It is a core concern at Apolina that we produce our collections with as much respect to the earth, and to people, as possible. Here’s a little update on our ongoing sustainability efforts.

Fabrics

We have increased the use of organic fabrics in the collections. This season we have organic linen as well as organic cotton, jersey and denim. Each will be clearly marked on our website descriptions.

We have started to buy greige undyed cloth in linen, which we can batch dye as and when we need to ensure we aren't left with excess. Since we produce Apolina entirely at one factory we can more efficiently manage waste as fabrics are consolidated, and often we can add extra pieces or small accessories into the collection when we see our production fabrics status. Our ongoing patchwork project also helps us to use up any small pieces of cloth left of our seasonal prints and woven checks.

The dye mill we work with has business practices that are environmentally and ethically responsible, aligned with our brand values. All our dyes are non-toxic and azo-free, and we do not use any heavy metals in the processing of our fabrics.  

Packaging

This season we have updated our degradable protection bags to composting fibre, our mailers are made from eco friendly grass paper from a climate neutral certified company. Our printed materials continue to be derived from recycled paper and are easily recyclable.

Future

We have regular 'blue sky' conversations with our factory team, thinking about how we can improve sustainability as we grow. We continue to adapt our production planning to ensure our workers can be offered continuous work, rather than seasonal opportunities. This partly comes through better forward planning on my part, to stretch the production time frame, and also through in-season capsule ranges and collaboration projects.

We are incredibly proud of the mutually supportive way we do business with our partner in India. We remain adaptable and always work through any issues and problems together to best suits the needs of all parties.

Anatomy of a dress