We want to show you where our fabrics come from and tell you a little more about the process. We would love you to know the full journey of your Wristee® - so you know where the incredible hand-made designs come from. How we source our fabrics, how we make some of them in house and why we are so excited about our new certified organic fabrics that are becoming an important part of our range…..and most importantly to the small team of in-house sewers who make everything possible!
We have become known for our best selling pleated ‘WristeesⓇ which we trademarked over 10 years ago. They are made from a polyester fleece that we source from a British supplier and then put through a heat process that permanently creates the pleats. They are washable, durable, very warm and incredibly comfortable to wear. The pleat helps trap warm air which adds to their big success story. Alongside the pleated collection we also produce a Limited Edition of Hand-painted silk and velvet fabric which we make for special customers and galleries. These are all made in-house in our Bristol workshop.
The Organic Cotton collection (Gots certified) is our newest range and we are so excited about it. We source some of the fabrics from uk suppliers and some from fabulous German weavers who design and make small runs of these beautiful cloths, colours and designs can be made to order, so are very special.
Where do the Organic fabrics come from?
GOTS stands for Global Organic Textile Standard and it is an internationally recognized certification - you can read more about it here. GOTS requires that textile manufacturers follow very specific environmental criteria and social criteria. For example, no chemicals can be used which have been shown to harm humans or the environment at any stage of the production process. Also worker safety and worker rights issues are a top priority - no child or slave labor and a certain minimal level of safe working conditions must be met. To carry the GOTS label "organic" a textile must contain at least 95% certified organic fibers.
We recommend that when you are shopping for organic pieces, do your best to make sure that the product has a GOTS certification. This will help insure that what you are buying is truly organic.
Why shop Organic?
The more you know, the better decisions you can make. As a consumer, we have an incredible amount of power with our purchase decisions.
We are hoping it will be possible to have our production side of the journey here in Bristol fully certified sometime, so that we can then give the finished product GOTS certification not just the fabric….watch this space.
The Fabrics
So we have two different masks both GOTS certified - 1. The jacquard woven (patterned) masks, double sided so reversible with another matching colour combo jacquard fabric. These ones have a nose bridge wire in to help keep the mask in place and a piece of elastic that goes over the head, so the mask can be kept around the neck when not being worn rather than being taken on and off and put in bags, pockets etc making them very practical. They also have toggles on the ear elastic loops so they can be adjusted to suit different people and face sizes. The toggles are made from a durable, very soft and comfortable rubber so do not interfere with the comfort of the mask. These masks have matching Wristee® and snoods - both reversible. Beautiful fabrics made in short runs. Masks retailing £13.50
The other mask we make is a jersey organic cotton (Gots certified). This is a little softer due to the weave. They are simple in plain colours and very comfortable to wear. These do not have the nose bridge wire or the neck piece but do also have the extendable ear toggles. We also make the plain organic cotton snoods to match. Masks retailing £9.50
We strive towards constantly improving our sustainable initiatives by keeping the products made in the UK. By investing in the local economy, we help reduce air pollution to try and keep our carbon footprint as low as we possibly can.
Please be assured that we do also pay close attention to the current environmental concerns that are being widely reported and are continually making steps to reduce the use of plastic in our business and our impact on the environment.
Read on the next blog: Small businesses need and appreciate your help!
