The State of Georgia was once an area known for its textile innovation. But the industry has waned over time, as US apparel companies have shipped most manufacturing overseas.
But Atlanta entrepreneur Tia Robinson sees an opportunity to change that narrative…one piece of athleisure at a time.
Robinson is the founder of Vertical Activewear, a sustainable clothing line that focuses on on-demand creations.
On one side is the fashion brand, which brings sustainably-produced activewear pieces to consumers. Clothi
ng items are produced in Atlanta with plant-based and recycled materials. Yes, creating “fashion forward” pieces is important for the brand, Robinson told Hypepotamus. But so is helping consumers build “capsule” wardrobes, or a minimalist collection that focuses on conscious purchasing and more sustainable outfits.
Using a vertically integrated supply chain, Vertical Activewear pieces are produced when ordered, which decreases waste associated with overproduction.
The fashion line itself draws inspiration for its colors and patterns from nature, with the latest collection borrowing from Riviera Maya’s sustainability efforts.
There is also the B2B service side of the business, which provides on-demand manufacturing for other apparel companies. The B2B side focuses on small batch manufacturing for “entrepreneurs that really want to build their brand and they want to be able to scale with some type of retail element without having to spend a lot of money on inventory,” added Robinson. This means a client can launch their own sustainable apparel brand is 90 days.
This helps eliminate some of the stress and financial burden associated with launching a brand.
“When you look at apparel manufacturing, a lot of companies use forecasting to determine how many garments they want to produce. But a third of that never sells. It ends up going on clearance or if it’s not sold that way, then it goes and ends up in landfills. So there’s a lot of textile waste that comes from the manufacturing process itself.
Manufacturing During The Pandemic
Robinson worked in marketing and corporate communications at AT&T, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Moxie, and The Home Depot before diving into the world of apparel. Around 2011 she fell in love with group fitness classes – with yoga and a variety of dance classes quickly becoming a huge part of her routine.
But she struggled to find activewear that fit her style and her body type.
She enlisted outside help to create athletic clothing that worked for her. But people in her classes took notice, and she soon realized how difficult it was people to find high-quality, sustainably-focused clothing.
Vertical Activewear launched its first collection in 2019. But pandemic supply chain issues helped her realize how difficult it was for small businesses like hers to find manufacturers that could fulfill their requests, which ultimately helped jumpstart the B2B portion of Vertical and helped her move the manufacturing side in-house.
“If you don’t own your supply chain, your business is really at the whim of other people in their timeline. And I never want to feel like I am missing out on opportunities,” she told Hypepotamus.
While Robinson knows that places like LA and New York might be more natural places to launch an apparel brand, she believes building in Atlanta brings its unique benefits.
She recently joined ATDC, the State’s business incubator, where she is focused on “putting Atlanta on the map” for sustainable manufacturing.
