Ethical Production & Sourcing

Our Responsibility

From the beginning one of our main goals when making this brand has been to do the right thing. Not only do we want to produce clothes that we are passionate about, we want to do it in a way that provides a fair living wage to all involved. Even if we are just a small business we believe action matters so we have taken the steps necessary to ensure every part of our production is ethical.

There is a lot involved in running a business ethically. Here is a rundown of the key things that help us stay aligned with our goals, followed up by details for each and how we implement them. These are:

  • Supply chain
  • Production process
  • Ethical production
  • Sustainability
  • Organic cotton & it's use in our future products 

Supply Chain

Knowing where your materials are coming from a necessity for ethical production. Without it having credibility it is very likely that you could be purchasing from a wholesaler that is sourcing their clothes from child slave labour. In order to ensure we are working and purchasing from the best wholesaler we have done extensive research into each company. The benefits of our sourcing include:

  • 100% of the garment factories have been visited and audited.
  • 100% traceability of fabrics and yarn.
  • GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) licensed suppliers.
  • Supplier participates in BCI (Better Cotton Initiative) and Amfori BSCI.
  • Primary use of Australian cotton, which is government and industry regulated for both sustainability and labour standards.

      Production Process

      The process of going from the fields all the way to your door step with the final product is actually rather extensive. With so many steps there are so many ways to be involved within the textile industry. By purchasing from small business you help support one of the many hands involved in the process. Below is an extremely brief description of the entire process and how we play a part.

      1. You have the farming which involves cotton seeds growing into plants which are then ginned (the separation of cotton from the seed).
      2. Cotton carding and combing is next. The fibre is disentangled and then combed for a stronger fibre. Most companies skip the combing process to save money, however have a cheaper end result.
      3. The cotton is then spun and knitted ready for companies/individuals to then create their clothing.
      4. Cotton washing/dyeing is done next. This is where our supplier is involved (as well as auditing the first 3 steps). After making the desired colours the cotton is then cut and sewn into different types of apparel.
      5. Last step is the embroidery/screen printing process. This is rather all encompassing as it includes the digitization of designs as well as those designs being embroidered out correctly onto shirts. Our brand handles every aspect of process after receiving the blank apparel.

      There are also many other aspects such as shipping, marketing etc however that is the manufacturing pipeline that we follow and track. 

      Ethical Production

      The apparel we purchase are produced predominantly from Bangladesh and China. There are always challenges when purchasing from developing countries but it can still be done ethically. Factories where our shirts are produced are participants in the Bangladesh Accord to ensure health and safety is of top priority.

      Living wage is important to us however we only have so much control over the international aspect. In Bangladesh a 51% increase in wage was agreed on between workers, unions, employers and government representatives. On the Australian side of things we aim to pay at minimum 10% higher than the industry award rate. This is on top of facilitating an environment for growth and training where employees can increase not only their skill level but their earning potential at the same time.

      Sustainability

      Our primary goal with our brand is to run without being a contributing factor to the negative aspects of the clothing industry. The most important one to us is ethical production. Ensuring we aren't purchasing and funding below living wages to scummy companies. Second most important however is sustainability and our impact on the planet.

      Having sustainable clothing is definitely possible and the textile industry has made great improvements towards it. Currently the shirts we used are produced using around 30% Australian cotton. Australian cotton is some of the most efficient in the industry, with a 40% increase in water productivity in the last decade as well as a 90% decrease in the use of pesticides. 

      Organic Cotton & Our Future Products

      With sustainability in mind our goal is eventually to make the switch to organic cotton. Organic cotton is grown without toxic chemicals, using growing systems that replenish and maintain soil fertility while using less water. The main benefit of organic cotton is that crops aren't treated with pesticides, insecticides, herbicides or genetic modifications.

      This is the most sustainable product we can get in the textile industry and is one we are planning to switch to in the future. Our plan is to begin with releasing an organic line of shirts as well as moving away from Australian cotton into a permanent organic cotton product.