When running a business, it can feel like you learn more in a year than you would have done in a lifetime. This year, that’s been especially true as we navigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve been through uncertain times, but we feel so much gratitude towards our loyal and supportive customers who've kept us going and allowed us to continue to build our brand throughout 2021.
"We grew our team (hello Holly, Chloé, Beth, Olivia and our intern, Amy). There’s only 11 of us, but growing our company to 11 feels like a big change. Just over two years ago, we were juggling the business as a solo husband-and-wife-team, with our new born baby coming along for the ride.
2021 saw us launch Sleepwear. Our goal was to bring you something different, exciting and comfortable (a bit like our lingerie). So we designed a collection in some of our unique colour combinations, and produced the range in responsibly sourced, natural fabrics.
We also continued on our journey to become more sustainable. We partnered with 1% for the Planet, through which we commit to donating at least 1% of our annual turnover to environmental charities and NGOs. We’ve also been working hard on making our collections more responsibly produced. 100% of our laces, 50% of our elastics, and many other components in each product are now made from recycled materials. As part of our mission to use a greater mix of natural fabrics in our collections, we also introduced our new organic cotton lingerie into the range.
That said, our sustainability journey has highlighted to us how great the challenge is to become truly sustainable in an industry that requires so much structural change and that as a small brand, we don’t have the buying power to transform the industry to the same extent that the bigger players do. However, we do feel positive for the future. The world of fashion is starting to change. There are more brands than ever before taking the initiative to change the unsustainable practices that exist within their businesses, as well as throughout their supply chains.
Claiming we’re a 'sustainable' brand, however, has never been something we’ve felt comfortable with, as we know how far we still have to go. We’ve reached some commitment milestones this past year, but we won’t pretend we’re where we need to be. From a personal perspective, we’re both incredibly passionate about sustainability and becoming a part of the solution for the future. Running a consumer brand has been a contentious issue for us, but we’ve reached the conclusion that we need to use this opportunity to change the industry, rather than to walk away from it."
Love, Georgia and Jake x
To read more about our sustainability practices, click here.
