Women to Watch: Cathy
CATHY LEE, LEYT
Cathy Lee spent a decade in corporate fashion and was discouraged by the production of “countless garments season after season according to a grueling calendar,” in addition to “competing for consumers’ fleeting attention.”
After becoming a mom for the first time two years ago, she felt a strong pull to make a positive difference in the world. Enter LEYT (pronounced “light”), an elevated, resort inspired womenswear collection that focuses on using only natural fabrics and produces garments responsibly in the USA. Cathy created LEYT with two goals in mind: to ease a woman’s day and to reduce the industry’s environmental impact.
“I hope to make clothes with lasting value—for people to view their clothes as something they can keep for a long time or even pass to the next generation, like my mom did for me.”
LEYT uses only natural textiles that have a lower impact on the environment than synthetic fibers. They also purchase small quantities of fabric at a time to reduce waste. Much of the debut collection uses fabric made by skilled weavers in Bangladesh who have been performing their craft for generations. LEYT works with them to design unique patterns that are handwoven and hang dried, minimizing the electricity and water use. The fabric is then shipped directly to sewers in New York for final production. By participating in the hand-looming tradition LEYT gets to produce unique, high-quality fabric while helping to sustain a community proud of its heritage.
“I wanted my clothes to be beautiful and comfortable, and to be produced ethically and responsibly. And the need for easy, freeing, and flattering clothes has only increased since then.”
For more information on LEYT, visit their website: www.leytworld.com
I hope you’re all enjoying the Tux Couture #WomentoWatch Wednesdays as much as I am. As always, we need to stick together, empower and support each other. If you would like to be featured in one of our upcoming emails, blogs and social media posts (or if you know someone who you’d like to see featured), please feel free to email me: yansi@tux-couture.com.
Best,
Yansi
