Where are our fabrics from?

Silk

• All of our silk comes from a company in New York. They have been supplying silk to primarily designer brands for decades.
• The silk gets dyed & finished in New Jersey in conformation with a variety of U.S. agencies including the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
• All water used during dying is treated through a facility that follows stringent environmental regulations. Their finishing machine uses air rather than steam, greatly reducing fuel consumption. The raw silk is imported from overseas (China and Korea).

Cotton & Bamboo Fabric

• Used in our hair towels, our cotton & bamboo blend fabric comes from the US.
• It is grown and made in the US in conformation with the CPSC, the OHSA, and the EPA.
• It is made with 100% natural fibers and is biodegradable, so it doesn't shed microplastics.

Why we produce in batches as-needed

It allows for better cash flow

• Our sales fluctuate, so we try to have 1-2 months of inventory (we sell on Amazon Prime and it takes Amazon warehouses 1-3 weeks to process inventory, and sometimes sales increase 2-3x month over month).

It limits waste

• If sales drop, it prevents us from having an excess of inventory. Sometimes, sustainability initiatives align with business initiatives.
• Unlike other businesses that product in China and face shipping times of a few weeks to a year, we're able to do this because all of our materials and production are in the US and because we're located close to our artisans in Florida.
• If we happen to stock-out, we can have new products ready in about 5-7 days, from fabric order to final product.

Where are our fabrics cut? Who cuts our fabric?

It depends how much fabric needs to be cut, but generally speaking if it is less than 30 yards I will cut it or one of the artisans we work with in South Florida will cut it. If it is more than 30 yards, we have an incredible fabric cutter who can cut everything super fast (think 250 yards in 2 hours). All of the waste is then sent back to us where it is repurposed.

What happens to the waste from cutting?

I design all of the patterns to fit perfectly within the constraints of each fabric width. Sometimes that means combining two products on one pattern. This leaves little to zero waste depending on the shape of the product (masks are cut in rectangular shapes so there is a thin strip of silk leftover for every 300 masks made).

Any waste we do have is repurposed into ribbons for packaging, other products, random functions around the house, testing new product patterns, and more.

Who sews our products?

It depends on how much needs to be made. If someone orders a few hair towels and I don't have any in stock, I'll sew them. If we need to send restocks to Amazon warehouses for Prime shipping, one of the artisans we work with will make a batch of 50 to a few hundred units.

We have been working with many different seamstresses throughout Florida. Some of them are independent and some of them are family-run shops with 5-15 people. Some of them are mothers who work out of home offices, and some of them are fashion designers who do work on the side. We have been working with all of them for years.

I have many fond memories of working with our artisans. A couple of years ago, one of the ladies we worked with only spoke Spanish and a bit of English. I only speak a bit of Spanish, but when I would go there to pick up orders, we would sit on her porch, have coffee, and talk about life in our little bilingual way. Getting to spend time with everyone we work with is one of the reasons I love my job.

Thanks for reading! For more info on sustainability, our business, or exclusive offers, please join our email list.

-Ali