law logo2x bReformation might seem like one of the least likely L.A. boutiques to scale up. Yet the fashion line that made its name handcrafting chic, feminine pieces out of fabric salvaged from vintage threads has opened two shops in New York, raised $12 million in financing in 2015 and is positioned to triple its revenue over last year. After Reformation co-founder Yael Aflalo became appalled by the environmental toll of Chinese manufacturing, which she witnessed firsthand during the production of her earlier clothing line, Ya-Ya, she set out to make clothes with the lowest possible carbon footprint — pieces that were as responsible as they were beautiful. Of course, Reformation’s initial concept — to source most of its material from meticulously disassembled used garments — wouldn’t cut it if the company was to hit $25 million in sales in 2014 (which it did) and keep costs somewhat reasonable (which it has). So Aflalo added to the mix environmentally friendly fabric, which means Reformation’s downtown L.A. factory now can produce about 200 of each of the 15 pieces (in three colors) it launches weekly. Speaking of 200, that’s the number of gallons of water a mass-market clothing line uses to produce a single shirt, Aflalo told Forbes earlier this year; a shirt of hers, by comparison, uses six.

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