Who made your clothes?

The fashion industry involves a long chain and it consists of people. You, who are wearing the garment, are at one end. At the other end are the women and men who grew and harvested the cotton, wove the fabric, and sewed the garment. As a customer, it can be difficult to see the people and the factories behind the clothes. We want to change that.

Fashion Revolution Week April 23 - 29 

On April 24, 2013, 1,138 textile workers were killed and over 2,500 were injured when the Rana Plaza plant collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh. That’s when Fashion Revolution was born, a global non-profit movement centered on an annual campaign.

From April 23 - 29, Fashion Revolution Week will unite people and companies from all over the world. The goal is to create awareness of the true cost of fashion – for people and for the environment. And to show the world that a change is possible. Not least for the conditions of the people who make the world’s clothes.

 

How we think at Boob

We have decided to only make clothes that serve a purpose. We then make sure that they are made as environmentally optimal as possible, in every way – when it comes to design, function, materials selection and production. This leads to clothes that have a long life – that hold up to being used, washed and loved, over and over again.

Our goal is to build close, long-term relationships with suppliers who share our focus on human rights and environmental concerns. We have chosen to locate our production in Portugal, Turkey, Italy and Greece. We place high demands on our suppliers in terms of environmental and social responsibility and only cooperate with factories that respect our Code of Conduct.

We at Boob want to be involved and draw attention to Fashion Revolution Week because we think their work is important. Learn more about our work with sustainability and the materials we use.

 

John, works with cutting at Irmaos Rodrigues in Portugal.

 

Meet some of the people and factories behind our clothes

Irmaos Rodrigues, Calze Ileana and Colora are three of the factories we work with. Our cooperation is based on a common understanding: that the responsibility for this planet and for those of us who live here is one we all must share.

 

Irmaos Rodrigues

Irmaos Rodrigues is a sewing factory that specializes in tricot. Perfect for Boob, in other words. We have been working with them since 2012; they sew almost half of all our garments. And that's no coincidence. It’s because they are skilled enough to deliver the high quality that a garment from Boob requires. Equally important to us is that they share our values. They work hard to minimize their impact on the environment. And they ensure that the people working there have good conditions. It's a clean, nice and modern workplace. We know this because we visit them every year and our production agent is there every week.

Location: Gilmonde, Barcelos, Portugal

Number of employees: 105 people

Certifications: STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® and GOTS

Irmaos Rodrigues, Portugal

 

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Calze Ileana

Calze Ileana is a knitting factory that manufactures our tights, leggings and seamless undergarments and we have been working with them since 2017. The factory is located in Italy, near beautiful Lake Garda. Ileana is also the name of the woman who owns the factory. She started it in 1982 and still runs it today, together with her children, Alda and Luca.

CSR and the environment - such as chemicals - are important issues for Calze Ileana, and they have the best certifications. One thing we particularly like is their work on sustainable energy. Some of the energy the plant uses they produce themselves, using solar cells; the rest comes from renewable sources through certified companies. In addition, they have long been collaborating with a dyeing facility whose water treatment plant uses bio-bacteria.

Location: Italy

Number of employees: 20 people

Certifications: STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, Sa8000, Ohsas 18001 and ISO 14001

Calze Ileana, Italy

 

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Colora

Colora is a family-owned dyeing and printing company that we have collaborated with since 2017. The factory was founded in 1926 with its base in Thessaloniki. Forty years ago they built a water treatment plant, something that put them on the forefront at that time. It is still a modern facility that uses bio-bacteria to neutralize the water used for fabric dyeing.

Location: Greece

Number of employees: 120 people

​Certifications: STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® and GOTS

Colora, Greece

 

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What can we all do?

Think about how you consume. Shopping a little less for new clothes can be a good way to show care for both people and the environment. By shopping second hand, selling clothes that are no longer used or by handing them over to someone who will love them, you keep your clothes in the loop. Clothing that stays in the loop will automatically work for the environment.

 

 

Be curious and find out who made your clothes and under what conditions. Contact the companies directly. Or click on this link: #WHOMADEMYCLOTHES? It will take you to Fashion Revolution’s website where you can find out more.

 

Conceicao, works with folding at Irmaos Rodrigues i Portugal.