Brands of all sizes have partnered with Cotton Australia, receiving support with supply chain documentation and bale verification to proudly display the Australian Cotton Mark on their products.
Boutique fashion label, ELK, is no exception. Since incorporating Australian cotton into their collections in Summer 2021, they have created 25 distinct styles resulting in 6828 units.
With a goal of sourcing 80% of preferred materials in their collections by 2025, Australian cotton plays a key role in helping ELK achieve its sustainability targets.
ELK’s Head of Sustainability, Dr. Vaibhav Gaikwad, said the brand’s vision was to build a transparent and responsible business with respect for people and planet.
Choosing Australian cotton aligned with these values.
“Through the use of Australian cotton, we can support local farming communities in Australia and the progressive approach that farmers are taking to farming cotton responsibly,” name said.
“Australian cotton is part of ELK's preferred fibre strategy and helps us to get closer to our goal of achieving 80% preferred materials in our collection by 2025.”
The Australian cotton collection has so far included shirts, dresses, tops and t-shirts.
“Our direct customers and wholesale stockists both love that we are using Aussie grown cotton and supporting the Australian industry,” Vaibhav said.
“One of the biggest advantages in quality is the softness and feel of the finishes in the Australian cotton fabrics. Our customers really love this luxurious feel.”
“Because of our smaller order volumes, it can be more difficult to motivate suppliers to provide detailed transparency and traceability information we require; however we have been able to leverage our long-term partnerships with suppliers and Cotton Australia to mitigate many of these shortcomings” Vaibhav said.
Read ELK’s 2023 Transparency Report here
