Dedicated to organic and sustainable garments, Belgium-based Stanley/Stella, catering to B2B and B2C European markets, including Germany, Belgium, France and few other countries, may start sourcing from India, according to Apparel Resources report.
As of now its 98 per cent garments are being sourced from 5 factories in Bangladesh while rest is from China. The company mainly offers tees, sweatshirts, pants, and jackets and is further expecting 20 per cent growth. The company with about 100 employees sold nearly 9 million pieces in 2017, recording a turnover of US $ 47 million.
Bruno Van Sieleghem, PR Manager, Sustainability and Internal Communication, who was recently in Coimbatore told Apparel Resources, “I can’t promise, but there is a good chance that we start sourcing from India as we are growing and may need some more factories. Majority of cotton which is being used in our products is coming from India and goes to China for further processing. Also, 95 per cent of our products are made by organic cotton while rest is also of sustainable materials. And we want to stay close to the supply chain so working with Indian apparel manufacturers can be a good idea. While sourcing from India, we can follow-up the supply chain better from the cotton farm to the garment factory. It seems a potentially advantageous move for us, in the future.”
Bruno also expressed happiness over the company’s association with Bangladesh. He said, “ Sourcing from Dhaka was a choice at the beginning, as Jean Chabert, Founder, and CEO of this 6 years old company, has deep roots in Bangladesh. He strongly aims at changing the rules in the fashion industry and put sustainability on the top of the charts.”
Stanley/Stella was ranked number 10 by the Textile Exchange in organic cotton consumption and the company aims to lead the sustainable textile industry.
