SUSTAINABILITY AT LIVE THE PROCESS
Sustainability at Live The Process begins with a direct question: what is this garment made of, what is in contact with the body every day, and what does that repeated exposure mean over time?
The skin is the body’s largest organ. What sits against it daily is not inconsequential. Most activewear, is made from petroleum-derived fibers worn directly against the skin for extended periods, in heat, movement, and friction.
At Live The Process, we are building an alternative. Our approach is defined by three factors: the material, the process, and the lifespan of the garment.
THE MATERIAL
The first decision is always the material. Activewear today is made from petroleum-derived fibers, not only the base fabric, but the stretch component as well. Synthetic fabrics such as polyester and nylon are forms of plastic, processed using dyes, finishes, and treatments that remain in contact with the body throughout wear. They are worn during heat, movement, and friction, conditions that increase contact between material and skin. This is not occasional exposure. It is daily, repeated, and prolonged. Synthetic fabrics were engineered for performance. They were never designed with the body in mind. Research links synthetic dyes and petroleum-derived fibers to endocrine disruption, skin sensitivity and more. The skin does not simply act as a barrier. It absorbs. What sits against it daily, in heat and movement, enters a prolonged and intimate relationship with the body. Most people think carefully about what they consume, the food they eat, the water they drink, the supplements they take. Far less attention is given to what sits against the skin for hours every day. This is the question material selection must answer.
RAWCOTTON™
Raw Cotton exists to redefine what performance can be built from. It is produced using GOTS certified raw organic cotton, the most rigorous global standard governing both how fibers are grown and how textiles are processed. This ensures the material is grown without genetic modification, synthetic pesticides, or chemical fertilizers, and processed under controlled chemical standards at every stage. Each stage of production, from fiber to yarn to fabric, takes place in certified facilities. Constructed as a dense interlock knit, Raw Cotton is engineered for structure, recovery, and shape retention. The stretch component is derived from bamboo, removing all reliance on petroleum-based elastane that most performance fabrics, even those marketed as natural, still depend on. Activewear relies on petroleum. Raw Cotton was developed to remove that dependency entirely. Dyeing uses OEKO-TEX standards, limiting chemical exposure at the final stage closest to the body. The result is a fabric that holds form, moves with the body, and maintains the integrity of what touches the skin without any compromise.
SUPPLEX™
Where specific performance applications require advanced synthetic materials, we use Supplex, the most technically refined fabrications available. Supplex is selected deliberately for what it delivers over time: exceptional colorfastness, structural integrity through repeated wear, and significantly lower microfiber shedding compared to conventional nylon, a result of how the yarn itself is constructed at the fiber level. A garment that holds its color, its shape, and its performance across decades of wear is a more sustainable garment. Supplex is not a compromise. It is a precision material chosen for longevity. A piece built from it is designed to be worn for over a decade, not replaced in a season. Where we use it, we use it intentionally. It is never the foundation. Raw Cotton is. But where it is the right material for the application, we do not avoid it. Material selection at Live The Process is a controlled decision made at the start of every garment. What the body is in continuous contact with is not a secondary consideration. It is the first.
THE PROCESS
How a garment is made determines its impact as much as what it is made from.
LOS ANGELES
Many of our garments are produced within a tightly connected supply chain in Los Angeles, allowing for direct collaboration, reduced transport, and real-time refinement. Our dye house operates with 75% less water usage, 65% less gas consumption, and 45% fewer chemicals compared to conventional processes. The mill is located in close proximity to the factory, minimizing unnecessary movement between production stages. This structure supports tighter quality control, fewer excess samples, and more efficient production.
PORTUGAL
For Raw Cotton, we partner with a specialized technical knit mill in Portugal, where knitting and garment construction take place within the same integrated system. This allows for precision in density, structure, and recovery within a natural fiber, qualities that are difficult to achieve in organic cotton without direct development at the mill level. The organic cotton yarn originates from Turkey, where both the fiber and production facilities are GOTS certified. Working directly with a technical mill enables control across fabric development and final construction. Each stage is monitored from development through production to ensure consistency.
Process is not abstract. It is engineered and controlled.
THE LIFE OF THE GARMENT
The lifespan of a garment defines its true impact.
At Live The Process, garments are developed to maintain structure, compression, and fit through repeated wear. Pieces that hold their form remain in rotation longer, reducing the need for replacement and lowering overall consumption. Durability, recovery, and construction are not afterthoughts. They are requirements built into every garment from the start.
With Raw Cotton, the knit construction itself is responsible for structural longevity. Shape retention is built into the fabric architecture, not forced through synthetic compression. The 320 GSM interlock construction holds its form wash after wash, wear after wear, without relying on synthetic systems to maintain its integrity.
With Supplex, longevity is a function of the fiber itself. The yarn construction resists degradation, color loss, and microfiber breakdown over years of use. A piece that does not fade, does not lose its shape, and does not shed is a piece that stays in rotation, reducing the need for replacement and the consumption that comes with it.
A garment that holds its form stays in rotation longer, becoming part of a considered wardrobe of fewer, more intentional pieces. This is not a sustainability claim. It is the standard every garment we make is held to. Care supports longevity. For all fabrics: machine wash cold, lay flat to dry.
Fewer pieces. Precisely made. Worn longer.