One of my biggest concerns with the fashion industry is waste;

fabric waste, thread waste, garment waste, water waste, chemical waste, energy waste,

the list goes on.

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I knew that this was going to be a huge part of our sustainability pledge,

to do better and be better than fast fashion brands.

To take responsibility for our actions and our waste,

coming up with ingenious ways of tackling and

responsibly disposing of our waste.

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Supply & Demand

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We run on a made to order basis.

Once someone makes an order,

we then buy the fabric and make the garment.

This way we only produce what we need,

so nothing goes to waste.

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Fabric Remnants

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When cutting out our garments,

we are very conscious of getting the most out of our fabric,

shifting our pattern piece about to get the best configuration possible.

 

However, there is always going to be some fabric remnants,

so we tackle this in three stages,

making use of all the scrap pieces.

 

Stage One

If the piece is large enough we upcycle it into a fun accessory,

like our hair scrunchies or face masks.

Stage Two

If its not a big enough piece to rework then we put it in the stuffing pile,

this is a pile of clothing scraps elle shall be using to upcycle her grandparents old couch.

Stage Three

If it is teeny tiny and can't be reused it then goes into the compost bin in elle's garden.

Another reason why we only use natural fabrics is that they biodegrade,

leaving no trace.

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Thread Waste

 

Wasted thread from trimming ends or machine excess is unavoidable,

we try to prevent it as much as possible by trimming threads close to the garment.

However, all our thread is organic or natural cotton, being biodegradable

and gets composted in elle's back garden.

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Samples

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For our initial stages of sampling I used old cotton bedsheets and curtains

from my own collection and secondhand sets.

This allows me to experiment with garments without buying and wasting lots of new fabric.

 

I also set up a depop account where I sell samples and faulty items at a reduced price,

allowing customers to grab a bargain,

whilst also keeping clothing from going to waste.

check it out here

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Paper

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I initially used dot & cross paper to draft our patterns,

however I found manilla card much easier to work with.

It is also much sturdier so can handle excessive uses.

I also use every last bit over and over again,

reusing them for smaller patterns, or making tags,

all of the scraps are then composted.

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We don't use paper marketing, we are an online business,

so everyone is emailed their receipts and newsletter.

Once we start doing market stalls I plan to create invoice templates,

so when people order and pay at the stall,

I can send a digital invoice and receipt to them.

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The sharpenings off the pencil I use to write than you notes

and draft patterns get composted.