Atana Lindor is a London-based menswear brand founded by designer Harielle Atana-Lindor, specialising in contemporary pieces that explore her Haitian and Cameroonian heritage through reimagined silhouettes and textile development. The brand has collaboration at its heart, working with various artists and designers to explore creative purpose through fashion.
As a brand less than a year old, Atana Lindor faced a choice: embed sustainable practices from the ground up, or wait until the business was more established. Harielle chose to start early. Better to build good habits into the supply chain and design process now, she reasoned, than try to retrofit them years down the line when the brand was busier and more set in its ways.
"As an early-stage brand, I thought this programme would be a great way for me to really start from the ground up in terms of thinking about sustainable practices."
The challenge was finding resources and information relevant to a brand at such an early stage. Scale and finances restrict immediate action on some initiatives - there's no point planning a repairs service when you've barely got consistent production - but having the knowledge early means it's there when needed.
What the LCT programme offered
The one-to-one support gave Harielle ideas and frameworks she could potentially implement in the future, even if they weren't immediately viable. Some concepts aren't realistic at the brand's current scale. But having the resources and information now means she won't need to research from scratch when the time comes.
"That's something I can think about doing in the future. I have the resources and information for that already, so I don't have to look for it when it's time."
The low carbon transition plan allowed Harielle to map out changes over several years, creating a realistic timeline. “It prompted deeper thinking: if I'm not doing this this year, what steps can I take now to make it possible later?”
Material sourcing became a key priority. The programme’s materials sourcing sessions helped Harielle think more strategically about suppliers and specific materials, such as certified or organic cotton.
"Wanting to expand the use of deadstock affects how I think about how much I'm going to produce, what materials I'll be using. It shapes collections and my entire design process."
Communicating participation in the programme to suppliers opened up useful conversations. Factories responded by sharing information about their own renewable energy initiatives and solar panels, showing they're receptive to these considerations. It made sustainability discussions feel less like making demands and more like collaboration.
For a brand at such an early stage, the programme provided both immediate practical guidance and a framework for future growth. While some data gathering was limited by the brand's scale, Harielle gained valuable knowledge about sourcing and different methods applicable as the business develops.
"My main advice for anyone going into the programme is to really utilise the one-to-one sessions. I found those extremely helpful - the notes we took are something I look back on often."
Harielle said periodic workshops and conversations on different aspects of sustainable practices would be valuable, with ongoing access to information through sessions, presentations, or lectures that brands at various stages could draw on as needed.