Background 

Rachel Faller is an entrepreneur and founder of Tonle, a zero-waste fashion label. Graduated in 2008 from Maryland Institute College of Art with a degree in fiber, Faller got really into making crafts, weaving, knitting, dyeing, and working on social justice works. What started out as “I don’t see myself going into the fashion industry because I knew the fashion industry had a lot of exploitation” progressed into where Faller, founder of Tonle, and her team is now creating sustainable clothes. Back in 2008, Faller applied and was granted a Fullbright research in Cambodia about fair trade fashion and traditional textiles. This opportunity opened Faller’s eyes and corroborated her values more to create Tonle. This was the kickstart to her future. 

About Tonle 

KeoK’jay, rebranded as Tonle, is a fashion label integrating social and environmental responsibility to make sustainable clothes. With a touch of contemporary design, all Tonle’s clothing is made from scrap fabric that major manufacturers throw out. Faller believed that they could take those extra fabrics and create a zero-waste label. Every piece of fabric is used and incorporated into so many designs. Tonle products are manufactured in Cambodia and sold in the U.S. 

Their Values 

Tonle’s values include purposefulness, that the clothing they create to the actions they take has a purpose and will create an impact. Inclusive: Tonle recognizes that the fashion industry has a lot of exploitation, and Tonle will not accept that. “Tonle is built on collaboration.” Finally, honesty: Tonle believes that being transparent is beneficial. Tonle does their research and works hard to fix mistakes and give credit to where it is due.  

 Tonle is an excellent example of what sustainability should be about. Nobody is excluded, workers are getting fair wages, and they are working very hard to create an impact economically but more importantly, environmentally.  

Check out these amazing pieces all made from scrap and zero-waste: https://tonle.com/collections  

To learn more about Tonle and how they started, watch this YouTube video.