Our Ethics

Please visit us at our brand new website www.ecointimates.com.au 

Madonna Bain Eco Intimates represents fashion with conscience. Every piece, in every collection, is carefully handmade by skilled garment makers using the highest quality eco textiles. Here is a snapshot of our ethical practices from design to manufacture:

Design

All our original collections are conceptualised, designed and sampled in my studio in the picturesque Byron Bay. I am blessed to live amongst many creatives, in the heart of a region known for it's alternative lifestyle and this inspires me daily to follow my passion for design and for eco-fashion. My designs are carefully considered to deliver style, fit and comfort for every woman and create a garment with the quality to last and be worn many times.

Production

Our pieces are hand crafted, not mass produced. Since 2013 I have my pieces handmade in small quantities in Bali, Indonesia. Many people ask me why I manufacture there and why not here in Australia; and my main reason is craftsmanship and quality. The team I work with recreate my designs with the attention to detail I require. Combine this with quality materials, I am able to create beautiful pieces that you can treasure.

Ethically produced

My maker, Gede, runs a small studio in Sanur with 3-5 staff who cut and sample in house. My garments are then assembled by seamstresses in their own homes, in their own time, which is a popular way in Bali. This is not the cheapest way to produce, nor a way to produce large quantities. There are bigger factories there that can make clothing for much cheaper but that is not how I want to produce my emphasis is sustainability and quality.

Small Quantities

One of the wonderful benefits of having my pieces made in Bali is the ability to have intricate quality pieces made in small qualities which is hard to achieve elsewhere. I produce approximately 30 pieces per design at one time. I travel with my patterns and samples to meet my tailor. Some of my fabrics and trims I bring from Australia (that I have sourced locally or abroad) and some I purchase there.

Sustainable Fabrics

The fashion industry is fickle and inherently produces a lot of wastage. Therefore, as a boutique producer I have developed strategies to use certain textiles which are surplus from larger producers' production runs. Being a very small producer means that unless you are ordering thousands of metres of fabric or trim, you have to use what is already available. Therefore, in order to supply my small runs, I purchase from remnant suppliers and tailor my designs to suit the fabrics and lace that is available. The benefit of this is that you are using what is already been made, so it further reduces the carbon footprint of each garment. However, our quality standards for all materials are non-negotiable; we have minimum standards for our quality and eco-textile sources which we will always be firmly committed to!

Organic Cotton

My organic jersey is a GOTS certified organic cotton that is dyed with low impact dyes (the best I have found so far). GOTS is a global organic textile standard and is an organisation to ensure the organic standard of textiles from raw materials