True sustainability must start with people and planet, then economy (that part we’re still working on). You can’t have enduring economic success without enduring health for people and planet. Impoverished people can’t protect ecosystems. Weakened ecosystems can’t produce ecosystem services (resources) for economic success. The way we see it, is first we must slow down. 

At Ocean Remedy we have gone slow. We offer you an exchange for unused garments every time to ensure you get the very best fit. We produce in the smallest of batches and sometimes to bespoke orders. We improve our fit and quality with every production run. We work with local artists to provide pieces you will cherish. We work with a Balinese cottage business and their Australian partner for our offshore manufacturing. They are paid fair and treated ethically, receiving all holiday and sick pay, and no enforced overtime. 

I’ll be honest, this business wouldn’t exist if I didn’t have a partner to rely on to earn an income. But I’d so like to show that a sustainable small business can also be a profitable one, and with the opening of the Fremantle store, improvements to our e-commerce, and growth in our exposure I aim to grow production enough to get there.  

According to UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission Europe) in 2018 the fashion industry was valued in excess of 2.5 trillion dollars, employing more than 75 million people globally. Production of clothing doubled between 2000 and 2014, and on average we are consuming 60% more garments than 15 years earlier, using these items for half as long, this is not OK. 

What we are faced with is complex. What about the people currently making our clothes? So many people to clothe, so many broken systems, there are so many choices that must firstly be made better - lesser evils as we develop the ultimate system. What is clear is that the overwhelming trend must be pride in the sustainability of our clothing and having pieces that last.

As a small brand, our capacity is not the same as the giants out there, but Ocean Remedy exists to provide a better choice, to educate, to research, to participate in a better future. To only make fairly and ethically, to only choose sustainable fabrics, to make high quality pieces. On the right you’ll see the numbers and choices we’re making to provide a local, sustainable alternative with an environmental and social benefit. 

Thank you for your support, oceans of love - Claire