Story of LGSM:
An unlikely alliancs unfolds a story of solidarity. During 1984-1985, British government attempted the closure of mining pits, leaving miners on strike for 2 years with isolated funds for the National Union of Mineworkers. LGBT activists formed a union to support the strike: The LGSM (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners) was able to raise significant amount of funds along with reciprocal supportive visits to miner communities. The alliance proved to be an important milestone in the progression of LGBT rights in the country, as in response, the mining labour groups began to endorse LGBT rights in the parliament and participated in gay prides.
Explore the story behind the product:
We put sustainability at the core of everything we do. We invest in our manufacturing and our operations to minimize our waste, water, and energy footprints. We invest in the people who produce for us, by providing trainings and opportunities for growth. We commit to sustainability by providing radical transparency, as this the is only way to establish trust.
01. Cotton Harvesting
The cotton used in this garment was sustainably grown in the Aydın province of Southwest Turkey, with zero chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers or genetically modified seeds, also known as the GMOs.
This special Aegean cotton is known for its high qualityworldwide.
02. Knitting
The hand-picked cotton plants were then transformed into fibers and knitted into fabrics in our local* factory in Izmir.
*Minimize your carbon footprint! Garment transport puts out a huge amount of C02, which can be reduced by minimizing the distances during production.
03. Dyeing
These knitted fabrics were then shipped to Istanbul and dyed with highly absorbent paint with non-toxic dyes, reducing chemical usage and water consumption drastically. This is of great importance to us, since 20% of industrial water comes from trating and dyeing textiles.
04. Pattern Making
Meanwhile, Ms. Seher created the patterns for our designs in a textile atelier based in Istanbul. She’s been in the industry for 27 years and uses zero-waste design technique that eliminates textile waste at the the desing stage. It has been estimated that 15% of textiles intended for clothing ends up on the cutting room floor.
Read more about the art of making zero waste pattern making.
05. Cutting
These patterns were then delivered to Ali, who cut the fabrics into moulds with complete safety equipment and comprehensive social security. We base our Code of Conduct on the Fair Labor Association standards.
06. Making Of The Line
For the making of the unique reflect line on our products, all of the fabrics were sent to the BSCI certified, 90% women-employed and women-owned embroidery center in Rami, Istanbul.
07. Care Labels
The care labels, QR codes and hangtags were produced under GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified, in Etiteks factory in Istanbul, Turkey.
08. Sewing
All the labels and embroidered fabrics were handed to our production partner Factory 46 to be transformed into finalized garments; from sewing to ironing and packaging. Factory 46 ensures the diicult-to-achieve BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) and SEDEX certifications.
