Sustainability

our guiding principles

sustainability

sustainability manifesto

there is no sustainability without dignity for all.

Fashion’s sustainability problem, isn’t technical. The industry knows how to produce less, source better, and pay fairly. It mostly chooses not to, because the dominant logic rewards speed, volume, and opacity. We're not interested in that logic.

We’re also not interested in pretending we can make sustainable fashion cheap. Doing things right should cost more because the real cost of cheap fashion is hidden in negative externalities.

It's the natural resources we consume without replenishing them, as though they were unlimited. The fragile ecosystems that are disrupted. The natural habitats that are destroyed. The land that indigenous communities are expropriated from. The polluted water that the poorest communities down the supply chain have no choice but to drink. The racking debt of cotton farmers that leads them to suicide. Animal suffering. Modern slavery.

What we do want is a traceable, manageable, waste-free supply chain. And for that, we follow 5 simple rules.

five simple rules

zero sales, zero waste

We don’t do sales, we do pre-sales. That means we only produce what you order, plus 10% extra for exchanges and a few samples for our boutique partners. When pre-orders are done, whatever is left is available for sale at full price until it’s out of stock.

one wardrobe

We don’t produce seasonal collections but limited drops based on the deadstock fabrics we find and the wardrobe essentials we co-create, so that our pieces never get to be “last season”.

two fabric sources

Second-hand fabrics are our first choice: they’re fabrics that are either deadstock from high-end manufacturers or from luxury brands. They're discarded for multiple reasons: they don’t meet specific client expectations. There are imperceptible imperfections. Or sometimes there’s a pretty glaring printing issue that we look forward to turning into a design feature. Deadstock fabrics are what allow us to create very high quality products at premium, instead of luxury, prices.

Certified fabrics: when we source virgin materials, we lean on certifications that ensure that strict social and environmental standards are applied throughout the entire fabric supply chain, from farming and agricultural practices all the way to weaving and dyeing. We don't compromise.

Learn more about the fabrics in our current collection

three countries

France, Italy, Portugal. We keep our supply chain minimal and manageable and stick to places we can visit, verify, and stand behind.

Deadstock fabrics are purchased in France. Certified fabrics come from Portugal and Italy. Our products are manufactured in a family-run atelier in a small town outside of Porto: Barcelos. That's also where we get our hangtags, buttons and other trims. The only way we could do better is if you moved there, too.

four, our maximum markup

Fast fashion companies typically sit at a x2 markup. They afford it by paying dirt cheap wages to manufacturers across the world, overproducing and recovering margin on volume and markdowns.

Luxury brands typically sell at x13 markups that they justify because they don’t simply sell a product, they sell a status, a sense of worthiness.

We don’t do either because we believe human value and dignity are intrinsic and non-negotiable, both for the people who make our clothes, and those who wear them.

A x4 markup (maximum) is neither fast fashion nor luxury. It's what it costs to build a brand honestly and grow responsibly — responsible sourcing, fair wages, employer benefits, no overproduction, no discounting, no cutting corners, no hoarding wealth for the sake of it.

Panier

five simple rules