Meet Katherine Quigley | Founder and CEO of Sustain by Kat

We had the good fortune of connecting with Katherine Quigley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katherine, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When I was pregnant with my son, I started to become more careful about my choices, realizing that every choice I made now affected the little guy growing inside me. I initially started with food – being diligent to eat more organic, non-processed foods. But after some research I began to realize that what I put on my body could also have a serious effect on my health. While I found options for chemical-free lotions and safe sunscreens, what I learned about clothing startled me. The vast majority of clothing is laden with harmful and toxic chemicals. They use petroleum-derived fibers, carcinogenic dyes and there are over 8,000 chemicals used in the processing and creation of modern textiles like clothing. Not to mention that these same chemicals end up in our waterways and are responsible for 17%-20% of global water pollution. I couldn’t find any options that were truly safe for myself, my son and our Earth, so I decided to create my own.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The most unique aspect of my business is that all of the clothing and accessories are 100% natural. While there are many clothing companies out there that claim to be natural, they typically only refer to the fabric and exclude the petrochemical dyes and post-treatments used, the synthetics elastics, lace and other trim, and the industry standard polyester sewing thread. All of the clothing Sustain makes are 100% natural, using plant and mineral dyes that have been safely used for hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of years, and using organic cotton trim, natural rubber elastic and organic sewing thread so that every single thing that touches a customer’s skin is safe and chemical-free. It also means that all of our clothing is fully biodegradable.

It wasn’t an easy feat to make everything truly all-natural. Many of the materials my company uses are very hard to find, and in some cases were impossible to find. For the latter, we ended up making them in-house ourselves. For example, I haven’t found a single company in the world that sells naturally dyed organic sewing thread, so we naturally dye all our own thread here in Los Angeles. Also, I am very particular about the natural dyes we use, making sure only to use the longest lasting natural dyes with the broadened range of resistance to stains. So, with a couple exceptions for handwoven, naturally yarn-dyed fabrics that are made by a non-profit charitable trust we work with, I do all our naturally dyeing in Los Angeles. I was able to use my strong scientific background (I have a B.S. in Biology and a M.S. in biomedical engineering) over the last several years to develop a deep understanding and expertise in the science behind natural dyeing. I learned early on that if I wanted everything to be made according to my high standards, I needed to understand it myself – either so that I could do it myself, as in the case of natural dyeing, or so that I could accurately explain to a supplier I was working with what exactly was needed.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My two favorite things about California are the natural beauty and the food. If my best friend was visiting, I’d definitely take her on some of my favorite hikes – like the Grotto, Solstice, Escondido Falls or Saint Ynes. We would also have to hang out at the beach, of course. I love to take the bike path down to Manhattan, or up to Venice. It’s a great way to see the city.

For food, we’d eat Mexican food a bunch, since the Mexican food in LA is amazing. I love the organic tacos from Tocaya, so I’d hit that for sure. For dinner, we’d check out my favorite vegan places (I’m mostly vegan) – Shojin and Sestina.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
At the risk of sounding cliche, I need to thank my husband. Starting your own business is not easy (or cheap), yet he has been nothing but supportive. Through my long work days, his taking extra shifts with the kids, and him helping out while we both worked weekend after weekend to create and grow my company, he has been there. I couldn’t have done this without him.

Website: www.sustainbykat.com

Instagram: @sustainbykat

Twitter: @sustainbykat

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SustainbyKat/