LINGERIE AND THE PLANET
OUR ETHOS
Our ethos at Beija is ‘buy less but buy better’, we encourage the purchasing of quality items that last and perform well, less frequently. Elastane in strapping, elastic, laces and tricots can take a long time to decompose. If you are continually buying products that don’t last, the more elastane you will end up disposing of. We’re conscious that lingerie isn't necessarily something that you want to purchase second hand. So instead, it’s about investing in pieces that will be part of your lingerie drawer for a long time.
OUR DESIGNS
We’re not talking about “special occasion lingerie” here, we’re talking about pieces that you will wear (nearly) every single day, that serve a multitude of purposes and work well beneath your clothes. The design process is sensitive, it's guided by data as well as a passionate team with over 100 years of expertise combined. All the pieces that go into making a bra, the liners, the outer fabric, the slings, foam padding, elastic, metal hardware, all need to come together and do some seriously heavy lifting and shaping, therefore there are many processes involved in its manufacturing. When designing our products we consider our materials, our ethical manufacturers, and our footprint to ensure that we are growing our business both successfully and sustainably.
OUR MATERIALS
We always use superior quality materials, from reputable and trustworthy suppliers and mills. This ensures that our customer gets a product that feels great against the skin, gives great support and also (if cared for correctly) really lasts! Our goal is to always use what is available, rather than knitting more fabric, and to minimise the number of fabrics and colours we use across each range. Dying uses a lot of water, so dying all the components in one batch, where the dye drum is nice and full, reduces the amount of water we use. Additionally, investing time in sourcing fabrics that have been engineered for performance, eliminates the need for excessive layering, reducing the steps in the manufacturing process. We also encourage our customers to take care of their Beija bras. If you love, look after and cherish your lingerie you will extend its lifetime value.
OUR MANUFACTURERS
Beija is respectful of the industry and our wonderful engineers, the majority of whom are women. Their valuable skills transform our flat designs into game-changing bras. By keeping the supply chain short and relying on relationships with our manufacturers and suppliers (who are always helping us out) we can oversee ethics, as well as efficiency! Our family business has been working with our factory in China for 15 years and in Sri Lanka for 10 years. It’s our and their priority that certifications are up to date, machinists and workers are safe and they undergo regular audits. This is why we love working with them.
OUR FOOTPRINT
Although our design, sample making and fitting is all done in London, our fabric is sourced from Europe and the Far East and our products are manufactured in China and in Sri Lanka. We are committed to reducing our impact on the planet, so where possible we consolidate shipments to reduce our ‘air miles’. We are also proud to have partnered with Ecologi who plant trees on our behalf, to offset our carbon footprint.
OUR PLANS
We have launched our first range made solely from deadstock fabric left over from previous production runs, that might otherwise have gone into landfill. Pursuing this route is the right option for us because it uses up what’s already sitting around. It’s all good stuff, there just happens to be excess which is available to be made into gorgeous bras!
Our goal is to ensure that our shorter fashion runs are always produced using deadstock fabric moving forward.
We are sourcing elastics that are made out of recycled elastane. Our challenge is to ensure that we find recycled materials that also perform well enough to lift the boobs of our top size customers, up to a 36H, comfortably.
We donate our end of season stock to charity Single Homeless Project, based locally in King's Cross.
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