A culture of fast fashion teaches us to shop without much thought into how or where our clothes come to be. As a brand that champions transparency within sustainability, this week’s article will give you a candid look into our production process, from sourcing to shipping and everything that goes in to crafting our range of ethical lingerie and intimates.
Stage 1 - Sustainable from source
Our growing range of responsible fabrics are mainly sourced from trade shows, founder Ayten is a regular at Textile Forum and The London Textile Fair when searching for innovative, sustainable fabrics. Here, she builds cemented relationships with suppliers who also send samples of new fabrics and trims directly to our Hove studio.
Stage 2 - The creative process
It’s from these fabrics that Ayten seeks creative inspiration when designing new additions to our line of ethical intimates:
“I create an organic theme around my favourite fabrics and colours - I don’t work to align with passing trends. I have a sketchbook but find that I rarely use it, instead, I prefer to add fabrics to a mannequin to see how it will drape and sometimes the edge of the lace will inspire me to use the fabric in a particular way.”
“I’ll then hand draw the pattern - an old habit I’ve struck with as I graduated from Central St Martins in 2002 when computer pattern cutting was just not a thing! From here I create samples to be trialled, often asking friends to try on the pieces, check the fit and make sure everything feels comfortable. I make samples similar to our final designs - using a combination of traditional sewing techniques to ensure each piece is finished beautifully and to a luxury standard.”
“Each garment is hand-crafted in our seaside studio by myself, and often made to order or in very small batches at a time, depending on how much fabric we have available. This helps not only keep costs down but also limits textile waste. Every piece goes through a unique journey of cutting out, sewing and the addition of finishing touches like hand-sewn snap fasteners and a final steam to avoid creasing.”
Stage 3 - Capturing our ethical lingerie
Only once totally satisfied with the final design, the pieces can be shot for our website and marketing. We regularly arrange photoshoots to capture premiering collections in all their glory, working with a selection of models and creatives. Often we team up with a local photographer but also one based in Birmingham, both collaboratively creating the beautiful imagery you’ll see across our site.
All product shots are taken in our studio, either on a mannequin or flat surface. Ayten then edits and fine-tunes the images using Photoshop before uploading them to the site ready for you to shop, adding descriptions and working out the inventory.
Stage 4 - Eco-friendly shipping to new homes
Any order you place with us can typically be handmade and dispatched within 4 working days. Our intimates are lovingly and securely packaged in either our luxury gift wrapping or an eco-friendly alternative. If you ever want to opt out of gift wrapping, you need only select “No Gift Wrap” from the Gift Wrap options in your final cart. Instead, you’ll receive your order enclosed in tissue paper with a 100% biodegradable bag or cardboard box - offered to see our silkwear pieces off just how they were made, sustainably.
