Five years on from Rana Plaza: The new fashion brand encouraging you to buy ethically

Local fashion brand, Born UK has launched its second collection after less than 12 months in business.

The company is aiming to encourage consumers to ditch fast fashion in favour of sustainable clothing.

Founded by Marie Nigrelli in June 2017, Born UK is a premium fashion brand offering both men and womenswear. The brand is committed to strict manufacturing processes which promote ethical and environmentally friendly processes.

Marie said: “Of course being ethical and environmentally friendly was something I hoped the brand could be, it wasn’t something at the forefront of my mind when I first started sourcing and looking for suppliers.

“However, the more I explored, the more I realised how much I wanted the brand to retain its boutique-like feel with small production runs of high quality clothing.”

With a range of t-shirts and sweatshirts, all made from GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified organic cotton or OCS (Organic Content Standard) Blend, Born UK positions itself far away from the fast fashion brands which dominate the British high-street.

According to the latest consumer research from Mintel, 44 per cent of younger millennials (aged between 17-26) would like to see more eco-friendly fabrics used in clothing, and there is certainly a growing shift in consumer behaviour towards favouring ethical and environmentally-conscious brands.

The fashion brand follows the devastation of the Rana Plaza disaster - which took place five years ago today (April 24, 2013) - in Bangladesh when a five-storey commercial building collapsed resulting in 1,134 deaths and more than 2,500 injuries.

Now, many fashion brands are considering the ramifications of opting for cheaper suppliers with questionable supply chains, who fail to offer works adequate pay and safe working environments.

Speaking of Born UK’s own boutique size production, Marie added: “There was really no question at all for me.

“Quality and creating a premium product was really at the forefront of my mind and it was the manufacturers who offered safe working environments and ensured strict ethical codes were followed, which produced the best quality clothing.

“With the launch of our second collection, I started to realise that our ethical and environmental commitments to be a sustainable brand, really went hand in hand with the attention to detail and high end finishing of each and every product, that we demanded of our manufacturers.”