Enamore
Bombshells, frilly femmes, indie kids and vintage lovers alike are smitten with Enamore’s beautifully crafted underwear sets. Enamore began in February 2004 and quickly became a darling of the ecofashion world. “Many of our customers love the retro/pin up style we create, and the icing on the cake is that the materials we use are fabulous alternatives to conventional cotton.“ Enamore’s creator began sewing using second hand garments or vintage fabrics as raw materials and when she began operating the business she combined vintage materials with hemp. The brand now features other sustainable materials such as soya fabric and organic cotton. “I couldn’t consider running a business of any kind without a sustainable focus as it’s just not viable in this day and age. Working with the eco-fashion industry, means not having to deal with all the flakiness of mainstream fashion, as the people involved in these businesses are all very interesting and dedicated to their cause.“
Garments designed in: UK
Fabrics, Raw materials and their origins: “We use a diverse range of fabrics including organic cotton [Turkey], Bamboo [fibre – China – Processing-Turkey], Silk, [India] Soya [China], hemp [China], and Vintage – predominately sourced in the UK
We only buy from certified suppliers. This applies to both the production techniques, and the way the workers are treated.
Pickering International:
Envirotextile LLC:
Ants Tektil Certificates:
http://www.antstekstil.com.tr/eng/sertifikalarimiz.php
Aura Herbal Textiles:
GOTS standard has a minimum of social compliances which we adhere to. Taking responsibility for how people and the environment are impacted by our activities is important and is essential if Aura is to be able to grow while maintaining profitability.
Garments manufactured in: “We currently manufacture all of our garments in the UK, in Wales, Bath, Brighton and London “
Pay and working conditions: “We work with a factory in Wales who produce our lingerie. The factory complies with all UK and EU legislation and we have personally visited and found that the conditions are way above average. We also employ outworkers who work from home or from small studios. We pay above minimum wage for this service and have good relationships with all the seamstresses. “
Summary of miles travelled: The new fabrics are sourced internationally while the vintage fabrics and trims are sourced within the uk- then the knickers have to travel to our sunny shores down under! Woods & Fields stock a small range and the garments themselves are light so the footprint of their journey to us is negligable.
Other Ethical Practices: “We recycle absolutely everything we can within our studio as well as at home. I generally use cycle, public transport and car pooling to carry out the running of the business. We are working towards providing training for people who are interested in fashion but are unemployed or on low incomes in 2010. We are selling a new bra in 2010, which will be donating a % of profits to charity.”
Future plans for ethical scope of brand: “We are working with Aura in India who are supplying natural herb dyed silks for our 2010 lingerie collection. There are no chemicals whatsoever in their dyeing and printing processes and they treat their workers and the environment with the utmost respect. We aim to keep working with our factory in Wales, providing much needed work in a deprived part of the UK.
We are also going to be adding some new branches to Enamore including sustainable sewing workshops, which will include some subsidized places for un-employed and low income participants.”