Whether you want your fashion accessory line to consist of big and bold, collectable statement pieces, or practical, easy-to-coordinate essentials, there are ethical manufacturing options open to all. There are more materials out there than ever before for designers and brands seeking alternatives to animal leathers, virgin plastic components, or polyester and nylon fabrics, which meet even the high demands of performance for accessories that are crucial to securing brand loyalty and creating long-lasting products.
Often the affordable entry point for many brands, an accessories line can also be a sound business decision for existing labels who are seeking to expand their customer base and attract new clientele.
In this Masterclass, we explore what makes an ethically manufactured accessory, through bags, hats, socks, tights, belts, and more. We present your options for sourcing sustainable and ethical materials and trims. And we speak to designers and brands already applying these methods about their journeys, the ups and downs, their successes and challenges, and the learnings they want to pass on to anyone setting out to create ethical fashion accessories.
In this Masterclass, you will learn:
- How ethical practice in the fashion industry applies to the manufacture of hats, bags, sunglasses, leather goods, hosiery, and other accessories
- What ethical and sustainable materials and trims are out there for accessories
- About designing and manufacturing with vegan materials
- How to embed ethical and sustainable approaches into your business model
- How to build and design a uniform and merchandise collection
- How to test for wear-and-tear in materials for accessories lines and, why performance matters to both the consumer and the planet
- Why, though seemingly contradictory, accessories can be a way to promote sustainability to a wide audience
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Ethical Trims & Haberdashery Matrix
with Charlie Bradley RossSummary
We're delighted to present this list of eco-friendly trims and haberdashery suppliers. Please read and respect the terms of use before contacting these producers.
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How To Build A Uniform And Merchandise Collection
with Katie Young GeraldSummary
The manufacturing of durable, comfortable and attractive uniforms is important to all hospitality businesses and for those that place luxury front and center of their brand image, it's absolutely essential. For Katie Young Gerald, these factors can all be achieved through premium quality fabrics and attention to detail, particularly when it comes to the heritage of a brand and the people that make it what it is today.
Katie's business, Bespoke Textiles, has been designing and supplying uniforms and merchandise to hospitality brands for over 10 years. Her book, The Textile Touch, is a number one bestseller and has helped businesses translate their brand style into 'textile touch points'. In this video, we chat to her about her experience working with some of the top brands in the industry, how to develop uniform and merchandise collections and what makes good branding beyond just the logo.
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Using Accessories To Nurture Creativity While Increasing Your Audience
with Valentina KarellasSummary
Though perhaps seen as "extras" to a fashion collection, knitted accessories are an essential part of seasonal gift-giving. Here we learn how these small accessible products help to nurture creativity and provide an additional stream of sustainable conversation, with London-based knitwear designer-maker Valentina Karellas.
Interviews
Kinder Wilder: Beautiful, Contemporary Hats Made Responsibly
Thursday Aug 1st, 2019
From Belo: Bags of Kindness
Tuesday Oct 1st, 2019
Cubitts: The Spectacle Makers Reframing Waste
Sunday Dec 1st, 2019
Rockay Socks: More wearing, less washing
Wednesday Apr 1st, 2020
Luxtra: Building A Luxury Vegan Accessories Brand
Thursday Oct 1st, 2020
CLOVO: Responsibly Revitalising An Everyday Accessory
Thursday Oct 1st, 2020
Alice Robinson: Connecting Food, Farming And Fashion
Monday Mar 1st, 2021
Lunar Method: Cactus Leather Bags That Support Women
Sunday Aug 1st, 2021
Follow on Masterclasses:
Ethical Ways To Work With Leather
The Design Process: From Design To Product
Additional Reading
The Knitwear and Accessory Brands to Support this Winter
Wednesday Dec 9th, 2020
Building A British Fibreshed And Its Benefit For Fashion
Friday Jul 3rd, 2020
What is Fast Fashion doing to the planet, its people, and our state of mind?
Sunday Feb 9th, 2020
What is Fast Fashion and Why Is It Still So Popular?
Monday Jan 20th, 2020
Sustainable Fashion Milestones from the 2010s
Monday Jan 13th, 2020
Eco producers, manufacturers and innovators at Première Vision September 2019
Monday Sep 30th, 2019
Tips for attending fabric trade shows like Première Vision
Monday Sep 30th, 2019
The sustainable brands redefining luxury with made-to-order business models
Monday Sep 16th, 2019
Recycling for Fashion: Should We Give Plastics a Second Chance?
Monday Jul 22nd, 2019
The Rise of Fashion's Obsession with Plastic Fibres
Monday Jul 8th, 2019