Sustainability

  • RAW MATERIALS

    We use Italian manufacturers, who source cotton and silk from Egypt, India and USA (California)

  • THE FABRIC

    In Italy, the fabric is spun into threads and then woven into fabric. Our fabrics are all OEKO-TEX certified, meaning that the manufacturing methods used are environmentally responsible, and do not use chemicals which are harmful to the environment. The stripe and check details on our cotton shirts are woven into the fabric, rather than printed. This is the only way to achieve clean, fine lines on both sides of the fabric without a faded appearance on the inside, and to ensure that the stripes follow the grain of the fabric exactly. Many of the very fine stripe, check and jacquard details of our fabrics can only be achieved with weaving, using a very high thread count.

  • THE GARMENT

    From Italy, the fabric is sent to Bulgaria, Lithuania or Portugal, where it is sewn into garments. By keeping our production within the EU, we limit the number of kilometres the fabric and each shirt travels. The mother of pearl buttons are sourced in Italy and the raw material comes from Vietnam. Other trimmings are typically sourced in Italy. We choose suppliers with a minimum BSCI report score of C and aim to choose only those that score A or B.

  • THE PEOPLE

    Our manufacturers uphold European standards, including fair, living wages and safe working conditions. Wages of factory workers are at or above local minimum wages, and are increased on an annual basis.
    In our head office, we have a small but very international team.

  • THE DISTRIBUTION

    We manufacture in small batches, keeping some fabric 'in reserve' to repeat bestselling styles or to use in another way (e.g. for prototyping and sampling), thus eliminating excess production.

  • PACKAGING

    We use vegetable starch polybags, which are fully compostable (they actually dissolve in boiling water - try it!). For ecommerce orders, we offer consumers the choice between low waste packaging or gift boxes, both of which are made from recycled materials. The gift boxes are incredibly unique and can be re-used (and often are) for storing papers, etc.

     

  • THE LONGEVITY
    The biggest factor in making fashion more sustainable is how many times we use our clothes and how long they last. Everyone has a role to play.
     
    We strive to create products that have both functional and emotional longevity; they need to be durable and desirable for a long time.
     
    We want our customers to buy pieces that they love and will wear many times. A recent survey we did showed that customers wear our signature cotton shirts for a variety of occasions, including work, casual and events, so we think we are on the right path.
  • WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
    We use every metre of fabric we produce. If it's not used for production, we will use it in another way (e.g. for prototyping or sampling). Leftover cuttings are put into fabric recycling machines, which cut the pieces into tiny fibres. These tiny fibres can then be re-spun into threads, ready to begin the whole cycle again.

    We do not destroy unsold garments. We sell every piece that we produce through our own sales channels or through selected partners. 
     
    We hope that our customers love each Britt Sisseck piece for many wears and washes, but when it is time to part with your clothes, we hope you do so responsibly.
  • SAVE A SHIRT
    Explore our reselling platform “Save a Shirt”, where you can buy Britt Sisseck styles second hand.

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