Cotton sourcing and manufacturing

A crucial step in the growalongs journey was the selection of materials, where we sourced them from, and where the growalong was manufactured.

Prior to producing the growalong we had limited exposure and experience in the manufacturing world and therefore were aware we needed to approach it with caution. It was always vital for us to ensure that our partners upheld our sustainable and ethical values, and that is where the invaluable insight from Carry Somers helped us form these decisions. With a lifetime career in sustainable fashion and being a co-founder of 'Fashion Revolution', Carry had extensive wealth of knowledge and experience to help point us in the direction of the company Organic Cotton Colours.

Organic Cotton Colours (OCC) prize themselves on their fabrics created from premium varieties of cotton which are sourced from 3 sustainable and fair-trade agricultural projects. The fabrics are authentic and use the natural colour of the cotton itself – meaning that beautiful ecru colour of the growalong is the natural colour of the cotton used in its crafting. Our printed design of the Field-mouse and Wheat has been created without the use of toxic chemicals and water conservation practices.

Out of all the fabrics OCC offered we decided the OCCRegenerative Turkey Aegean cotton best suited the growalong. The cotton is sourced by EGE ORGANICS based in Esmina, Turkey. EGE ORGANICS is a pioneering family-owned company which has been producing organically cultivate cotton through regenerative practices since 1993 and has been farming cotton by the principle of Carbon Farming since 2022. The technique of Carbon Farming essentially uses agricultural techniques to capture carbon helping mitigating climate change. The farming practices rely on a mulching system, whereby a protective layer made of biomass covers and shields the bare soil while releasing nutrients organically as it decomposes. They also use techniques such as crop rotation and crop cropping which is infinitely more sustainable comparative to the industrial scale cotton farming processes.

The premium Aegean cotton then goes onto be manufactured at our partnered factory in Portugal. The factory we collaborate with comply with all European workers standards, guarantee premium sustainability textile credentials and comply with GOTS processes.

The OCCGuarantee – when you purchase a growalong you can be assured that the highest sustainability, ethical, human rights, and social practices have been upheld throughout production. Through the traceability QR tag that comes with each growalong you will be able to trace your garments journey from seed to door.