The fashion industry has a poor reputation when it comes to the topic of waste in the production of finished goods, as well as the production of materials. This is because it can be difficult for brands to accurately predict how much stock, and in what styles, they'll need for each season.

We work around this issue in a few ways. We tread cautiously when planning the amount of stock we intend to make for future seasons and as we're a self-funded family business, we aren’t under pressure by external financial investors to grow our sales revenue at an extreme or unsustainable pace. We also limit the number of different designs we produce, which means we’re able to achieve a higher sell-through per style, and therefore minimise excess stock at the end of the season. Limiting the number of styles we make means we’re able to focus our attention on making sure the fit and quality of a new colour way is perfected and consistent each season, which has a great effect on the longevity and wearability of our product. Finally, we also use the same fabrics and trims multiple seasons in a row, which means we’re consolidating materials as much as possible to avoid wastage.

If we are left with any unsold items or samples, we either sell these at a sample sale, donate them to charity, or recycle anything that can’t be worn with SOEX. Ultimately, we make sure that nothing ever goes to waste.