Extending the life of your clothes by nine more months reduces its carbon footprint by around 20-30%!* To ensure longevity, it’s really important to care for them properly. The benefits are plenty - it’s better for the environment, cheaper on your wallet, and your clothes will stay in good condition for much longer. We have broken down by fabric type below in more detail, but here are some good general rules to follow:

  • Wash less. Air out for a day in indirect sunlight between washes. Direct sunlight is also a natural anti-bacterial and is good for refreshing clothes in shorter periods, but don’t do this too often as sunlight can fade colours faster.
  • Handwash if possible, instead of machine - it uses less water. If you are washing delicate styles in the machine, always use a garment bag.
  • Always wash in cold water. Hot water is harsher on fabric, can cause unwanted shrinkage, and it uses a lot more resources.
  • Wash your garments inside out to best protect them.
  • Avoid tumble drying. Air drying is naturally the best! Tumble drying can cause unwanted shrinkage, and uses a lot of energy.
  • Always wash dark and light colours separately to avoid colour bleeding.
  • If ironing, always check the heat setting. It’s best to iron inside out with plenty of steam, and a press cloth if necessary. For a quick fix, we like to hang our clothes in a steamy bathroom - the steam will naturally drop wrinkles for you!
  • -Store your clothes in a dark, dry place. Some of our bottoms come with hanger tape and we recommend using this to hang - as clip hangers can sometimes leave a mark or imprint on softer fabrics.

Cotton
Cotton is generally quite durable and easy to care for. For heavier weight cottons in structured styles such as our Reefs Trench Coat, these must be drycleaned to retain shape and form. For most other lightweight cotton pieces, you can cold hand or machine wash as normal. Wash them inside out, with colours separated. Air dry outside but not in direct sunlight. For knit pieces, reshape and lay flat to dry on a fresh dry towel laid out on your clothes rack. If ironing, always do so on the back side of the fabric, and use plenty of steam.


Silk
Silk is luxurious natural fibre, and with the right care will last in your wardrobe for years. Our silk pieces are all primarily recommended to be drycleaned, however depending on the quality, handwashing may also be possible. All silks will have different requirements and priorities. For example, shiny silk satin will appear more dull after handwashing, so if the luster is very important to you, you should only dryclean this. Due to its crinkly finish, silk georgette has high shrinkage after handwashing, so depending on the length and look you are after, you may want to only dryclean this. 
Please be sure to check specific product listings as we have different advice and shrinkages for different qualities. Please make sure you are aware of all risks and handwash with caution.
To handwash, fully dissolve a mild gentle detergent in cold water, then soak your garment for up to 15 minutes, no longer. Swish it around a bit but never rub silk together as it may chafe and damage the fibres or colour. Rinse the garment thoroughly until the water runs clear. Gently roll your garment in a clean dry towel to remove excess water, then lay flat to dry on a fresh dry towel laid out on your clothes rack, away from direct sunlight. Make sure your iron is set to a low silk setting, and iron on the back side of the fabric with a press cloth for extra protection.
Age, heat and light can set stains - so if you do have a mark or stain - keep it out of both sun and artificial light. Take this to the drycleaner as soon as possible and let them know the stain.


Cellulose Fibres
Cellulose fibres such as tencel, are natural materials (eg. trees) turned into a pulp, and then chemically processed to make fabric. They can often feel and drape similar to silk, but are easier to care for! Our lightweight tencel pieces can be cold hand or machine washed as normal. Wash them inside out, with colours separated. Air dry outside but not in direct sunlight. If ironing, always do so on the back side of the fabric, and use plenty of steam.


Wool
This natural fiber is one of the most breathable and resilient around. It is biodegradable, renewable, and generally wrinkle resistant. Wool garments generally require less washing than other fibres and keep for a long time if cared for properly.
Many wool garments do not require ironing - for a quick refresh hang or place them in a steamy bathroom - the moisture from the steam will remove small wrinkles. If you use an iron, avoid ironing when the fabric is totally dry (try ironing with a damp press cloth laid on top of your garment). Set your iron on the wool setting, iron on the back side, and use lots of steam. To avoid attracting moths - ensure your wool garment is clean before storing in a dry, airtight place.

Wovens:

  • Washing will depend on the style. For heavier wools and structured styles such as our Slanted Blazer or Eclipse Vest Coat - these must be drycleaned to retain their shape and form. To reduce the amount of dryclean visits, hang them out in fresh air periodically. This is a quick and easy way to refresh your garment and remove any odours.
  • Other less complicated styles may be able to be cold hand or machine washed, inside out, with a mild wool detergent. Please ensure you follow the care label instructions as individual styles will differ in care.
  • To store, ensure they are hung on shaped or padded coat hangers, and placed in a dry place away from direct sunlight.

Knits:

  • For merino or merino blends such as our Turtle Longsleeve, cold hand or machine wash inside out with a mild wool detergent. Wet wool stretches easily, so lay your washed knit on a clean towel, and gently roll up to draw the water out. Reshape and lay flat to dry on a fresh dry towel laid out on your clothes rack, away from direct sunlight.
  • Knits should be gently folded and stored flat. Lay flat on a dry towel on your clothes rack periodically to refresh and remove any odours.

*Statistics from www.wrap.org.uk 

  

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