Our Eco Manifesto

Our unique ranges are ethically and sustainably made in small batches. We are proud to work with a small community of weavers in the southwestern region of Turkey and help revive the beautiful Turkish craftsmanship of hand looming on traditional wooden shuttle-looms. Each purchase helps support the livelihood of these artisans and their communities.

We believe that our lives and homes are a reflection of our values towards People and the Planet. We have built our brand on a commitment to create positive change for our planet and for people. Here’s how we do our bit…

1. NATURAL & ORGANIC MATERIALS

 Our towels, throws and scarves are woven with high quality  GOTS certified Organic Cotton or OEKO TEX and natural linen from the region of Denizli in Turkey, well known for its quality yarn and ancient legacy of weaving pure cotton. There are multiple environmental and quality benefits of using organic cotton. The superiority of the yarns, means a long lasting quality product not becoming musty over time that will last decades and become more and more absorbent. In contrast to non-organic cotton, it does not rely on harmful insecticides and pesticides which contaminate the soil and at the same time pose a threat to farmers who are still hand-picking in Turkey. And while cotton is a thirsty plant, organic cotton requires far less water to grow due to its ability to retain water. This in turn means a much more absorbent fibre that will not harden over time.

Linen, the original textile fibre harvested  from flax plants, is known for its antibacterial, quick drying, stain resistant qualities as well as it’s durability -outlasting even organic cotton by twice as long. It is hard to process due to its unevenness and the slub (little hairs) along the thread, and has been almost abandoned as a fibre by the factory industry. Even on our old-style shuttled looms, a weaver must slow down approximately 50%, effectively doubling the time it takes to make a piece in comparison with cotton.

Our dyes are free from harmful chemicals that damage the environment. Overall, superior quality materials means a superior quality product, made to last and be cherished.

2. SMALL BATCH PRODUCTION

All our new textiles are produced in small batches on old style shuttle looms. This helps us to minimise waste and deadstock. Many of the designs are executed by one weaver only and this makes each design that little bit more special.

3. RELOVE

We understand that the only true sustainable approach to textiles for home and fashion would be to use what we already have, and we have made this one part of our mission with our vintage textiles and upcycled range. We source contemporary and vintage textiles, many of which are collected from Turkish villages and their trousseau boxes, and give them a new life. Whether sold as they are, or upcycled into home and apparel projects, each piece telling the story of culture, history, language and tradition.

4. CONSCIOUS PACKAGING

We strive to choose the best packaging options (with least environmental impact) available to a small brand like ours, whilst at the same time reducing our packaging to only what is essential. Our options mean an investment on our part, which we will happily make, as we know they matter.

Compostible Mailers & Polybags:

We have partnered with Better Packaging Company, a certified B-corporation, to use fully compostable bags instead of traditional polybags when shipping our products.

We send all our products in their comPOST Pack – a certified home compostable, fully biodegradable mailing satchel partly made from plants. These satchels will biodegrade in 3-6 months when left in nature or in a home compost. They are waterproof and strong and can also be commercially composted. These are certified Home Compostable AS5810 and considered to be a more environmentally friendly option than biodegradable alternatives.

Organic Canvas Screen Printed Bags: Our beautiful screen printed Canvas drawstring pouches are made of a medium weight Fairtrade certified cotton in India and screen printed with non toxic dyes here in the UK. Designed to be kept, we treat our customers to these for all orders over £75.

5. CHAMPIONING TRADITIONAL CRAFTSMANSHIP

Our hand loomed textiles uphold a cultural heritage that goes back thousands of years.The invention of the towel dates back to Bursa, Turkey in the 17th Century when they began as small flat woven pieces of cotton or linen. Later, in the 18th Century the Ottomans developed a looped pile fabric, which was brought to England and through mechanisation became known as Terry Towelling. Threatened by this industrialisation, many weavers have gone bankrupt and lost their livelihoods, particularly over the last 50 years. We are proud to support and develop communities still hand weaving textiles with these age old traditional methods.

6. ETHICAL LABOUR

Our weavers are paid a fair wage and encouraged to work no more than 8 hours a day. It is common for weavers to work long hours to increase their yield, however, this is often counterproductive as tiredness increases the likelihood of mistakes on the loom and leads to unsellable products. Through fair wages, we are able to encourage our weavers not to overwork and maintain the quality of their production.