OUR VALUES
We don't believe that achieving 100% sustainability is possible, in the fashion industry which is why we are committed to reducing our environmental footprint and making a positive impact through our practices.
Our Suppliers
We value supply chain transparency and only engage with manufacturers who provide an ample living-wage ratio for their employees, a safe work environment and follow fair work conditions. At Alessandra, we ensure that we are working with certified suppliers when it comes to welfare standards. We are careful not to stray from these standards and ensure that we have these assurances from our suppliers.
Our factories are personally inspected by Founder and Creative Director of Alessandra Cashmere – Sandra, on her frequent visits to China.
The Good Cashmere Standard: Aims to improve the welfare of cashmere goats and the working conditions of herders to protect the environment.
Responsible Wool Standard: A voluntary standard that requires wool farmers to be evaluated on animal welfare, land management and social requirements.
The SFA: The SFA aims to minimise the environmental impact of cashmere, safeguard livelihoods and ensure high animal welfare standards. SFA x ICCAW Cashmere Goat Welfare Code of Practice has been in China since 2020.
As a business, we know there is always room for improvement and are dedicated to the ethics and care of farmers, animals and the environment.
The Good Cashmere Standard
Works to improve the welfare of cashmere goats and the working conditions of herders to protect the environment.
The source of our cashmere, Mongolia
Our Day-To-Day
Recycling: As a fashion and apparel company, with a physical store as well as our E-store, we receive stock, samples and other business supplies in boxes and other packaging. We careful to responsibly dispose of waste and recycle when we can.
To further improve our recycling practices we also use the service Upparel. Upparel allows us to donate excess fabrics, faulty items and unsaleable garments. Upparel then sorts, recycles and upcycles fabrics and textile waste.
Outlet: It's not surprising how much fashion companies can contribute to landfills by disposing of old and underperforming stock. Alessandra has an outlet store at our Abbotsford location that contains samples, old season, and faulty items that we sell at an affordable price to ensure that these items are not going to waste or being contributed to landfill.
Packaging: At Alessandra, we are on the road to becoming plastic free. We have switched to plastic free, compostable garment bags and packing tape. Our garment bags are dyed with water based ink and are landfill friendly. Additionally, our shipping labels are printed on recycled paper. It is our mission to minimise the environmental impact of your Alessandra purchase.
At Alessandra we endeavour to expand and sharpen our sustainability measures as we grow. We are continuously exploring how we can improve our environmental impact and strive towards a sustainable future in fashion. Where we can, we also donate clothing to various women's organisations, such as Wear For Success. We work in collaboration with women’s charity, ‘Wear for Success,’ who work to enable women who are experiencing economic hardship to weave their way back into society. Wear for Success provides women with clothing for job interviews and aims to increase their sense of social inclusion.
We regularly donate our excess samples and surplus stock to Wear for Success as well as contribute to their warehouse sales providing them with an opportunity to profit.
As a brand...
Alessandra believes in equality and we prioritise inclusivity and diversity throughout what we do. From our team, our clothes and marketing, we aim to include and represent all women.
We offer a size range of XXS - 4XL at a price point that allows for both ethical production practices and attainability for our customer.
Our pieces are designed to be timeless, unique and high quality so that they can stand the test of time, and become an essential part of your wardrobe, contrary to fast fashion that is a large contributer to textile waste.
Being a female lead company we feel strongly about empowering women through fashion, and hope to do so through our designs and accessibility.