Australia is defending its own vision: a passion for prints, an impulse to travel and a deep awareness of the impact of fashion on the environment. According to the OECD, its textile industry employs 37,000 people, its fashion week is attracting increasing attention and its creatives are internationalising their proposals by selling in luxury multi-vendors such as Net-a-Porter or Moda Operandi. Eco Fashion Week Australia (EFWA) calls for designers who design collections with organic, recycled or upcycled fabrics, or use or create traditional handmade textiles; designers who are committed to eco-friendly materials such as organic cotton, wool, alpaca, hemp, bamboo, or silk, or who take care to make their collections zero waste; fashion creatives who use locally produced products. Enter B Corporation brand Arnsdorf. Promoting transparency and ethical manufacturing in fashion, Arnsdorf is based on a foundation of sustainable garment-making and responsibility. Echoing the sentiment of the Australian eco-movement, all of the brand’s garments are designed, cut, sewn and finished in Melbourne, made with a lasting positive impact on the women who wear them and those who make them.
Founded in 2006 by Jade Sarita Arnott, Arnsdorf hit the ground running in Australia, North America and Europe. Jade quickly realised the lack of sustainable manufacturing practices in the fashion industry, and so she decided to relaunch the brand in 2016 with a new vision. The 2.0 version of the brand focused not only on more innovative practices but established a sustainable business model to create timeless garments that can be redonned year after year. In 2019 Arnsdorf the first leading fashion label in Australia to be awarded B Corp Certification and were also winners of the first National Designer Award for Sustainability. An Ethical Atelier Approach With a studio, atelier and boutique store now established in Melbourne, the powerhouse team of creators work tirelessly to bring almost everything in-house, from design to production. Committed to its transparent code of ethics, Arnsdorf now also has the Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation. The team ensures that the style of its garments and its design approach is balanced in perfect harmony. Each garment takes into account the materials and manufacturing, as well as enhancing the embodiment of timeless elegance.
Jade Sarita Arnott Arnsdorf sources natural fabrics and fibers based on its environmental as well as human impact, sourcing organic natural fabrics and recycled alternatives that can be recycled over again. These fabrics can be naturally broken down and can return to the earth once they’ve reached the end of their life cycle. The brand never holds excessive amounts of products in its inventory at any given time and it never directly goes on sale. Unlike companies that only pursue economic goals, B Corps meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability. Arnsforf is also passionate about circularity in garment production, keeping products in circulation for as long as possible with the use of raw materials.