Design Process

Each piece of Mongrel clothing is hand-made in Britain using specialised techniques to produce unique garments. Sizing, colour and print on each item may vary slightly as they are not mass produced products.

Mongrel Ethical Fashion

We are involved in every aspect of our production process. Our organic cotton and peace silk fabric is sourced and manufactured in a way which is both socially and environmentally conscious and sustainable. Our ethical fashion promotes the use of environmentally friendly materials and methods in clothing production, as well as providing good working conditions for the people employed. Conditions we may take for granted in our everyday working lives. We do not rely on the exploitation of child labour and do not deal with sweatshops.

Organic Cotton

Our yarn is sourced from a SKAL certified organic cotton spinner in Europe. The yarn is then manufactured to produce different weights of organic jersey fabric. All our organic fabric meets GLOBAL ORGANIC TEXTILE STANDARDS (GOTS) set by the IVN (Switzerland) standards institution.

Organic basically means it is grown without insecticides or pesticides or the use of genetically modified (GM) seeds. In other words, it's guaranteed 100% natural and chemical-free. Organic cotton is typically rotated with other crops to produce nutrients. Certified organic cotton textiles also ban the addition of chemicals as the fibre is turned into cloth.

The dyeing process uses of low impact dyes, free from heavy metals such as chromium and formaldehyde or similar hazardous chemicals. During the process, a closed water circuit is used to filter & neutralize the waste.

GOTS

The GOTS label for organic textiles covers the production, processing, manufacturing, packaging, labelling, exportation, importation and distribution of all natural fibres.

Mongrel Peace Silk

Mongrel ‘Peace Silk’ fabrics are hand spun in India by small families and tribal groups. Our silk is made from the wild and semi-wild moths of India. During the production process the pupae are not stifled or killed to obtain reeled yarn and the moths complete their full life cycles. For production, the pierced cocoons are supplied by two reputed NGO's. The finished product is a luxurious and rare fabric used to make small runs of limited edition pieces.

British Made Fashion

Unlike many brands today we are proud to say that our clothing is made in the UK.  By keeping our manufacturing in Britain we can be sure of its ethical production, employees fair wages and decent working conditions. It also cuts down on environmental impacts of shipping and distribution.

Eco-friendly (water based) screen printing

We use high quality, soft touch water based textile inks. Free from PVC, phthalates and solvent free.

Why do we use water based screen inks?

Plastisol inks are still the most commonly used inks due to ease of use and durability. However, plastisol inks contain PVC and phthalates that are harmful to the environment and have been linked to some medical disorders. The cleaning process also requires solvents. Water based inks can be cleaned off the screens with water!
The water based inks we use do not contain ozone-depleting chemicals such as CFC's and HCFC's, aromatic hydrocarbons or any volatile solvents. They are free from lead or any heavy metals. In fact, our inks do not contain any toxic chemicals at all. Not even white spirits like other water based inks on the market. They passed the Oekotex Class 1 standard which means its safe to use on underwear, swimwear and even baby clothes.

What about the print quality?

The ink we use was developed with quality in mind and is highly durable to wash, wear and even to dry clean with a superior pigment colour for brightness and opacity. This means that you can use water based inks on dark colours without having to resort to bleaching the fabric using harmful discharge printing. Water based inks have the added benefit that they don't have a rubbery feel like plastisol inks or transfer printing and are softer to the touch.

What about packaging?

When you receive your order from Mongrel you’ll notice that packaging is kept to a minimum. We do however have to ensure that your order reaches you in perfect condition. Your items will be wrapped in recycled tissue paper and put into a Degradamailer; a biothene degradable mailing bag. Made from recycled films and manufactured using Biothene as a additive which causes the mailing bags to degrade when activated by light and heat.

Need more information?

Please contact us