Our journey to be as responsible as possibe

A letter from Stacey 

Oct 2022

Responsible conscious fashion design is something our brand has always stood for. The climate emergency will impact women and children first, and I believe the processes of repairing the earth will be part of the feminist movement. 

Ultimately the word ‘sustainable’ has no basis in law and so there are no definitions or distinctions about what makes something sustainable, the argument that fashion inherently is about over consumption absolutely stands.

We encourage you to make the best conscious decision for you and the planet. We know wholeheartedly that our products are good quality and long lasting when cared for. And we can advise you on repairs, washing and provide free spare buttons or darning needles and yarn if you ever need. We have an exceptionally low returns rate, and are proud of this.

We have always believed that our clothes must be made ethically and fairly for all in the supply chain. Therefore these are the steps we take. Please note, we are imperfect works in progress. Not everything is as good as we want, but as a micro business, we feel we are doing a lot and are proud of the choices we make. We are open to learning and implementing change as much as we can, and we are lead by our feminist values.

Slogan tees/sweaters

We use 2 suppliers for these. All are Fairwear certified. Some have climate neutral status. We do not use Chinese cotton. The cotton is GOTS certified organic in almost all cases. We embroider and screen print in the UK supporting other small enterprises. We actively avoid poly blends unless they offer a real point of difference.

Any poly bags used are to prevent soiling. We have almost nil damage to products at our warehouse. If we are ever in a position to eradicate poly bags and invest in better technology than our current degradable ones, then we will. (At the moment the costs are prohibitive). We urge you to reuse the polybags if possible. Also we refuse to greenwash by removing these and pretending that we dont use them as many retailers do, we would prefer to ensure any dirt that might be on our hands doesn't end up on your product.

Knitwear

We use a heritage knitter in the Scottish borders who works with designer brands and big names. Therefore the quality of these products is exceptional. They are a Woolmark licensee, Sedex member and a close collaborator of the Ethical Trade Initiative, members of UKFT and Textiles Scotland. 

The yarn we’ve been using is spun in the UK. The animals are protected by the 5 freedoms as set out by the RSPCA. The yarn is musling free. The water used for the production is taken from local rivers and cleaned before returning! Cool eh! None of their processes use azo dyes, formaldehyde, carcinogenic, hazardous or allergy inducing products.

Our garments come from small artisan makers in Portugal. A living wage employer, the staff are treated well and we aim to visit in a few seasons. 

We ship via road from Portugal, this is environmentally better than air. 

Our alpaca bed socks are knitted by a family firm in the north of England.

Cotton pyjamas/scarves etc  

BCI cotton is digitally printed in an eco-friendly way, this uses no water for example and produces less waste.  We work with a factory that is GOTS &  SEDEXO certified and our goal is to visit them in 2023-4. They hold SA8000 and ISO 9001:2008 and Oeko Tex 100 - global standards for strong management and socially responsible working habits.They are a living wage employer. 

Christmas Decorations, Perspex Jewellery and Mugs

Made entirely in the UK using a small business suppliers. 

Stationery 

Our paper goods are recyclable and tend to use recycled uncoated paper. We make all of these in the UK using local artists to letterpress or digital printers for cards etc. We use Risograph as a printing method sometimes, which uses soy inks that are more environmental. 

Pens & Pencils are handstamped in Scotland. 

Homeware

Our candles are made in an environmentally friendly way here in the UK and our blanket utilises circular recycled cotton and is woven in England, awesome!

Packaging and waste

We use recycled paper kraft mailers for the majority of our shipments, your item will also have been wrapped in tissue paper that is recycled and recyclable. You may also receive items in cardboard boxes. You may have a polybag on your item, this is so the item is perfect when you get it, and this reduces waste through soilage in the warehouse. In fact we have almost zero waste in terms of our products. Returns are pressed and repackaged by our team and items that are damaged are donated to staff or worn by ourselves. Our garment tags, mailing inserts and postcards are designed to be kept, never discarded and used!

Charity 

We are, at heart, passionate about true change for women. Be that employing mothers to work flexibly, donating to pro choice campaigns, or making products to get people talking. As of Oct 2022 we have given away £12784 of our revenue. A very high percentage as compared to our profit! Our dreams, ambitions and future goals will always be guided by the principles of profit with purpose.