The Ethical Silk Company

The Ethical Silk Company produces luxury sleepwear, loungewear, bedding, accessories and clothing from cruelty free Mulberry Silk. Breaking down the components of our production and philosophy: HIGHLY SKILLED, ETHICAL TAILORING It is essential that our products are tailored in a principled manner, the alternative is just not an option for us. Committed to always using ethical tailoring units, The Ethical Silk Company products are designed in Ireland and made in a Fairtrade tailoring unit Mehera Shaw, located in Jaipur, India. By partnering with Fairtrade units, we, and our customers can have peace of mind in all aspects of the production of our collections. We limit each print to short runs and repeat runs when demand dictates. Careful pattern placement minimises wastage during production and any older stock is repurposed into smaller items so each piece of silk is carefully utilised. Mehera Shaw is a sustainable production unit based on a business philosophy that puts the human factor first. Its production unit in Jaipur follows Fairtrade standards in relation to employee and environmental practices. THE ART OF BLOCK PRINTING AND WEAVING Our printed collections are also printed by hand at Mehera Shaw. Block printing is a centuries old tradition and heritage craft of India, passed down from generation to generation. Using simple tools, age-old techniques and years of experience, the designs are traced onto teak wood blocks and carved by hand. The blocks are then dipped in dye and the pattern is stamped onto the silk, by hand, one at a time. Our wonderful Weavers based in Bengaluru in southern India, use dyes that are low impact, AZO* free dyes. All water used is treated and recycled with a water filtration system that removes the dye residue, meaning the wash water can be recycled and reused for fabric washing. This is combined with a rainwater catchment system at the printing unit at Mehera Shaw to reduce water use. Slight variations in colour and patterns are characteristic of block printing, demonstrating the truly hand-made nature and unique beauty of each piece. *AZO dyes are widely used in the textiles industry and are known to contain harmful, toxic and possibly carcinogenic compounds. Their use is often regulated from country to country. SLOW FASHION We are only able to block print the silk at certain times of the year, as it must be dried outside in the fresh air, as drying indoors would mean that there is a strong chance of the fabric gathering mould. This means that the process can’t happen during the heavy rains of the monsoon periods in India from June to September, so, we have a limited time to produce our beautiful prints. Of course, silk production can’t be hurried either and, as a natural fabric, it is ready when it is ready. If the moths are a little late hatching, then we must wait for them! Our brand is almost the opposite of fast fashion. We believe that in fashion, no one should lose out. Any other form of production is