Producing Locally
Producing locally means we can support our community by providing jobs and keeping trades alive. We love that we are able to be a genuine contributor to the local industry and local economy, not to mention that we have such strong and loyal personal relationships with our makers, who work on each Kuwaii piece with an outstanding level of skill and a genuine level of care. By taking this hands-on approach, we are able to ensure the quality and integrity of our garments and footwear. It also means that we can keep a close watch on our production practises and make sure that everyone involved is being paid a fair wage, and working in fair conditions.
We believe the human cost of fashion is high and that we all have a responsibility to question the murkier end of supply chains. By producing locally, we can be sure that we’re not contributing to the problem, which means a lot to us. It also means we are able to generate income and improve the quality of life for others in our community, and build lasting, quality relationships with them.
Facts and figures:
– We have a total of 14 staff on our payroll. This is made up of our designer/business owner Kristy, 5 people in our production and design team and 10 people on our retail staff
– We have three clothing makers all based in Melbourne
– We have one footwear maker based in Abbotsford, Melbourne
– We purchase our fabrics from 12 Australian & NZ fabric agents, with most of our fabric being produced in China
– We produce an average of 9,000 garments per year and 700 pairs of footwear. In contrast to Zara, who produces around 450 million items a year
– 100% of Kuwaii pieces are made in Melbourne, actually within 15km of Brunswick
– Number of garments repaired: over 400
– Number of pairs of shoes repaired: over 170