For an ethical and responsible fashion
The fashion industry, like many others, must change, be more responsible, more ethical, more local. This has been obvious for a long time and this crisis has at least the merit of putting this subject back at the heart of the discussions. Of course, we are also questioning our own practices. We take advantage of the assessment we are making to show you the backstage of our production. Everything starts with the fabric.
The Fabrics
Finding the right materials for the garments you have designed is a long research work and you have to be constantly updated. There are thousands of suppliers, each more or less specialized in certain fibers and materials. There are many criteria to take into account: the thickness, the fluidity, the softness of the fabric... all this influences enormously the fall that the garment will have, but also, the composition, the origin, the manufacturing conditions.
For 17H10, we make it a point of honor to use only natural materials and made in Europe. We want the most beautiful fall possible for our trousers and our jackets but also comfort.
So we went to look for the great drapers, specialists in costumes, and they are in Italy. The wool sheets even have names to indicate a superior quality: we speak of super 100, super 120, super 130, it refers to the fineness of the thread used.
As for our linings, they come from Spain, and our buttons from France.
Many innovations appear on the market of these raw materials, it is necessary to be curious, to make tests, and to challenge its partners. But be careful, ecological does not always mean quality. We are open and attentive to all these innovations.
The other major issue is traceability! Even if suppliers are forced to be more and more transparent, it is very complicated to trace the whole manufacturing chain of fabrics: the origin of the raw material, where and how the yarn is created and then where and how the material is woven.
As far as we are concerned, all our materials are certified and labeled, these are the best guarantees to ensure the respect of the environment and the animals, the little sheep for our wool.
The difficulty when looking for noble materials like ours, is often the minimum quantities, we have to make big orders that sometimes exceed our production capacity, that eliminates many possible partners - and the manufacturing time.... For our wools, as they are woven on demand, it takes 3 months for example.
Once we have the fabrics, comes the manufacturing stage.
Manufacturing
For the manufacture of our pieces, it happens in Portugal! A country renowned for its textile know-how and its respectful and human working conditions.
Our factory is located in the eastern mountains. It is a family workshop for several generations. It is always a joyful moment when we go there. We have a lot of respect and affection for our partners there. It is a pleasure to spend time with them, and between 2 meetings, they introduce us to the Portuguese culture. We love it!
Since the creation of 17H10, we are on a rhythm of two big productions per year: fall-winter and spring-summer.
Our challenge on this subject would be to trade these two large annual productions for smaller, more frequent ones. This would allow us to be even more agile, to have less stock and to be able to restock as we go along the models and sizes that we have sold and that we miss.
To achieve a very controlled production, almost on demand, seems to us to be the solution of the future. This certainly implies that brands commit to new processes, but also that factories accept to produce smaller quantities and that customers learn to be patient. If stocks are smaller, it will sometimes be necessary to wait to receive one's size, or even that consumption patterns move towards pre-ordering: we only produce what is bought.
Then comes the question of transporting these parts and packing them!
Transport - Packaging
As our collections are produced in Europe, we prefer to use trucks to transport our products to France. to bring our products to France.
And no more cardboard boxes that pile up, no more boxes within boxes that end up in the garbage, we only work with recycled paper and cardboard. Çhe packagings are very simple and monochrome but we think that if it is good for the planet, you will forgive us!
We receive our parts in plastic so that they are well protected, but for us it is a problem and we haven't solved it yet. Having fabric covers? But what kind of material? Cotton consumes astronomical amounts of water, we solve one problem, we raise another. We are not at the end of our troubles, but that's what's exciting. Trust us, we are looking for it!
To conclude
More than ever, we are working to make our brand even more responsible. This involves a CSR commitment plan that includes what we are doing today and what we will do tomorrow.
We know that this is what our customers are looking for: a committed brand, noble raw materials, an exceptional quality, a reasoned production: 100% European, a strong brand DNA.
And we believe that this crisis will make even more people aware of the urgent need to turn to brands that respect these commitments. This is what helps us believe and makes us want to hold on!
We want to be part of this generation of brands that will change the fashion industry.
Discover the backstage of our production in videos too. Link here
