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RESPONSIBILITY
RESPONSIBILE PRACTICES
Our Commitment
In the process to create something tangible, we must take from the natural world. The impact of the unequal give and take between industry, people, and environment, particularly within the clothing industry, has generated far-reaching human suffering and environmental devastation.
This understanding has paved the foundation for our forward-thinking approach to clothing – one built on the pillars of transparency, responsibility, and ethical practices. We recognize that these pillars are not fixed labels, but rather ongoing practices in which we must always strive to embody more truly.
Design Philosophy
Small
Through our small batch production, we find the equilibrium between supply and demand, and aim for quality over quantity. In doing so, we minimize waste, never take more resources than necessary, and create enduring, versatile pieces designed to last.
Seasonless + Slow
The conventional, trend-driven fashion model upholds the standard of constant production of new styles that are only desirable for a trivial period of time. This unsustainable approach ultimately leads to overproduction, exploitation, perceived obsolescence, and waste. Our approach flips this notion on its head – we produce quality, timeless garments at the pace our sewers are comfortable with.
Fair and Just Labor
Just as important as our approach to production is the people whose hands bring our pieces to life. All of our garments are cut, dyed, and sewed in Bali, Indonesia. Each piece is made by our sewers in the comfort of their homes, rather than in a traditional factory setting. Working from home allows our makers to work at their own pace, attend prayer, and spend time with and care for their families.
All of our workers are paid a living wage in US dollars. Some of our highest skilled workers are paid 7 times as much as the Balinese minimum wage. We take pride in knowing our brand supports the livelihoods of over 25 people in Bali. To get to know the makers behind Belle and have a look inside our facilities, click here.
Local, Natural, + Regenerative Textiles
When possible, we use natural, biodegradable textiles such as silk, cotton, and linen for our apparel and loungewear that we source locally in Indonesia. Sourcing locally helps reduce the embodied carbon footprint of our pieces. Using earth-derived textiles ensures that at the garment's end-of-life, it will biodegrade back into the environment rather than take up space in our ever-crowded landfills.
For our swimwear, we use regenerated nylon textiles such as ECONYL® where possible, which is made from nylon waste such as fishing nets, carpet flooring, and industrial plastics. Using regenerative nylon eliminates the need for crude oil extraction. In fact – for every 10,000 tonnes of raw ECONYL® material that is produced, 70,000 barrels of crude oil are kept in the ground and 57,100 tonnes of C02eq emissions are kept out of the air.
Plant Dyed
For our apparel and loungewear pieces, we use plant-derived dyes rather than conventional dyes. Unbeknownst to many, conventional dyes are derived from petroleum – meaning they require crude oil to be produced. Conventional dyes are also often carcinogenic, and are responsible for devastating and contaminating waterways in developing countries. That is why we use plant-dyes as often as possible. Many of the plant dyes we use are derived from plants grown locally at a farm in Bali, such as mango leaf, mahogany leaf, and ketapang leaf.
The Small Things
When approaching our commitment to sustainability, we recognize that the little things matter too. Below are some small initiatives we take to reduce our impact.
Responsible Textile Cutting – In an effort to reduce waste, our textile cutters cut fabric in a specific manner to avoid excessive scraps.
Certified Compostable Packaging & Shipping Material – We ship our parcels to our customers in compostable packages sourced by Better Packaging Co. Our stickers, printed on Forest Stewardship Council certified, acid-free paper with soy ink, are sourced by Noissue. To top it off, all of our pieces are shipped from Bali to the US in Avani Eco packaging.