How to be Sustainably Stylish  - SJW BAGS LONDON

How to be Sustainably Stylish 

With the whole world currently in lockdown limbo, there has been a renewed interest and discussion around sustainability in the fashion industry. 

We at SJW Bags wanted to highlight what we are doing to support more sustainable practices, and look at how we can all do our bit to shop more sustainably for the future.

What is it all about?
Sustainability in fashion is thinking about ways to make clothing and accessories using materials that are renewable, without causing undue damage to the environment by using harmful chemicals, or creating excess waste through overproduction.  

How SJW Bags is doing our bit:
We operate a ‘zero waste’ policy
We like to use every bit of the gorgeous woven fabrics that our skilled artisans spin up.

The eye-catching ikat fabrics SJW bags are known for are entirely handmade, with the width and breadth of each design determined by each maker’s arm length. We design our bags with this in mind, using any extra fabric to create something new. We use remnant fabric from our larger bags, along with any offcuts from our ethically sourced leathers, to make our ikat mini wallets and wristlets, until it’s all gone. 
sjw bags   sjw bags mini wallet 

(Wristlets and mini wallets pictured are available to purchase on request.
For enquiries, contact us here.)
 
We use environmentally friendly dyes
The explosion of colour our ikats are famous for is achieved using environmentally- friendly, natural vegetable dyes, creating designs that preserve both traditional crafts and local resources, without causing harm to our surroundings.
sjw bags handmade violet bag
(Violet ikat clutch bag pictured, shop the style here)
 
We love to reuse and repurpose
At SJW Bags it’s not just new designs we love. We find ways to give vintage fabrics new life-  creating unique, limited edition designs like our Danubius handbag, made using a repurposed Batik wall hanging, to create beautifully individual styles. 
sjw bags Danubius Batik Clutch pictured 
(Danubius Batik Clutch pictured. Shop the style here.)
Our adjustable woven straps were created with the same purpose in mind - giving a new lease of life to beloved older styles. Many of our bag-loving customers (and our founder Alev herself ) have some bags they can’t bear to part with - so we came up with detachable straps to perk up an old purchase, or increase functionality to a style struggling under the weight of everyday wear and tear. We want to encourage our customers to reuse and repurpose instead of discarding, so your bags can have a longer lifespan. 
 
sjw bags straps   sjw bags Patterned straps

(Patterned straps available here.)

We keep it small 
We use small batch production, which means we order and produce in small quantities, re-ordering only when customer demand calls for it, so there’s no excess production wasting resources. (Patterned straps available here.)

Our style is seasonless
We believe in designing bags that see you through- from snowfall to summer sunshine, year after year- not to be discarded when the latest trend is over. 
Creating bags in classic shapes, we use environmentally- friendly, premium quality fabrics for colourful, seasonless style with staying power.

We preserve tradition
Sustainability is about endurance, and preservation for future generations, and we believe that extends to skills and traditions too. By using a small team of artisans found in Alev’s native Istanbul and the Fergana Valley region of Uzbekistan,  we can help support the local culture of traditional handcrafting for years to come.

How to be Sustainably Stylish 

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