Features LA Lifestyle

All You Need Is Love

Courtesy of Paneros

After earning her associate’s degree in fashion design from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) and working as the senior designer for woven tops at a wholesale fashion brand for 10 years, Lauren DeCarli was frustrated by the status quo.

“I know how wasteful, polluting and unsustainable the fashion industry can be,” she said. “In the age of fast fashion, we’ve lost that connection to the people behind the clothes we wear every day.

So, she set out to create an alternative: Paneros Clothing. The brand began with up-cycled “treasures” and, in the last year, has grown into a full women’s ready-to-wear brand.

As the founder and chief creative officer, DeCarli heads a team of three in Manhattan Beach, California. In growing her brand, she has been meticulous about sourcing, manufacturing and the ethics of her clothes. Here is what she had to share about her journey.

What is the origin of Paneros?
I launched Paneros Clothing with our debut products: handcrafted, one-of-a-kind, vintage Hawaiian shirts and bucket hats that are up-cycled here in Los Angeles. I worked with an amazing local dye house on crafting the coolest tie-dyes, and at night, after getting home from my full-time job, I would hand-bead the shirts, one bead at a time. In June 2020, we launched our limited edition, women’s ready-to-wear line.

Once I made the leap to pursue Paneros full time, I spent the following eight months traveling the world, sourcing ethical manufacturers and eco-friendly fabrics and designing our women’s line.

Tell me about your up-cycled pieces. How did that become part of your business, and how have customers responded to the “we literally only make one” model?
It’s an amazing way that we can reinvent garments and participate in circular fashion, and creatively, it’s a great challenge. It’s also an amazing way to support our local community, such as our dye houses and artisans here.

We’ve received a great response to our one-of-a-kind styles. With so many brands mass-producing and copying one another, a lot of fashion starts to look the same, in my opinion, and I believe consumers realize it too. I believe they’re looking for unique and special pieces that nobody else has. Our one-of-a-kind pieces are like little treasures.

How would you describe your design aesthetic?
I would describe my design aesthetic as eclectic and timeless, but not basic. I design for the modern woman who appreciates fashion and is on-trend but not trendy. Our styles are designed to be worn year after year, to be mixed with pieces already in your closet and to travel with you throughout your life. Our customers range from early 20s to 70s, and I love that you can wear our styles throughout the different stages of your life. I believe fashion should be fun no matter what age you are.

How does the breakdown of your name speak to your company values?
It was really important to me to have the brand name mean something special, and I wanted to create a brand that was focused on not only the environment but the people as well. I combined the ancient greek words pan, meaning “all,” and eros, meaning “the love,” to create our brand name. We truly have all the love for our planet and the people on it.

What are some of your sustainable practices?
We have a five-part brand promise that explains how we put sustainability at the forefront of our brand. Firstly, we only use eco-friendly fibers and fabrics — our products will never be produced from fully-synthetic fibers, such as polyester, nylon or acrylic, and we limit the amount of synthetic blends we use.

Secondly, we only work with responsible and ethical manufacturers. I have personally visited each manufacturer we work with, both domestically and internationally, to ensure ethical practices, and we also look for accreditations. We’re so proud to showcase the amazing artisans who handcraft all of our styles and build that connection between the consumer and the creator.

Thirdly, we emphasize quality over quantity. As a direct-to-consumer brand, we do not have to adhere to the traditional wholesale calendar and mass production quantities. We only produce small batches of each style, which reduces our environmental impact and makes each piece unique and special to the consumer.

The last two parts of our brand promise go hand in hand: reducing pollution and reducing waste. About 95% of the fabrics we use are deadstock fabrics made from eco-friendly fibers. I love to create beautiful, slow fashion styles from what others have left behind. By recycling fabrics that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill or burned, we are reducing the amount of pollution and waste in the environment.

We also have an entire product line dedicated to up-cycled garments and using 100% natural dyes, and we use the leftover scraps of fabric from cutting our garments to create accessories, like hair scrunchies. I work hard to design every style with sustainability at the forefront and without compromising style, quality and fit.

Why is sustainability so important to you?
I prioritize it because it’s essential to the future of our planet and to humanity. When I had the idea of creating this brand, I wanted to do it right from the start. One thing that sets us apart from other sustainable brands is that many of them focus on basic, essential items, which is also great. But with my design background, I can create sustainable and ethical pieces that are fashionable and unique — and at price points that aren’t exclusive. The world doesn’t need another mass-produced polyester brand with screen printed logos.

You recently made the 1% Donation Pledge; what was that process like, and what does that mean in terms of your impact on the environment?
We wanted to put our money where our hearts are and find a way to systematically donate with the most impact. One thing we love about 1% For the Planet is the large community and their passion for ensuring our planet and future generations thrive. The process of becoming a member included our pledge to commit 1% of revenues be donated to an environmental organization of our choice. One thing that’s cool about it is that they verify the donation, so when you see the pledge badge, you know it’s real. The power of all of the members combined is more powerful than if we were operating by ourselves.

What trends do you see emerging this spring & summer?
I think people will be wearing a lot of color and prints this spring and summer after being inside for the last year. I think people will still be wearing loungewear but styling it in a more elevated way, where they can mix it with other pieces to go out for drinks or wear on a vacation.

What are some of your best-sellers and personal favorites from your collection?
Some of our most popular items are our Stella dress, our Claudia bodysuit, Babe scrunchies and our tencel Kyle Shirt. Some of my personal faves are the Stella dress, Clarence Maxi dress, Mesa Blouse and Meadow Smock top.

What’s coming up next for Paneros?
We just launched our Spring collection, which has a line dedicated to hand-knitted, elevated loungewear made by amazing artisans in Bali using traditional techniques. Now that things are starting to open back up, we’re excited to start participating in pop-up events anywhere we can.