Our aim has been to create well designed garments that have a minimum impact on the planet and as positive an impact on its inhabitants as possible
Clothing that puts the planet and people before profits. We do this by utilising organic, recycled and innovative materials alongside durable design, combined with fair manufacturing. Promoting renewable energy and championing social causes where possible.
We shine a light into our practices and the practices of our factories below…
We’re incredibly proud of our sustainability credentials and are even happier seeing the Industry pick up the fight for more responsible clothing.
From the beginning, we were invested in this practice, using organic cotton and water based inks for all of our t-shirts. We have continued this drive for more sustainable fashion by featuring increasingly innovative materials and practices.
From 2017, we decided to make our products completely Vegan and by 2018 we had started using recycled materials for our clothes. Since then we have further invested in this endeavour and, as our products show, implemented recycled fabrics and repurposed materials throughout our production process and collections.
Forever striving to improve our practices, we are always looking for the next thing to make our clothing as sustainable as possible.
A few years ago, we went on a trip to the north of Portugal in the heart of their cotton district. Renowned for it's highly skilled workforce, premium quality and sustainability credentials.
We met with numerous factories, but we found the perfect one. A family owned and operated outfit, who specialise in GOTS certified organic cotton. Knitting the fabric for garments in their own spinning mill, we've worked closely with them to develop our own custom knits and pieces that utilise durable design with premium fabrics. Making our jersey some of the best around.
On top of that, all dying is done to the most planet friendly standards, they pay all of their staff a living wage and thanks to our co-investment, have upgraded their factory to be powered mostly by solar.
When developing our Outerwear, we struggled to find a manufacturer that would suit us. Little did we know, we had one right under our nose. With over a hundred years of history and experience, we were amazed to see the level of craft put into each garment.
On our first factory visit, we were shown a button hole making machine which had a counter on it. Increasing for each hole it made. The total?... 997 million!
With their vast and deep knowledge of manufacturing, design and product. Always hand cut and hand made, not mass produced. Their quality second to none.
We put off manufacturing in India for a while. Mostly due to the difficulty involved with ensuring operating standards at the high level we expect, whilst being on the other side of the world. So when our partner factory in India approached us, we were impressed with their environmental and social impact achievements to date.
Being Fairtrade suppliers means they pay a living wage to ALL their workers. They provide support for differently abled children through special schools and training programs. As well as supporting rural women in India through advanced training programs and ultimately employment. On top of that, they provide credit cards to female workers, to help safeguard their earnings from potential familial abuse.
They are GOTS Certified and the factory is powered by solar panels resulting in reduced CO2 output. Rain water is caught and used in the manufacturing process, meaning less water usage.
All these feats, combined with over 40 years experience made the decision easy to partner with them.
When the pandemic hit and the world was falling apart, we had cancelled orders from retailers and customers. The future looked bleak. In March 2020 we started making face masks. They were in short supply and we wanted to reduce demand on PPE at the time, which was in desperate need for the NHS and key-workers.
We started with one machine and a sample to put online. We expected some abuse and maybe the odd mask order. Both came along. Then came the fire. A literal fire, in the mill we were based at. Meaning we had nowhere for production.
So, we set up in a newly refurbished shipping container. Initially making only around 50 a day. We systemised the process and added more machines and staff. By the end of June we were able to make 600 a day at max capacity, creating jobs for those laid off by the pandemic.
We've now turned our attention back to other pieces. Bucket hats, accessories and more all in house. Enabling us to control the entire process, whilst creating above living wage jobs.
