In today's era, there is no denying the inundation of industry and people on our planet is taking a dramatic toll on its health. Yet still, life must go on and at Ottway, we strongly believe the way forwards, towards a brighter future, is through innovation and design. There is no exact defined route we should all take, but to incorporate new positively impacting methods in the ways we live our lives, how we make a living and work, is the beginning to paving that different way.
Once again, sit down with Neri and Manu as they get into some questions about how and why, Ottway is ran slightly differently.
WHY AND WHAT DOES SMALL BATCH MEAN?
Producing in small batches means ZERO WASTE and ensuring GOOD QUALITY in every single design. This has been core to us since the beginning by helping us run a sustainable business and by always listening to our community. In practice, this is translated in only making a small number of pieces of each design (about 200 pieces per size) that we are confident will be sold out making sure nothing goes to waste and high-quality standards are met. We always listen to our community and we produce on-demand taking care of every detail. Once the design is about to be sold out we then start working on a new small-batch order to restock this design. This sometimes results in a waiting period, but as they say “good things takes time” :) and we won't ever compromise quality & our sustainability vision.
WHY DOES OTTWAY STILL HAVE THE SAME DESIGNS IT DID 4 YEARS AGO?
We wanted Ottway designs to be TIMELESS like when going to a cool vintage clothing store and you fall in love with every design despite being ten, twenty, or thirty years old. We focus on making designs that we truly love without following any present or upcoming trends. If we loved it 4 years ago, why wouldn't someone new walk into Ottway and rock that design? We believe in clothing with no expiry date crafted to journey through generations.
HOW MANY OTTWAY DESIGNS ARE THERE TODAY? WHY NOT RELEASE 50+ A YEAR?
There are around 30 Ottway UNIQUE DESIGNS available today. We are not in a rush, and we take our time selecting the best possible fabrics and testing each design before every new release. We have to be 100% sure that we love it and we will love it the same way in five or ten years. Otherwise, what is the point? Each drop consists of 2-3 new unique designs, taking an approach of what is known today as SLOW-FASHION.
With drops of 50+ designs every couple of months, clothing losses its essence and soul, becoming just a temporary and meaningless “treat” to fill a gap. We prefer taking the approach of owning less but with a story behind it that resonates within our community and helps inspire others.
WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO CREATE A SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM BASED UPON SOLAR ENERGY
I (Manu) landed in Australia almost a decade ago with the mission of developing large-scale renewable energy (big wind and solar farms) across the country and while chasing this dream, another epic journey was born… Ottway The Label
We wanted to use Ottway not only to create a community of like-minded people but also to inspire and influence the way people feel and live. Since day one a key challenge for us was finding the best way of achieving this and we truly believe that clean energy is one the main drivers towards a sustainable planet. After months of working behind the scenes and trying to find the most friendly approach to this complex world of the energy industry, we launched our sustainability program Solo Sunny Days. We can't be happier with the achievements so far have contributed with 412 solar panels in 5 community-owned projects across Australia.
For us, even more than the direct positive contribution of solar installation itself, is the feeling of being collectively together on this and using Ottway as a vehicle to promote sustainability and help educate others.
Stay tuned for we have many exciting sustainability things incoming!
