We're providing material and supply chain transparency with a breakdown of the facts. Think of it like the nutrition labels that are required on food products, which allows us to make informed decisions about what we eat. We believe everyone should be able to make informed decisions about what they put on their body, just like you can on what you put in your body. Here are the facts we share:
Every time we get dressed, it's worth remembering that all clothes are handmade. There have been some great improvements with machinery but nothing will ever replace the skilled hands and workmanship that's required for garment construction. Garment workers all over the world deserve respect and dignity in safe and fair workplaces.
We are proud that AFORE AFTER is ethically made in Poland, where we run small-batch production. Thankfully, the work and safety regulations in the EU means there isn't a culture of exploiting garment workers like there often is in other parts of the world. We assure fair working conditions by working closely with independent and small manufacturers to ensure that our products are made in safe and fair working conditions. Because we're a small business, we don't have the leverage to place huge demands on them. If they don't like our job requests, they're in a position to say no. We're equals and there isn't the power imbalance that often happens between big brands and manufacturers. There's certainly no forced labour and no exploitation, far from it. We’re very grateful to work with people who are secure in their work and are in a position to choose the work that they do.
At AFORE AFTER we work with our manufacturers differently, where we do not burden them to do any material sourcing or purchasing on our behalf. Through our self-initiated material transparency plan, we take on the responsibility of purchasing all of the components needed to make our garments. In doing so, we're minimising the financial risk to our manufacturers so that they can run their businesses more effectively.
