Sustainability & Ethics

Our vision has always been clear: to inspire a celebration of self. Evoking nostalgia in the form of freedom, expression and bold clothes, designed to be forever loved and celebrate all that it is to be uniquely you. As the brand grows, so too has the social responsibility and ethical values that underpin what we do for the better of our sisterhood and our world. Every journey has a beginning, and we’re shifting our efforts to make more responsible decisions with every collection through navigating our supply chain, and tracing it to be more sustainable and conscious. It’s a long and windy road but one that we’re on for the long haul to ensure we’re continuously improving, and ultimately treading lighter along the journey.

We’re excited for you to come on this ride with us.

NEW VINTAGE

Our vision is to revive the essence of bygone eras - the bold, the vibrant and the fierce expression of self in the form of timeless, forever treasures that will be passed down through nine (or more) hands and become a kind of ‘new’ vintage. Designed to be eternally loved and steering from seasonal trends, our carefully curated collections take on a slower approach, guided by the notion of where these garments will dazzle. What memories will garner within their seams - from special celebrations to everyday memories, we envision how our pieces will make you feel most intrinsically like you. Staying true to our ethos, we encourage you to share the love with your fellow sisterhood to breathe new life into your favourite pieces, so that they too can experience how your soul shines brighter when you wear clothes that form part of your personality.

THE MAKERS & SHAKERS

Our partnering factories are located near Hangzhou, in the Zhejiang Province in China. Housing our production in China has allowed us to diversify our fabric processes and facilitate using sustainable fibres and digital printing - meaning less fabric wastage and a lighter footprint. Something that we’re really passionate about. Our partner factories  employ 46 people - predominantly females and have ethical procedures in place, including safe working conditions, breaks and above award wages.

Our goal is to work towards a more sustainable future with our factory partners and we  look forward to visiting them to nurture our working relationship when it’s safe to do so and more freedom to travel internationally.

We are fortunate to work with an array of incredibly talented and diverse Australian creatives that form part of the Nine Lives Bazaar family, to bring our intricate and custom prints to life. Each collection tells a story, and they all start with pen to paper - a true labour of love that makes each print completely unique.

CHOSEN THREADS

The divine is in the details when it comes to our chosen fibres.

We’ve moved towards using sustainable fabrics for our core printed collections. A huge and necessary step forward when navigating a multi-faceted industry like fashion.

Our fabrications are an integral part of each collection, and we’re committed to using fibres that leave less of a footprint on our planet, while ensuring longevity and quality that our customers know and love.

ECOVERO

Our ECOVERO™ is our star fibre. A soft fabrication of viscose fibers derived from certified sustainable wood pulp from responsibly managed sources. This process uses 50% less energy and water to manufacture than generic viscose. Soft in touch, lightweight for all seasons and smooth in texture - this is our most loved fabrication collection after collection.

LENZING TENCEL™

We use LENZING TENCEL™ lyocell fibres, a beautifully soft and lightweight fabrication derived from sustainably sourced wood pulp. This has been harvested from responsibly managed sources through a unique closed loop system, ensuring low environmental impact.

ECONYL®

We use ECONYL® as our chosen thread for all swimwear. ECONYL® Regenerated Nylon is made from waste like fishing nets from the oceans and other waste destined for landfill. It’s infinitely recyclable and reduces the global warming impact of nylon by up to 92% compared with the material from oil. Not only is this production process sustainable, it produces a beautifully buttery soft texture and quality for our swim pieces that ensures longevity against UV rays and salt water season after season. Where ECONYL® has not be used, we use a luxurious Italian recycled quality form Carvico with Global Recycling Standard (GRS) certification. 

PACKAGING

We use 100% compostable postage bags, which are made partly from plants, degrade naturally with no toxic residues and can be composted in your at home compost bin. Our beautiful postcards included in each order are made sustainably using FSC® Certified Pulp in a chlorine free process, is carbon neutral and made of 100% post consumer waste which can be recycled again. 

Our garment poly bags are made from 100% cornstarch, which are fully biodegradable and compostable in landfill through your local council’ green waste bins.

Through choosing to home our garments in our cotton tote bags, we’re encouraging you to take a piece of us everywhere you go - from the markets, to the beach and beyond - get creative with how you use your tote bags as a stylish storage solution that doesn’t cost the earth.

Please note; we're currently sold out of our cotton tote bags but looking forward to sharing our newly designed totes with you soon!