After a six month hiatus it's time for a drive-by posting...
We're quite excited because we are hoping to start manufacturing our own clothing range. We'll start very small scale and want to get our clothes made in the UK in order to keep a close eye on things. We already have a designer/pattern cutter on board so we're currently looking around for fabrics that fit our ethos of sustainability and fair trade.
It's so tempting to use some of the new textiles that are made from bamboo and soy but we're resisting. Bamboo may sound squeaky-clean green but dig deeper and there are some inconvenient truths. The soy process (from what we've read) sounds better but since most soy is now genetically modified we're not interested in using fibre from that source either, unless we can guarantee GM-free raw ingredients.
We're looking at other innovative textiles, including those made from nettles, but our first collection is likely to be made from organic cotton, linen and hemp. We've already sourced a really pretty little organic cotton gingham (available from our online shop) that is not only hand-woven but also dyed with exclusively herbal dyes; no insect dyes are used - we do our best to steer clear of those.
We've also had some certified organic/fair trade cotton printed with a design by Lu Summers, a good friend of Eco Eco...
This will make very pretty blouses and summer dresses. We should be getting some more fabrics printed in our own designs soon - we're keen on spots so it's likely there will be some pretty spotty patterns involved, and perhaps a butch spot for the chaps.
We're always interested to receive suggestions for sustainable and fairly traded fabrics so feel free to comment.
