Creating more than just clothes

Over the course of just two months, senior Elon University student, Brigitte Hedvat and her sister, junior Elon University student, Adrienne Hedvat created a brand: U Envi. This sustainable, unisex, lifestyle brand promotes self-expression and self-love. Additionally, U Envi raises awareness about the fashion industry’s environmental impact.

Above is U Envi model, Hannah Fox (left) and U Envi co-founder, Brigitte Hedvat.

“Everything is repurposed and has already been worn,” Brigitte says. “It’s salvaged materials, donated pieces or items we thrift that are low budget.”

They also recycle their own clothing in order to cut back on waste.

“This industry is the second biggest polluter in the world, and that should not be overlooked by anyone,” Adrienne says. “We all wear clothing; we are all constantly shopping to stay ahead of the trend. But this comes at a cost.”

Elaine Durr is Elon University’s Director of Sustainability and she believes people are not aware of how their actions affect the environment as a whole.

“I don’t think many people consider the impacts of the clothes they buy,” Durr says. “From manufacturing, to transportation, to where most clothes ultimately end up, the landfill, there is certainly a large environmental impact created by the fashion industry.”

Durr believes the best way to help with this ongoing problem is to simply purchase less.

“It’s really important to not only talk about sustainable brands, but also to talk about the idea of simply consuming less,” Durr says. “How many pairs of leggings do you really need? How many T-shirts? Like I previously said, even the most sustainably-sourced item of clothing is still using resources. I would encourage people to purchase less, which is a really easy way to make an impact.”

Brigitte’s inspiration to create a sustainable fashion brand grew from her experience studying abroad in Prague.

“It all started when I went abroad because for whatever reason in Prague, they make us look horrible with their environmental savviness,” Brigitte says. “It’s almost shameful there if you have more than five outfits.”

Living in Prague for an entire semester opened Brigitte’s eyes to a problem Prague was addressing, but one that global companies were choosing to ignore.

“The people there are just accustomed to living these bare minimum lives and if you’re anything other than that, you stand out so much and you’re such a target,” Brigitte says. “We felt so uncomfortable just being our normal selves, we were aliens.”

The culture shock Brigitte experienced in Prague forced her to find some sort of escape and in doing so, she ignited her passion. She began repurposing dresses into T-shirts, so that she could blend in better, but in a way that still embodied her sense of style.

The sense of normal Brigitte was accustomed to living in the United States was not normal at all in Prague. According to the Pew Research Center communism started in 1945 in Prague and did not end until 1989. Members of the post-communist generation have different beliefs regarding political and economic changes than the older generation does.

In an attempt to better understand the mindset of the older generation, Brigitte began laying the groundwork for U Envi.

“It made me want to understand where they were coming from, but still do it in the way that I wanted to do it,” Brigitte says. “So, it almost became a project for me, and it wasn’t something that I thought was going to turn into something big, because it was just my way of coping with abroad.”

While inspiration for U Envi began during Brigitte’s semester abroad, it was not until last summer that her ideas manifested into physical products. Creating their own fashion line was something Brigitte and Adrienne had considered for years, since their parents are both in the fashion industry.

Above is a U Envi sweater.

“When we were growing up, we were always in the garment district and just doing random stuff in fashion that most people don’t get to see,” Brigitte says. “We had the license to do anything we wanted in the fashion industry because of our parents.”

Above is a U Envi jacket.

They fully committed to U Envi the first week of June and had their first launch July 27, 2019.

“Over the summer we decided we had to do something for ourselves to make us feel good,” Brigitte said. “A lot was going on in our personal lives and we were like, let’s just do this for us. We’ve been saying we’re going to do it, so let’s just kick ass and do it.”

Their decision kick started two months of intense, non-stop work. Adrienne and Brigitte both had summer jobs and Brigitte was also taking three online classes. They did most of their work for U Envi at night in their former playroom that they turned into a workspace.

Above is a U Envi bag.

“This summer was wild, it was honestly scary,” Brigitte said. “I look back on it and don’t know how we did it because we were so busy. It was worth it, but it was hard.”

They felt extra pressure to get their first launch done over the summer because Adrienne was going to Prague in the fall for a semester.

“Having to leave the country and go abroad right at the height of our launch was very difficult for me,” Adrienne said. “It is something we have had to work around for sure. I was so invested in U Envi by the time I had to leave for Prague that I considered not coming at all.”

Above are Fox and Hedvat looking at photos during their U Envi photoshoot.

Adrienne is hoping to use her time abroad as a learning experience, the same way Brigitte did. She is drawing inspiration from European fashion and taking note of interesting styles and looks, that she hopes to incorporate in U Envi.

Brigitte and Adrienne work together on every piece and collaborate throughout the entire process. They created the website, Instagram and Facebook pages together and are both hands on when it comes to creating each product. Their strong relationship is a main reason why they have experienced success with U Envi so far.

“My relationship with Brigitte hugely impacts U Envi in many ways,” Adrienne says. “It really is an incredible feeling when we have collaborated on something we both care so deeply about and are proud of the final product.”

Above is a clothing rack of U Envi items.

Brigitte primarily focuses on sewing the garments and Adrienne is responsible for adding hardware to the items in addition to running U Envi’s social media.

Hannah Fox is a current Elon University sophomore, and she recognizes how invested both women are in U Envi. Fox models for the brand and she knows Adrienne and Brigitte from Greenwich, Connecticut, where they all grew up.

“It just makes me so happy to see them so passionate about something,” Fox said. “And at the end of the day, it’s two sisters, they’re family. And making something so amazing between the two of them is something they’re going to have for the rest of their lives.”

U Envi’s first launch consisted of 87 products, and they sold 38 items. Selling that many items was not something they anticipated they could successfully do.

“It’s a humbling experience,” Adrienne says. “Sometimes I need to take a step back and notice, wow people actually enjoy what we are making and they’re willing to go out in public and wear it. It’s something I could have never imagined, even in my wildest dreams.”

Staying true to themselves and to their cause makes their success that much more rewarding.

Above are Hedvat and Fox during their U Envi photoshoot.

"I wouldn't really expect people to trust in our brand if it weren't something that we were stressing and teaching," Brigitte says. “We love it when people purchase our things, but it’s about raising awareness.”

Brigitte believes fashion is more than a designer label, or having a ginormous closet.

“To me fashion isn’t dressing every day in something new that has a brand name,” Brigitte says. “I think it’s more about what you can do with what you have and making things cool that aren’t already cool.”