Skip to content

About Us

Business as Unusual

he fashion business usually puts profits before the shared future of our planet. That’s why we choose to do business the unusual way. Wearing amren tulano is a choice to put the environment and future of generations to come, over cheap deals or disposable fashion. Let’s embrace the lifestyle of buy-less-enjoy-more together!

***

Why We Do This

Yes, we can make a difference. Buying sustainable fashion is one of the things we all can do to make a positive impact on the climate crisis. Sustainable and recycled materials, fair trade, small scale local production, long lasting quality — all of these DO make a difference.

Buy quality that you can enjoy longer

That feeling of wearing an absolutely killer dress — fast fashion might give you that from the first wear. But what about the second or tenth time you wear it? At amren tulano we believe in buying one dress that will make you feel like a million bucks every time your wear it, over buying a new dress for every event that makes you feel ‘OK.’

It’s a matter of your health too…

Unsustainable manufacturing practices do not only harm the environment. Think about it; if toxic dyes can pollute entire rivers and wipe out the animal life inhabiting them — imagine what those same dyes will do to your skin? Nothing has as much contact with the most sensitive areas of your body as the underwear we wear all day, every day. Our organic cotton underwear is free of harmful chemicals and do not cause skin rashes or irritation. The natural fabric lets your skin breath.

***

Our Design Process

“Finally, an actually eco-friendly fashion brand with clothes I’d actually want to wear!” — Was a response we got from a reporter at a green trade show recently.

Who said eco-friendly clothing couldn’t be chic anyway? — We stress the ‘fashion’ in sustainable fashion, when we design trendy, fashionable apparel. From boudoir party-ready underwear to dresses fit for exclusive celebrations and Oscars-worthy red carpet events, you will be green in style.

With glitzy and glamorous designs, we aim to prove that high fashion can be both sustainable and responsible. There is no need to produce excessive waste to be more stylish than fast fashion. Just because we design sustainable clothing, doesn’t mean our clothing has to look like a laundry mistake, or be made from stiff, itchy “eco-fabrics.”

The effort we put into the artistic expression of our designs has earned us 3rd place for “Most Exciting Brand” at the Los Angeles Green Festival Brand Awards. Our designs have graced runway shows in New York and Los Angeles, and have been featured in the prestigious World Journal.

***

Where the Magic Happens

Handmade in the USA

As a locally owned small business, all of our products are proudly produced here in Los Angeles, CA. Sustainability is not only about fabrics and materials. It’s also about supporting local small businesses, instead of ordering products shipped from half way around the world.

We are a Green America™ certified business

Green America certifies businesses that are committed to using business as a platform for social change. A Green America certification indicates that our business is a “values-driven: enterprise according to principles of social justice AND environmental sustainability. We are an environmentally responsible in the way we source, manufacture, and market our products and run our operations. We are a transparent business and committed to extraordinary practices that benefit workers, customers, communities, and the environment while continuing to improve our sustainability practices over time.

Sharing is Caring

Giving back is among our core values. We donate regularly to a wide range of organizations, such as Goodwill, Salvation Army, California Parks Foundation, Sierra Club, the Los Angeles Conservancy, and the Gentle Barn. Every year we donate gift certificates to silent auctions such as Plate by Plate, APEX, and the Jewish Temple. We also donate to the Pembroke Tamparelli Arts Festival and a local program that uses art as therapy for children with trauma. And when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we used our position to manufacture face masks for hospital donation and for the public to purchase at cost. We also donated fabrics and supplies to help others make masks, while providing incentives through our mask match campaign that gifts $10 gift certificates to the donor for every 10 masks that are donated to a hospital.

We support local artists

One of our favorite charities is Remainders — a local Pasadena non-profit that supports artists and crafters with materials and supplies. The local art scene is important for uplifting and inspiring communities, and we are big fans of Remainders’ work empowering local artists.

***

Meet Our Founders

Since it all began in 2011, Amy Tung and Karen Elano have had the same vision: To build a fashion house for quality conscious and environmentally aware clients. But if they were to do that, they had to do it right. That meant offering a full collection of clothing, including tops, bottoms, underwear, dresses and outerwear. Home décor and Piro Life, that focuses on sustainable festival wear round out the family of products.

Armed with their bold entrepreneurial vision from the University of Southern California and fashion degrees from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, they launched their first ready-to-wear collection.

We continue to blend self expression with ethical responsibility, offering sustainable fashion handmade in the USA. And we stay true to our core values of sustainability, charity, recycling, and giving back.