Tanya Lee, cofounder of Lezé The Label, turned to a different recycled source to create the line of comfortable workwear: old fishing nets.

"Our signature fishing-net fabric was developed with our goal of creating something that had the hand-feel of a buttery knit but the structure of a woven fabric," Lee, 32, says. "Usually, the softer the material is, the more limp the construction is, but that means the garment ends up casual. It's unique because it's a three-layer sandwich fabric developed with a combo of recycled fishing nets and beech trees."

The production process involves choosing fabric composition, purchasing yarn, and then knitting and dyeing it. Afterward, patterns are cut with computerized machines to ensure minimal fabric waste. Sewers then work in a production-line fashion, where one person is responsible for each part of the garment, before the design is inspected, packaged, and shipped.

"Sustainable fashion means three things: ethical manufacturing, recycled materials, and intentional inventory planning," says Karen Lee, 31, another cofounder of the Vancouver-based brand. "If one isn't considered, then it isn't sustainable fashion for us."