Sustainability Q+A with Façade

INTERVIEW WITH PETRA GARDEFJORD AND ULRIKA NIHLÉN
CO-FOUNDERS FAÇADE

WHAT IS THE ETHOS OF FAÇADE?

Our collections are unisex, not only for the sustainable niftiness of making it easier to pass along amongst siblings or other kids in your extended family. But also cause we don’t believe that there is a certain way to dress or look that belongs to a certain sex.

Façade clothes are not costumes that we want our kids to form after - it should be the other way around! The clothes should give the children freedom to explore their own selves, free of all kinds of boundaries. Letting our kids be their own mould.

The cuts and sizes are designed to have a prolonged life with each child - one size can maybe last through two or even three growth spurts, of course with a different fit each time, but still. We really worked hard to get you to shop less!

Our collections transcend both seasons and time, but if you see something you really like, now’s your time - we won’t produce a whole lot to ensure zero waste.

Façade cares about our children’s future. We strive to only use sustainable, organic and nature-friendly materials, for our production as well as our distribution. We want to teach our children how to make a difference.

We care.

WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED?

Stockholm, Sweden

WHERE ARE THE COLLECTIONS PRODUCED?

Portugal and China. We have a hard time finding an outerwear producer in Portugal. We are also making our knits in a Chinese factory. A well renowned one! Also our mesh bags and sandals are made in China.

For our SS21 we had everything produced in Portugal except bags and one coat. This is our goal, to produce mainly in Europe, we believe in the European standard and regulation.

HOW DO YOU ENSURE YOUR MANUFACTURERS ARE MEETING BEST ETHICAL PRACTICES? ARE YOU ABLE TO CLOSELY MONITOR YOUR PRODUCTION?

We did search for many many months before we were satisfied with our producers. We have found them on recommendations from Swedish contacts that we trust. Our factories work with many Swedish and European sustainable brands. Our Portuguese and one of our manufacturer in China are GOTS-certified.

WHAT KIND OF FABRICS DO YOU MOST USE? ARE YOUR FABRICS GOTS ORGANIC OR OEKO-TEX CERTIFIED?

We work with organic cotton and wool-blends. For our jackets this season we used polyester padding cause we didn't find another option at the time. And for our rib we need to add 5% elastane. All our factories' productions are Oeko Tex Class I and 95% of them are GOTS-certified.

CAN YOU PLEASE TELL US ABOUT HOW YOUR FABRICS ARE DYED?

We use garment dye as much as it is possible. Meaning we dye the garment after it has been made instead of dying the fabric or yarn. It allows us to do smaller quantities. The garment dye is made under GOTS restrictions.

HOW DO YOU SELECT THE FABRICS YOU USE AND WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?

We let our factories find our produce the material. We order samples and have to approve all fabric before being used. We trust them since they have the best reputation and such experience with the fashion industry and the rules that comes.

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH YOUR OVERSTOCK OF MATERIALS AND FABRIC SCRAPS?

We hardly have any. Since we produce with garment dye, pretty much all the fabric we order is being used in the production.

CAN YOU PLEASE TELL US ABOUT YOUR PACKAGING FOR SHIPMENTS TO CUSTOMERS?

We ship with regular post which is a more nature-friendly way of shipping, compare let's say; taking the car alone or going by bus with 50 other people :)

We ship orders in paper bags or if they are big we sometimes use recycled plastic mailbags. We use tissue paper to wrap and include a card made out of recycled paper.

DO YOU USE INDIVIDUAL BAGS FOR INDIVIDUAL ITEMS WHEN YOU SHIP TO RETAILERS? IF YES, ARE THEY RECYCLED AND/OR COMPOSTABLE?

We don't have wholesalers. We are only us :) But we have instructed our manufacturers to pack 10 or 20 items in one recycled plastic poly (it's for transport protection) instead of one in each. We think that is a horrible way and not necessary.

DO YOU USE RECYCLED PAPER FOR YOUR HANG TAGS, POSTCARDS AND MARKETING MATERIALS?

Yes only! It's so pretty too!

DO YOU WANT TO SHARE ANYTHING ELSE WITH OUR READERS ON YOUR EFFORTS IN SUSTAINABILITY AND ETHICAL PRACTICES?

For us it's very important that our customers can mix and match styles between seasons. We don't make huge productions of kids clothes so that we can have a big sale every once in a while to get rid of stock. We love that our customers can get a sweater from us that was made several seasons ago. Our clothes are classic and the quality will remain the same throughout the years. Just like adults should invest in their clothes, we should do the same for our kids.