The Values We Live By

 

When I launched my label in 2017, after spending 16 years in sustainable finance, I had three key things that gave me the impetus to get started. Passion, determination and a core set of values. All three have been seminal in how I have run my business from the start but it is the values that have been the cornerstone of my business. Every day, they guide my decision making, they define my mission and purpose as a label and now more then ever, will be key in helping me to navigate the business forward in a world that has been shook up and reshaped by COVID.

These are the values we live by.

Being Passionate About What We Do and How We Do It

There is something beautiful about making. Making something that is carefully crafted, made with care, love and passion. Where every detail is carefully thought out. Where quality matters and stands the test of time. I love being able to wrap all of these into our designs because by doing these things, we are creating something special that others go on to enjoy and value. 

Doing Few Things But Doing Them Well

We do a few things, but we strive to do them well.  It is all about making a few things that work together and doing them well. It takes out the guess work for our customers and enables us to focus on what matters. Innovating with new and exciting materials and refining our designs. That is plenty for us to the be busy with we do not need any other distractions. 

It Is About People

Our business would not exist without our customers, manufacturers, suppliers and team. By choosing to buy from us, our customers are placing their trust in us. In return, we do not want to let them down. That is why we work hard on listening, listening carefully, so that we give them the service they expect and deserve. We carefully partner with suppliers and manufacturers who share our values on people and the planet. We strive to work with a team of gifted individuals who share our values and want to work with us because they have the freedom to be creative, work in an environment of inclusivity, trust, mutual respect and acceptance.  

It Is The Direction We Take Not The Speed We Go At

The world has sped up which has led to us lose meaning in how we buy and the relationship we have with our clothes. It has resulted in a global race to the bottom at the expense of our planet and people. We have jumped onto the fast moving conveyor belt that is immediacy, constant newness and churn. We have forgotten to appreciate what we already have. It has made us disconnected from our clothes. They have become disposable. The price of a piece of clothing is no longer reflective of the true cost of making it. Someone, somewhere, someplace has paid for it. We take a different direction because we believe it is time for fashion to slow down. This is why we have chosen to do things differently. Producing in small quantities, limited runs, making things when they are wanted, making to order and making them matter. It means having to wait that little bit longer, because quality and craftsmanship cannot and should not be rushed. It is a journey not a race. 

Being Mindful

We only have the one home called Earth. It is what connects us all and what we depend on to live. Living beyond our means, consuming and producing mindlessly, using up and wasting limited resources is not how anyone wants to treat their home. This is why we believe in product quality, longevity, quality of materials and craftsmanship, because making things that last, that we can fall in love with, that are timeless and just get better with time, is how we can show respect for our home. 

Carving Out Our Own Path

We are a small business working towards building a solid foundation that will see us through into the future. That foundation is based on building a strong business which means watching every penny and having the freedom to make our own decisions. So we may not be super flashy and sometimes be scrappy, but what is important is that that we stay close to our customers.  That we run our business as efficiently as possible, because if we can do that, it means we can afford to give more to our customers in terms of quality, service and sustainability.