There are so many incredible aspects to having a woman owned sustainable brand but one of THE best parts is when we get to shine a light on other women owned sustainable brands. Jillian Clark, owner of Roboro, is an A+P customer with her own incredible company. Roboro is a company that is an upcycled in house design and services studio as their Atelier upcycles textile waste into one-of-a-kind garments for both men and women, as well as lifestyle goods and accessories. Aside from wearable pieces, their commercial upcycling services help companies and events reduce their carbon footprint, by upcycling signage and banners into custom branded products. Companies that are conscious about their carbon footprint are our favorite kind of companies so we couldn’t wait to hear more about what Jillian is doing with Roboro!

A+P: Tell us how you got started with Roboro?

Jillian: I started Roboro in 2017, the company was initially called MeWe Clothing Brand. I was a costume designer for television, film and commercials at the time. As a costume designer you have no choice but to shop fast fashion constantly. While I have always considered myself an environmentalist, I wasn't yet fully aware of the global effects of fast fashion. It wasn't until I saw the documentary, A True Cost, that I realized that my career as a costume designer was directly supporting the world's 2nd most polluting industry. What started as a creative and sustainability outlet of upcycling fabric scraps into small designs, quickly grew to be much more than that. I started doing weekend markets around Los Angeles and my products were picked up by a few local, beautifully curated, boutiques. After a trademark battle in 2019, we decided it was easier to rebrand and honestly it was the best thing that could've happened to us. Our new brand voice better reflects our frustration with the fashion industry as it currently is and our excitement to see it grow and change!

A+P: Where did the name come from?

J: Roboro is a latin word, which means 'to give physical or moral strength to'. I thought this was appropriate considering that upcycling is a way to revive and strengthen otherwise discarded materials and Roboro is hoping to be part of the movement to revive and strengthen the fashion industry.

A+P: How has sustainability impacted your life?

J: I didn't really discover the importance of living sustainability until I was in college. That was when I became more aware of basic life changes such as recycling, thrift shopping and biking instead of driving. As the general consciousness and knowledge of the climate crisis grew, as did my own. But it wasn't until I realized how much I was shopping at places like Forever21 and H&M for my work, and how often I saw those stores called out for bad business practices, that I really began to pay attention. I began to educate myself on the facts surrounding fast fashion and I stopped supporting those brands both personally and with my work. I began trying to only support local and sustainable brands when I was hired to style shoots, which is no easy task with the demands of Hollywood. Once I started the company, I began to make small changes in all aspects of my life. I established which products I replace most frequently and tried to find sustainable alternatives, things like toothpaste and olive oil. I was making my own toothpaste for a short while and buying olive oil in bulk. While admirable, it was so labor intensive! So now I just make sure to purchase olive oil in a glass container, rather than plastic and use zero waste or recyclable toothpaste options. I've found for myself that it is hard to be perfectly sustainable with all my purchases, but it's better to do what we each can and not beat ourselves up over the things we can't.

A+P: What are your aspirations for Roboro?

J: I would love for the company to continue growing our many facets of textile waste reduction. We're already scaling beyond just making upcycled products, but to finding creative ways to globally reduce how much waste is produced by the fashion industry!