Production

A Family Business

It's important for us to work with like minded people who value sustainable practices, high quality and fair working conditions, just as we do.


For our 20.1 we changed and simplified our production process to only have one link in our production chain.
Before we sourced our textiles from eco friendly suppliers around the world, then had our styles sewn in a small sewing house in Bulgaria, who employed women from the local area. This process was quite costly to us, and as there were many steps in our value-chain we had constantly delays, with our fabric coming from one place, our lining from another and so on. With our small batch productions, this process didn't really work well for us.

 

We decided to find a supplier who could deliver the fabrics AND sew our styles. As we are a small company (and still with little finances) it was a struggle to find a supplier with a low minimum of quantity in each style. As we grow, the quantity of each style grows, but we want to do this in an organic way and let's be honest here, it takes time.

 

It took a while before we found the right one, but our new supplier A&A, a small family owned business in India, is a great match for our production. They were some of the first to introduce sustainable textiles in India and currently works with textile processing. Usually, they are in charge of textiles and a bit of sampling and outsource the sewing to a nearby GOTS certified factory.

However, with our small batches, we did not meet the minimum for the GOTS certified factory to have our styles sewn there.

 

We therefore have our styles sewn at A&A, at their sampling facility, which is only a very small part of their business. A&A mainly focuses on textiles and textile dyeing and printing, which is a shame if you ask us. Their craftsmanship and finishes are truly amazing. We do demand high quality, nice finishes with closed seams and detailed designs and they deliver beautifully.

 

As A&A works with more than 100+ fabric varieties with each their certification (and certification guidelines), they currently don't have enough ressources to change their relatively small sampling/sewing setup to be GOTS certified as well. It is something they are thinking about though, which we highly hope they do apply for.

 

Instead, they currently work under both Max Havelaar and GOTS Fair Trade guidelines and independently supports 4 NGO's through Give India, working extensively for wild life conservation, disabled care and child education (with main focus on girls).

 

As the sewing process of our styles is not certified, we have chosen to be transparent about the process and how A&A operate. Ethical and social responsibility is in their core and they follow GOTS guidelines as if they were certified.

Below you can see how they operate, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Learn more about A&A:

The Studio

The A&A studio is surrounded by a garden and farmlands. It's cooled with air coolers. There is lots of sunlight and free jaggery for everyone. A vegetable garden is next to the studio, where A&A grows organic vegetables which are served for lunch and surplus vegetables are distributed among every employee, which currently counts for 13 employees.

The fabrics and clothes made at A&A's studio is washed with soap nuts and air dried in their garden.

They are currently 70% solar powered and working to be a 100% solar powered studio.

Zero Waste
The factory consume up to 98% of fabric and use the left overs for their partners left over projects, their own upcycling projects or stitch clothes and donate them to various NGOs. Our scrunchies and headbands are made from left over fabrics and ensures minimal waste. Cut-off fabrics are also used as packaging for our styles.

Wages and Insurance

Just as we care about our partners' wages, so does A&A. They pay approximately 550$ per month to tailors. 700$ to master tailors and supervisors. And their support staff receive minimum 400$ per month. All their staff get production incentive, which is a small percentage per style. They also receive a yearly bonus on Diwali Festival which is approximately 1-2 months salary and gifts for their families.

 

A&A provide medical insurance for every staff member and scholarships for their staffs' kids.

Working Hours
The staff don't work double shifts or night shifts. If it's a rush, they occasionally work Sundays.

Their working hours are from 10 am -6 pm, an 8 hour day, which includes an 1 hour break. 30 min. lunch break and 2 x 15 min. snack break. Lunch and snacks are provided by A&A. Every employee receive 1 paid holiday per month besides Sundays.

Printing

A&A create prints from either block, screen or digital printing. They only use GOTS and Oeko-Tex certified Konica Minolta and Huntsman inks which are azo-free, nickel free and food safe. Their fabrics has been tested in Europe for food safety and child safety.

Certifications
As mentioned, A&A follows Max Havelaar and GOTS Fair Trade guidelines. Their fabrics are fully GOTS certified, Eco Cert, Oeko-tex 100 and Woolmark certified.

 

Furthermore they supports 4 NGO's through Give India, working extensively for wild life conservation, disabled care and child education (with main focus on girls).

 

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