Sustainable Fashion Suppliers
One of the most important elements in our fashion brand sustainability journey is the suppliers we work with, which is why we seek to work with those who share our values, to be as sustainably-conscious as possible. Some we’ve worked with for seasons and seasons, others we’ve just started working with. Here’s a few we’re currently working with and how their ethical and reduced impact practices help us to be a more conscious fashion brand.
Manteco has been the leading textile company for sustainability and high-end fabrics since 1943, and we’ve been working with the prestigious Italian mill on some of our key winter coats this season.
The Manteco System is their one-of-a-kind network of more than 50 expert artisans and textile businesses that are involved in the creation of their fabrics, from upstream to downstream, by strictly following the official Charter of Supply Chain.
Manteco’s roadmap to sustainability is in line with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 UN Agenda and they’ve also released a Charter of Values for Sustainability which acts as daily inspiration for its employees and collaborators to always think consciously and share the company’s commitment to environmental, social and organisational responsibility.
They have a long-standing respect for nature, and this shows through many of their innovative technologies and processes. Recycling and reusing plays a huge part here. They have created their own zero-waste system, with all scraps from the production system being recycled and re-inserted to improve their endless production cycle.
They also have also developed MWoolⓇ created from post-consumer knits and garments, which are mechanically recycled with no chemicals or dyes, resulting in a low impact ingredient to create luxury recycled wool.
Manteco also holds the following certifications within their supply chain; The Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), The Organic Cotton Standard (OCS), and the Global Recycled Standard (GRS), as well as the sustainable Better Cotton Initiative (BCI).
Total Retail Solutions (Worldwide) Ltd are our nominated garment label and ticket supplier. Spanning across all LK Bennett garments, accessories, jewellery and footwear, this makes them a key partner in driving sustainable and ethical high end fashion. TRS Worldwide understands the importance of our sustainability choices and maintaining our collaborative position as protectors of the planet.
As a responsible supplier TRS Worldwide use sustainably sourced materials such as recycled polyester yarns. This utilises recycled polyester, manufactured using post-consumer plastic bottles and are certified by GRS (The Global Recycling Scheme). They are also accredited by FSC™ (Forest Stewardship Council™) who prove wood-based products from forests are responsibly managed.
TRS Worldwide’s process gives us at LK Bennett the traceability of manufacturers’ orders ensuring the supply chain is ethical.
Our India-based supplier, Stalwart Luxury, established in 1948, is a company of artisans who focus on quality and service, and they’ve worked with luxury brands for over seven decades. We have worked with them this season on some beautiful new handbags, the Eliza bucket bag and Rebecca hobo bag.
The calf leather used to craft these styles is sourced from Leather Working Group tanneries only - meaning it’s certified as ethically and sustainably produced - and the handbags are all lined in recycled cotton.
As a supplier, Stalwart Luxury champions responsible and ethical practices which span from materials to production and processes, as well as their team and the wider community. This includes going green, quite literally; with a factory filled with plants, and trees regularly being planted on the premises. However, reducing environmental impact is their key objective.
All material wastage is recycled, repurposed and reprocessed, whether that’s paper, card or leather; single-use plastics are banned; recycled LDPE is used for packaging and nearly all poly bags are biodegradable. The factory is designed to utilise natural light to reduce electricity consumption, they harvest rainwater and only use water-based glues and colours.
They offer their teams fair employment, equal opportunities, women empowerment initiatives, skilled training and a safe working environment, as well as weekly wellness check-ups, medical insurance and regular team-building events. While their CSR commitments include a skill developing centre offering free vocational training for the underprivileged, and during the pandemic they distributed masks, sanitisers and soaps to employees and communities, PPE kits to local hospitals and dry rations to those living in poverty.
Founded in 1990 by two sisters, Nicola and Stephanie, Halo & Co's jewellery is all 100% handmade in Britain. They’ve created jewellery for lots of luxury brands, have been featured internationally in Vogue, Tatler and more, and their pieces have been worn by Royalty, celebrity clients and on the catwalk at many Fashion Weeks.
This season, we have worked with Halo & Co on a number of pieces in our accessories collection, ranging from Swarovski crystal and pearl earrings to grosgrain ribbon hair clips and leather trim necklaces, all ethically and sustainably made in their studio by a trained team of artisans.
The whole process is completed in-house, from metalwork, polishing, and hand-setting of each stone - all with meticulous attention to detail. Every element of production has that unrivalled handmade quality, meaning every piece is very special and unique.
Claudia Firenze is another Italian supplier of ours, who we work with to produce many of the handbags in our collections. They are a respected Italian manufacturer with a sustainable commitment that covers all aspects of their business.
They only use certified Italian skins that are expertly crafted into handbags. The Claudia Firenze factory is powered by solar panels, for zero emissions in the air and zero pollution, and they store energy so it can be used at night. The impressive solar panel system in the last ten years has spared CO2 emissions equal to the activity of 8,802 trees.
This reduced waste ethos extends to other areas of their factory, with reduced water use, recycling - from paper to leather - and all materials are disposed of correctly if they can’t be recycled.
Claudia Firenze takes pride in being SEDEX members and is compliant with all ethical and social regulations outlined by the Ethical Trade Initiative base code.
They have a diverse and non-discriminatory workplace that employs more women than men, with equal wages dependent on skills. Keeping their workers healthy and safe is a top priority, particularly since the pandemic hit. They have strict Covid-19 protocols, including; regularly sanitising tools and appliances, encouraging masks and respecting social distancing at work.
