URSA Textiles

Hi friends, after almost a decade of developing + operating a handmade knitwear and accessories label, we've discontinued our wholesale business and have been winding down production in preparation for a shift of focus towards a different kind of business model. There are so many factors contributing to this decision, from global inflation and runaway operating costs, unstable supply chains, and wildly costly shipping fees, to a general frustration with mass consumerism and a desire to find new solutions to one of the biggest contributors to climate change: fashion industry waste.

Argentina increased its importation of secondhand garments 26,000% since 2024, making Argentina a textile dumping ground for mainly cheap, synthetic, damaged / stained, or otherwise unsuitable garments for resale, originating from China, the US, and clothing dumps in Chile's Atacama Desert. In the face of our country carelessly volunteering to import waste and put both the environment and public health at risk, it's hard to forge ahead in a competitive business without taking a hard look at how I / my company, could be trying to address such a massive problem, that, while potentially insurmountable, cannot be ignored.

Basically, it feels like the right time to 1) ease up on struggling to conform to a small business model that more and more feels like trying to fit a square into a circular opening, and 2) build up a new sustainable business that prioritizes innovation, creativity, community, collaboration, and reuse / repair as a tool of protest. This will probably look like classes and workshops, garment repair and upcycling, and a circular model for repurposing material.

Rambling rant continued in comments 💅