IMPACT

We speak lots about ‘slow fashion’ so here is a little comparative break down to clue you in… 

Slow Fashion : RRP's that reflect the true costs of an ethical supply chain. A price that makes you think twice before purchasing.
VS.
Fast Fashion : RRP's that exhibit exploitation has occurred across the. supply chain. A price that doesn't make you bat an eye before purchasing.

Slow Fashion : High quality garments designed with longevity in mind.
VS.
Fast Fashion : Low quality garments designed to break after minimal wear.

Slow Fashion : Small runs of styles and/or one a kind of a kind pieces.
VS
Fast Fashion : Mass production and often replication of a smaller designers one off design.

Slow Fashion : Timeless/unique designs.
VS.
Fast Fashion : Garments designed around fleeting trends.

Slow Fashion : Consideration of people and the planet.
VS.
Fast Fashion : Exploitation of people and the planet.

Slow Fashion : Consumer education
VS.
Fast Fashion : Greenwashing & ethics-washing

Slow Fashion : Full supply chain transparency.
VS.
Fast Fashion : Secrecy and unwillingness to disclose information on production processes.

Read on to learn about the inner workings of Krystal Deans…

Positioned on the Great Ocean Road on Wadawurrung land our studio is home to a number of operations, from design all the way through to to manufacturing and dispatch. Converted from dilapidated horse stables our studio space is powered by solar and hydrated by rainwater. We opt for thermals, thick socks and wooly knits in winter to reduce use of the need of heating and strip down to next to nothing in summer to avoid the air conditioning.

Fashion studios produce a significant amount of waste, being both textile and paper waste. We either recycle or collect our paper waste to later be repurposed into handmade sheets by Dodgy Paper for us to use for various aspects of the business. See the ‘waste management’ section below to learn about how we manage our textile waste.   

Our fabrics come from a number of suppliers based in Australia and New Zealand. But these fabrics are sources from all over the world, some are certified organic, some are not, some are traceable, some are not.

We provide full transparency on our fabrics, even if that means being transparent about the fact we don't know where its from!

This is the reality for small brands working with small order quantities. Majority of our fabrics are deadstock which means the supply chain information gets lost along the way, or never existed in the first place.

To find information on the fabrics used for each of our styles head to the product page and look under the 'FABRIC' tab.

Our threads and trims come from a number of Naarm/Melbourne based suppliers. Alike fabrics, threads and trims can be tricky to trace when you are purchasing small quantities, at a price affordable for a small, emerging brand. Trying to follow up the supply chain for 10 buttons for a style is a laborious task, often with no answers. We are definitely lacking in transparency of our trims and threads but were honest about it.

At present all our threads are purchased from M.Recht Accessories, a Naarm/Melbourne based supplier. We currently use polyester threads but have a goal in place to switch to a biodegradable option in the future... baby steps.

Our zips are made in Naarm/Melbourne at LZF or supplied from M.Recht Accessories.

Our buttons and trims are supplied by Jimmy Buttons based in Naarm/Melbourne.

We’ve mentioned how we stay on top of paper waste, and now for textile waste. The Waste Management project was birthed by the creation of a bag made in its entirety from scraps left over at the cutting stage of denim garments made in the studio. This project has continued to this day and has allowed us to get excited and imaginative instead of sad and guilty when we create textile waste at the cutting stage of garment production. We slowly collect and categorise fabrications for later use in reimagined designs. The beautiful nature of this project means we are able to create one of a kind pieces with heart and a story to tell that reduce our input to landfill.

At the moment we don't have any items available from this project but we've got lots offcuts on hand. Hopefully we will have some new pieces up for grabs soon, stay tuned.

Our packaging is proudly plastic free! We ship our items in compostable mailers applied with compostable shipping labels supplied by The Better Packaging Co. Garments are protected with home recyclable paper purchased from Shop for Shops in Collingwood.

If purchasing from us please ensure you correctly compost your Better Packaging Co mailer and consider reusing it before you do!

We do not apply swing tags to items purchased from our web store, and frankly we don't know why anyone does. You know exactly what you purchased and the price of it, we don't need to remind you and waste resources in the process :)

Our labels are sourced from Wunderlabel and are manufactured in their factory in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to OEKO-TEX® Standard 100.

→ Design labels are 100% Polyester OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 Certified and are made with up to 50% recycled yarn.

→ Our custom care labels are made from 100% recycled polyester.

We have nothing to hide here! Whilst we put in a lot of effort to reduce our impact, there is still lot's we are yet to do and we are well aware of it. We aren't going to bullsh*t you into thinking that we are the epitome of sustainable fashion because we manufacture locally, ship with compostable packaging and use hemp here and there. We are honest about the fact that KRYSTAL DEANS is not a squeaky clean brand, but we are and will continue to take gradual steps towards ensuring we have a fully traceable supply chain. For now all we can do is be truthful about our behind scenes

→ Information on our suppliers, materials, trims, etc are listed on this page as well as details of our sampling and manufacturing process. See the above tabs.

If you are seeking more information to assist you in making a consciously considered purchase please get in touch via our contact page and we can try to provide you with all the information you need.

Changing the current state of the fashion industry is the responsibility of both brands and their consumers. Be a conscious consumer and ask yourself the questions from our checklist before you make a purchase (here, or where ever). At KRYSTAL DEANS we do our best to run an ethical practice and provide you with consciously made garments, but after they leave studio we lose control of the impacts our clothing has on our Mother Earth. This part is in your hands! The use and disposal of clothing makes up a significant amount of the impact an item of clothing creates over its life span, so the way you launder and dispose of your clothing makes a big difference.

• Hold off on washing your garments until they absolutely need it! Spot clean to keep fresh :)
• Give your harmful laundry detergents the flick and invest in chemical free products from amazing companies like The Dirt Company, Ethique or That Red House.
• Repair, repair, repair!
• If your garment discolours over time or ends up with a stain why not dye it to give it a new life. Black Fridye has you sorted, or seek out natural dyes to dye at home.
• If you get sick of your garment whilst it is still in perfect condition organise a swap with friends or sell it to extend its life.
• When a garment is ready for its grave extend its life a little bit more by cutting it up and using it for cleaning before disposing of it responsibly.

We design with emotional durability* in mind. *This term was coined by Jonathan Chapman (a hero of ours)

We do not design clothing that we consider to have an emotional end use. this meaning we design with consideration.

We aim for our clothing to become key pieces in your wardrobe, not pieces you get sick of or get self conscious about outfit repeating.