Sustainably sourced materials
Natural fibres
Deadstock
Introducing
We care about fabrics
The core of the fashion industry is how you source materials. Gem The Label has a few pillars we adhere to when we consider sourcing and love being transparent about where we get our materials from. Before the materials, let's chat about fibres
Fibre spotlight
Linen Obsessed
We LOVE linen. Why? It's made from flax which is a fast growing plant so is rapidly renewable and uses significantly less water in comparison to cotton and barely any pesticides due to being such a resilient plant. It also uses the entire plant, so there is near zero waste in production. Linen is also fully biodegradable because its 100% plant based cellulose fibre. It will naturally decompose at the end of its lifecycle.
Fibre Spotlight
Viscose
It originates from fast growing trees such as eucalyptus, beech and pine. Its fully renewable and also fully biodegradable due to being plant based. It too will break down naturally once it reaches the end of its life. It brings a natural drape and softness to the linen which is why we choose to have it in our blend.
Our GTL fabrication
55% Linen 45% Viscose Combination
Finding the right fabric took many years. To find the right balance between quality and price we took out printing to China with Miracle Textiles in 2024 which is where all our GTL prints are created. It has proven longevity and suitable end use for so many pieces which allows it to be versatile when we make pieces to order.
Read in more depth our story of sourcing deadstock fabrics, the sustainable process and goals we have for the future of Gem The Label.
Thread, Trims, linings and fusing
How we source the other bits
We source our 100% cotton thread, nylon zippers and shell buttons from E.M greenfields in Sydney. 50% of our linings and fusing is also sourced from this wholesaler. We use 100% cotton voile which is woven in their factory in China. The fusing is woven with 100% cotton with glue on one side so it can stick to the fabric. This fusing is used when we produce with our local maker in Marrickville. Supporting local wholesale businesses is really important to us.
Thread, Trims, linings and fusing
The other 50% of our lining is sourced deadstock from Wall fabrics and other smaller wholesale deadstock suppliers based in Australia/New Zealand. They are always made from 100% natural fibres as we don’t line anything with synthetics currently.
Thread, Trims, linings and fusing
Our Sydney studio when we make an order in house uses biodegradable fusing. The difference? It has a 100% cotton base and the biopolymer adhesive is completely biodegradable rather than a synthetic glue. This fusing is traceable and OKETO-TEX 100 Class 2 certified. Learn more about the traceable details here.
Our goals for the future of GTL
Use 100% organic certified cotton voile for our lining by the end of 2027
Use Biodegrable fusing for 100% of our needs by the end of 2027
Use 100% organic cotton thread which is traceable in more colours other than white by 2028.
How do we do this?
We are planning to travel as a team to China to start the sourcing journey directly with the factories. There is a whole organic world out there and we are excited to explore it, but for now what we have in place is a start!