upon receiving your order, our shipping times are longer than what you might be used to from big-box retailers. We do not just pull an item off a shelf and throw it in a bag. The item has to be picked, pre-treated, printed, cured (dried), quality checked, packed, and shipped.

Please bear with us.

We believe that this wait is a small price to pay for a more sustainable future. We invite you to view the shipping time not as an inconvenience, but as an anticipation period. Knowing that your garment is being made for you—not for a warehouse—adds a layer of value to the item.

By starting production only upon receipt of an order, we encourage a more sustainable and intentional approach to consumption. This encourages customers to make thoughtful purchasing decisions and reduces the likelihood of unnecessary waste.

Our Roadmap: The Future of Aden Bera

We are at the beginning of our journey. The on-demand model is our starting line, not our finish line.

Currently, we are using "blanks"—pre-made hoodies and tees from ethical manufacturers that we then print on. This is the most efficient way to launch and ensures the least amount of waste while we learn what you like and don’t like about our brand.

In the future, we look to create our own garments to our exact specifications.

Our dream is to move into "Cut and Sew" manufacturing. This would mean we aren't just printing on existing hoodies, but designing the fit, the stitch, and the fabric blend from scratch. We aim to have full control over the supply chain, from the cotton field to the final stitch.

But to get there, we need to build a foundation of trust and stability. That is what this launch is about.

A Summary of Our Focus

• Minimizing Environmental Impact: Our on-demand printing model is at the forefront of our efforts to reduce waste. By producing items only when they are ordered, we eliminate excess inventory and significantly reduce our environmental footprint.
• Unleashing Creativity: Embracing an on-demand production model allows us to explore a diverse range of styles and designs without the constraints of traditional manufacturing processes.
• Promoting Sustainable Practices: We are normalizing the idea that good things take time.
• Ensuring Quality Control: Leveraging the resources of larger partners to ensure you get a product that lasts.

Join Us on the Journey

We know that this model requires a shift in mindset. It asks you to care about how your clothes are made, not just how much they cost or how fast they arrive.

In essence, our on-demand apparel production model goes beyond sustainability—it grants us the agility and adaptability to curate our collections thoughtfully, ensuring that each design release is deliberate, impactful, and aligned with the needs and desires of our audience.

By choosing Aden Bera, you are not just buying a piece of clothing. You are voting for a different kind of fashion industry. You are embracing sustainable fashion and supporting a commitment to craftsmanship and quality that defines our brand.

We are dedicated to delivering products that not only satisfy your style cravings but also align with our commitment to sustainability and thoughtful design.

Thank you for your patience, your support, and for joining us on this journey towards a more conscious and stylish future.

Stu.Be

Aden Bera