Our materials library is constantly evolving to provide the most responsible content we can while maintaining our quality and accessible pricing standards.  Our Eco-Conscious collection signifies products made with materials derived via processes ecologically better than their conventional counterparts.

We are simultaneously working toward increasing the general representation of natural fibers in our collection while also sourcing a higher percentage of fabrics that are either organically produced or recycled.  Below, we’ve outlined both our internal grading system for materials and certification requirements utilizing a framework of Best / Better / Baseline / Avoid, as well as our recent progress and % of materials used by year within each categorization.

In our marketing materials, we follow the FTC Green Guides for Marketing where we qualify any claim with the materials used and describe the meaning.  For example, we mindfully selected the phrase “Eco-Conscious” over other terminology to describe our efforts in this arena as we felt it was the most neutral depiction that demonstrates intent / consciousness, without claiming that products are “sustainable.”

As a globally sourced apparel brand, we recognize our duty to source our products using responsible procurement practices.  We do this by fostering positive, long-term relationships with our suppliers who we work closely with to ensure accountability and satisfaction, and by offering fair payment terms and lead-times.  We’ve continued working with all factories we’ve onboarded since our inception, providing stable and constant orders.  We encourage our suppliers to provide feedback through our annual factory survey, although feedback is also welcomed at any time.

As a small business, we prefer to work with and support other small businesses across our supply chain.  Our factory partners and vendors are predominantly small to medium-sized manufacturers (6 of our 8 factories have fewer than 150 employees).  Of these 8 factories, 1 is female-owned and 6 have women in senior management positions.  All of our factories pay their workforce an hourly rate on a monthly cadence with no piecework.  Geographically, we have 6 factories located in China, 1 factory in Korea, and 1 factory in the Philippines.

To ensure compliance in our supply chain, we require annual third-party audits from all of our manufacturing facilities.  Our Vendor Manual and Code of Conduct, signed by all of our suppliers, outlines all ethical expectations that our suppliers must adhere to.  As raw materials are sourced by our factories, we are not currently able to audit their selected fabric mills and trim suppliers; however we do ask our factories to provide any available information along with their annual survey responses.

Every year, we solicit extensive feedback from our community in our Customer Survey.  It provides us with self-identified information and valuable insight into who our customers are and what they need.  As a customer-oriented company, it’s important to us that we aren’t brainstorming in an echo chamber.  We utilize the information we receive to inform decisions across the business, and to make sure that we’re best serving our diverse existing and future customer base.

In FY 2023, we received survey responses from over 900 customers — 53% of these respondents identified as parents, 94% were college-educated, and ages between 25 - 64 were relatively evenly distributed.  The feedback provided, both in multiple choice data and open free responses, was collated and sent directly to relevant business functions like Design, Merchandising, Creative, and Marketing.  This information informed everything from our material choices to prioritizing specific Responsibility-related projects throughout the year.