Sabrina’s clothing tells Afghani womens’ stories. Starting with the X-Pant, and more to come. In exciting news, we are planning a new collection! This process has us thinking of our archives, and reminding ourselves to stay true to the brand’s mission.
What makes our X-Pant so special and unique?
Peran tumban, a piece of Afghan men’s clothing traditionally worn under a long shirt dress, was the inspiration that birthed the X-pant. “Peran” refers to the top, and “tumban” are the pants worn as a more conservative and baggy piece. This men’s garment paired with the Afghani turban, for over 40 years, has become a symbol of power, masculinity, and exclusivity. The vision for this pant was to illustrate versatility in how women can claim their own individuality and express themselves confidently however they desire.
How are these pants made?
A lot of time and care goes into the signature X-Pant. They are made with beautiful, high-quality silks, and constructed by our partners in Detroit. We heavily align with the sentiment of the “Who Made My Clothes?” campaign, and source our manufacturing partners specifically to align with what we believe is our responsibility as a brand:
.We source for safe working conditions for garment workers.
.We source for fair wages and fair hours for garment workers.
.We source for ethical use of materials.
We believe everyone whose hands our X-Pants pass through deserve dignity, respect, and financial security. We also want our supporters, subscribers and clients to feel empowered in apparel purchasing decisions. Unethical business practices are one of fashion’s best known secrets. But why do brands behave this way? Well, it starts at the top.
Larger conglomerates and fast-fashion brands rely on their customers to be unaware (or at least, unconcerned) of dangerous labor practices in the garment industry in order to retain the “race-to-the-bottom”. Basically, cutting any and all corners to make more money, especially at the disadvantage of the more blue-collar workers. This allows them to make their products’ prices incredibly cheap, which appeals to a majority of people. And of course it does, who doesn’t love a sweet deal on fashionable clothes? We sure do. But at what cost?
The fact of the matter is: pants should not cost less than $20. And if they do, something fishy is going on. We’ve been very conditioned to believe that some clothes are just more expensive than others, but that’s not necessarily true. Let’s do a transparency breakdown of our X-Pant to illustrate what we mean:
COST TO PRODUCE THE X-PANT:
Total: $214.50
We are incredibly proud of our beautiful X-Pants, as well as all of our other pieces in past collections. This is our cost breakdown, A great perk of having an independent fashion brand means that we have the power to make responsible decisions when it comes to sourcing, and we uphold our standards across the board. We see sourcing as an opportunity to make positive connections in our industry, and provide both a healthy work life and financial support to individuals that construct our garments.
This practice however, does impact our clothing’s affordability. Using high-quality materials and engaging in ethical sourcing means at the end of the day, our items -will- be more expensive than others. And that’s okay!
What can we do as a brand to allow our clients and supporters more accessibility to high-quality fashion, while also maintaining our responsibility as a brand to our sourcing network?
One of the most efficient ways that we are able to promote accessibility to our collections while also maintaining our brand’s mission is offering rentals, which we will be adopting for our X-Pant collection on the site. You can now rent your favorite X-Pant for your next big stylish endeavor! This allows for quick and easy access to the X-Pant for a lower price. There will be options of time lengths to choose from, available size ranges, and perfect short-term commitment so you can try different styles.
We hope to expand this service to our other pieces in the vault, let us know which garments you’d like to see rent-able. Details of rentals can be viewed online on our X-Pant Page , and feel free to visit our contact page with any specific questions!