We have recently made a soft announcement of our partnership with Stanley/Stella!
Our regular clients or visitors to the BIDBI website will have seen that we have launched our partnership with Stanley/Stella. This is a really exciting time for us, as we’re proudly sourcing premium quality, organic clothing for the first time (which has always been asked of BIDBI). The entire BIDBI team is very excited about our all-new apparel focus, partnering with Stanley/Stella, which will sit alongside and support our existing BIDBI offering.
Today, we'll introduce you to Stanley/Stella, and by the end, you'll know more about who they are, why we’ve chosen to partner up with them, what they bring to BIDBI, and a look at the future of sustainable clothing and fashion.
Stanley/Stella is a blank apparel sustainable manufacturer - it’s as simple as that. Their mission is to provide innovative products that people like you or your customers will genuinely want to wear. Founded by Jean Chabert in 2012, the company was started with a mission to deliver products that can be categorised as the height of sustainable apparel, without compromising on quality or their morals.
With a headquarters in Europe, the first Stanley/Stella distribution centre was established in Antwerp – primarily used to streamline their distribution and logistics across the region. In 2014, they saw the opening of their first Bangladesh liaison offices to ensure strengthened partnerships across their factory locations.
A big one for Stanley/Stella, and a key benefit to BIDBI, is that in 2015 they became GOTS certified. GOTS, Global Organic Textiles Standard, is a globally recognised accreditation that assures eco-conscious consumers of sustainable responsibility by the manufacturer they are purchasing from. The GOTS certification mandates that our products contain a substantial percentage of organic fibers.
Understanding that Stanley/Stella is GOTS approved and learning more about their commitment to being an ethical and sustainable manufacturer is key to understanding our relationship with them, and why we have selected Stanley/Stella to partner with.
In our continued effort to work with the best manufacturers and suppliers possible to meet the expectations of our clients and ourselves, we came across Stanley/Stella. Here is a brand that is aligned exactly with our own sustainable mission, and understands that promotional merchandise and apparel does not need to impact the planet we all share.
For years, we have been asked by our clients to meet the challenges they have around producing new and exciting sustainable products, such as water bottles, pens, and notebooks (found in our Sustainable Life by BIDBI range). The question has always been, “When can BIDBI provide apparel?”. Which leads us to what Stanley/Stella bring to BIDBI.
Our newly re-launched Apparel section has introduced a fleet of Stanley/Stella products that are exactly the products we have wanted to include as part of the BIDBI offering of organic clothing for years, and what our clients have been asking for from BIDBI.
We have the Creator 2.0, a unisex t-shirt offering a classic look for any team, guest, or customer who wants a timeless addition to their wardrobe. The Creator 2.0 is a piece of high-quality merchandise that won't be worn once and then put away into the bottom of the wardrobe. It will live up to its sustainable credentials and be worn again, and again, and again.
The Cruiser 2.0 and Chaser, two unisex hoodies made from 100% organic cotton and available in sizes XXS to 5XL for the Cruiser 2.0 and XXS to 3XL for the Chaser.
For a smart casual look for both men and women, we’ve added the Coaster Men’s Polo Shirt and Coaster Women’s Polo Shirt. Available now in complementary colours to one another, so your team, customer, or guests can look unified with your brand colours – this organic polo shirt is an ideal blank canvas to print your logo, design, or messaging onto.
As a great combination, we have the Mover 2.0 Unisex Joggers and the Roller Unisex Sweatshirt; which are complimentary products in so many ways. Not only are they both comfortable to wear, they are brilliant canvases to be printed on with your design, and they are both 100% organic cotton.
To complete the initial phase of the Stanley/Stella & BIDBI launch, we have an outdoor fleece jacket called the Trekker. The Trekker Unisex Fleece Jacket is a standout product for everyone at BIDBI. Available in three bold, and stylish colours – it’s neutral tone’s will add a modern look for your customers or staff. Featuring a hidden zip-closure, a discreet left chest zip, and nylon coil zippers – the Trekker is amongst our favourite new lines from Stanley/Stella.
Unfortunately, “the future” isn’t all flying cars, cereal box advertising talking to us, or TV shows implanted into our brains (just yet). But what we do have, which is futuristic, relevant, and attainable, is sustainable fashion! In the huge, encompassing industry that is “fast fashion” a movement of eco-friendly and sustainable manufacturers that are committed to providing us all over the world with the same luxuries and benefits we’ve always had, without needing to take so much from the planet we all share. For ethical apparel manufacturing, the future is now.
On October 16th, the ASBCI (Association of Suppliers To The British Clothing Industry) Annual Conference will be taking place at the University of Manchester. Since 1992, the Association has been bringing together the most prestigious industry leaders within fashion to explore how meaningful change can be introduced into the fashion industry, whilst maintaining profitability, flexibility, and growth.
Kirsty Holdsworth, General Manager of ASBCI, has said, “We’re all talking about sustainability, but understanding what steps to take and what is right for each brand or business can be daunting. This year, we wanted to ensure that all attendees walk away from the conference with key learnings and tangible action points that they can apply to their businesses.”
The speakers and leaders attending the Annual Conference will be discussing all elements of the supply chain, from internal processes to design and development, and especially manufacturing and materials used in their industry. This is all before, and not excluding discussing how retail and consumer behaviour has changed over the years towards seeking more sustainable products, as well as the introduction of a more consciously aware consumer who does care and want to know where their products come from.
Events such as these are key to pushing all industries to be the best that they can be, and to be both responsive and responsible for sustainability. Mass change or adoption of new trends can always come from the bottom up, consumers to the industry, but it can also come from the top down. When industry leaders, organisations, and businesses as a whole pull together to create change it can happen a lot faster, and hopefully more efficiently than when the consumers are trying to push change onto the industry.
All of this to say, the future of sustainability is being talking about and pushed by both the bottom and the top, and it’s only a matter of time before sustainable fashion overtakes fast-fashion.
