Raw Materials
At TOA, natural is a synonym of good taste. We believe that this is the best way to dress; from the inside to the outside. We therefore combine our items with two eco-friendly, vegan and natural materials; organic cotton and cork. By using these two items, we are actively contributing to a greener movement within the fashion industry, where nature, animals, and people are at the forefront of everything that we do.
Find out why we love our products so much!
ORGANIC COTTON
Yes, our cotton is 100% organic. But, the most important in this statement is asking why? What makes our cotton be organic? Because it comes from cotton plantations where no pesticides, toxic fertilizers or GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) are ever used. TOA cotton is grown in a sustainable way, where agriculture is diversified and our ecological footprint doesn’t go far - organic cotton uses 88% less water and 62% less energy.
Conventional cotton uses about 16% of insecticides and 7% of pesticides globally that end up in the soil, the atmosphere, watercourses, contaminating everything we breathe, eat and drink. We don´t have to pay so much to get dressed, do we?
TOA stands with the ethical fashion and we can prove it. Our cotton materials are GOTS certified, a “green” standard to all organic cotton.
Why we use organic cotton:
Comfort - Its natural properties are not chemically removed, making the material lightweight and smooth;
Hypoallergenic - Without chemicals in its fibres, allergies are kept at bay;
Socially Sustainable - Promoting the work of local farmers and their families, as well as their health and wellbeing, by not exposing them to toxic chemicals;
A Future led model - The cultivation of organic cotton allows us to face the water crisis by being a more sustainable model.
CORK
There is so much to say about this 100% natural, versatile, charismatic, and vegan raw material that lives abundantly in the natural Portuguese landscape. Let’s start by highlighting that the Cork Oak gives cork life, but it does not lose its own in the process. Cork is extracted manually from this iconic Mediterranean tree which then spends the next 9 years naturally regenerating itself.
By selecting cork as one of the materials we use we are aiding the increase of Cork Oak forests in Portugal. They in turn, will retain CO2 (global warming’s best friend), creating unique ecosystems, which contribute to healthy soil and the regulation of the hydraulic cycle. A beautiful green story which can last for over 300 years - the lifespan of a Cork Oak.
This eco-friendly and vegan material is also curious to be the only natural material to be used by man without interruption over millenia. And if our old (and contemporary) have used it in various everyday objects, today, we, TOA, take advantage of its unique softness and aesthetics to creatively apply in organic cotton clothing. With cork, the fashion industry is original.
Cork is:
100% natural
Biodegradable
Hypoallergenic
Waterproof
Comfortable
Thermal
Unique - unrepeatable
Long-lasting
Washable