Our Materials: Fashion Revolution Week

This week is Fashion Revolution week.

Fashion Revolution week is the time when we come together as a global community to create a better fashion industry. For more information on Fashion Revolution week check out their website here: Home – Fashion Revolution : Fashion Revolution and Fashion Revolution Scotland here: Scotland – Fashion Revolution : Fashion Revolution

With one of the focuses this year being ‘Whats in your materials?’ we decided to use this week to share more information about where our materials for our Veske Heritage Collection have come from, as well as our manufacturing processes. As we design, develop and manufacture our collection under the one roof at our workshop in Montrose, on the North East Coast of Scotland, from the initial concept we have wanted to source as much of our materials as close to home as possible.

OUTER/LINING MATERIAL
We have sourced our outer and lining materials from Halley Stevensons, the waxed cotton specialist based in Dundee, Scotland. Halley Stevensons are the world’s leading manufacturers and innovators in waxed and weatherproofed fabrics. All their dyeing and finishing is ‘under one roof’ based at Baltic Works in Dundee, UK. As innovators in waxed cotton, their cottons are sustainably sourced with long term industry partners and controlling organisations such as OCS (Organic Content Standard) and BCI (Better Cotton Initiative).

We wanted to source our main materials as close to home as possible and during the development stages of Veske, Halley Stevensons released a new luggage range of fabrics – which fitted in perfect for us! Both our outer material and lining fabric are sourced from them, just 30 miles down the road from our workshop. 

WEBBING
Our webbing is sourced from Bowmer Bond Narrow Fabrics Limited one of our parent companies long established suppliers. They are a specialist webbing manufacturing company based in Derbyshire, UK. Established in 1795 they are suppliers of finished webbing for many different market sectors throughout the UK.

We decided to use a Nylon based webbing because of its hard wearing capabilities meaning that our products would last longer. Nylon is a versatile fibre often specified for military webbing and is suitable for many other uses. Bowmer Bond Narrow Fabrics Limited is certified to ISO 9001 Quality Management System standard which ensures that all their products are manufactured in accordance with established specifications and that all manufacturing processes and raw materials are fully traceable.

BUCKLES
We have sourced our buckles from FIDLOCK. The only component within our Heritage Collection which is sourced from out with the UK. They are a 25mm webbing lateral sliding buckle. Made from nylon, PA66GF15. They have a static breaking load of 25kg and are incredible hardwearing for longevity.

FIDLOCK are a German based company who’s vision not only includes the development of innovative and high-quality fastening solutions, but also an understanding of their social and environmental responsibility towards their customers and suppliers. They have distributed an established a Code of Conduct to clarify their position for their suppliers and their own employees which is comprehensive and visionary moving their practices into the future in line with social and environmental policies.

ZIP/SLIDER
Our zips are sourced from Zipex, a UK based Zip manufacturer in Leicester. Since 1986 Zipex has built an international reputation for rapid production and high quality Zipper products. Through their harnessing of technology, running efficient automated lines, employing a highly skilled and experienced workforce they are able to manufacture and supply a high quality product.

LEATHER COMPONENTS
Our leather components are from Devanet UK who are a Chesire based company in England. They opened for business in 1999 in personalised clothing and accessories. Devanet works in partnership with key leather suppliers, whose support enables them to offer the best quality hides. Our leather is their highest quality and regular shape, 2mm vegetable tanned full grain beautifully aniline coloured and finished shoulder showing some natural growth and character, dyed through and coloured both sides with a warm – slightly waxy feel.

PRESS STUDS
Our press studs are sourced from OPAS, our parent companies long established supplier based in Worthing, England. We use the Durable DOT Cap, 15mm diam with 4.32mm post in black enamel on brass. OPAS have unique relationships with the major manufacturers both in the UK, across Europe and in the USA, with unparalleled access to new products and technical backup.

OPAS was formed in 1889 by Mr.E.A.Opas as a wholesale supplier to the blind and awning trade. Our parent company have used their products for a number of years because of their reliability and trusted product.

MANUFACTURING PROCESSES
Our highly skilled manufacturing specialists learn on the job and we still use traditional craftsmanship techniques which have been passed down through four generations of the company. Alongside traditional sewing techniques, over the years we’ve introduced innovative technology to help make our products more efficiently and higher quality.

Using the same skilled craftsmanship, the same tried and tested materials and the same passion for perfection, our manufacturing specialists are trained on the job from apprentice level to reach senior machinist. Our inhouse training also includes undertaking an SVQ in textile manufacturing processes, meaning that all our staff have qualifications in relation to the work they do.

Whether our team are making one bag or one thousand bags, the attention to detail stays the same. Over the years we’ve invested in new technology to compliment the changes in industry and to keep developing great products. In 2009, we moved to custom built premises so that we could expand and grow our manufacturing facility.

SUSTAINABILITY AND DESIGN
Values passed down from our parent company are that we create products that are built to last. We have carried this ethos on into Veske so that we design and manufacture our products that have a focus on functional, minimal designs that are season-less. We also manufacture our products in-house as limited production runs to ensure exclusivity and avoid waste in over making. As a result of this our delivery times can be longer, but it means we can limit our environmental impact.

We aim to continuously cut down our environmental impact during the design and development stages, as well as sourcing the best quality materials and hardware as much as we can from within the UK and Europe. We will endeavor to continuously look at ways we can do things better and make the changes that are needed.