Sustainability Aspirations
Fabrication
These are the considerations when choosing fabrics.
Octavia Banks aims to…
-use natural fibers that biodegrade
-use high quality fabrics that need very little at home care (excessive washing/drying/ironing)
-source locally to reduce air miles transporting farbics
-use deadstock yarns where possible
-use unbleached fabrics for dying
-to avoid polyester, and would choose PET recycled polyesters where possible
-create stretch fabrics using natural fibers, failing that, being fully fashioned to avoid waste
Technique
Considerations made when using the chosen fabrics
Octavia Banks aims to…
-partner with sustainable studios for the creation of unique fabrics
-use scrap materials
-create fully fashioned knitwear which avoid the waste of cut and sew
- ensures the consumer really wants what they are buying and avoids the difficulty of unsold stock by working on a commission and made to order basis where possible
slow
Approach to encourage slow fashion
Octavia Banks aims to…
-create one off garments that will be more special to the consumer, and therefore remain in their wardrobes for years to come
-create garments the buyer will feel inclined to look after
-be open to creating commissions and work with the buyer to create something they will cherish
-avoid following trends, as this leads to garments the buyer feels is only good for a season
HOW WE DO THIS
-All our knitwear uses a ‘fully fashioned’ technique, which means that there is practically zero waste from all our knitwear.
-The fabrics we use are all primarily silk, merino wool and cotton - all of these are natural and therefore biodegradable. Many of our yarns are deadstock.
-By using these types of fabrics and also giving out care-cards that explain how to best care for your garment by hand washing and air drying them, we hope our customers are able to lower their personal energy use and also increase the life of their wardrobe to lower their consumption.
-All our Logo Tee’s and Boxer Tank’s are made from fabric from a British Mill. We dye the Logo Tee’s ourself, and then we personally go to the factory we use in London to discuss the designs and have them produced locally. All the factory workers are payed a fair wage and work in a clean and spacious environment that we have been to many times.
-We use a huge proportion of our scraps in our Patchwork range to reduce our waste
- Our marbled garments are all dyed on use unbleached fabrics.
-None of our garments are polyester and we avoid elastic on almost all our garments. We do not sacrifice the function and fashion of the garment however, so if elastic is essential, we will use it to ensure durability of a garment.
-We make a huge proportion of our garments in house. 100% of our knitwear is made by hand in house. All our hand marbled garments are sewn in house by our seamstress. Any out sourced production in London based