ILK AND ERNIE

Aim

Help us grow our business, so we can continue to turn waste fabric from the textiles industry into limited edition pieces that turn heads.

Here at Ilk + Ernie we create high end, comfortable and sustainable clothes. Our vision is to see every woman wearing clothes that not only turn heads but have a positive impact on the environment as well. We are passionate about girl power and invite you to join us on our mission.

Our journey began in India, where founder Jess set out on a mission to create ethical garments that could help tackle India's rising issues with sustainability.

All of the fabric used by Ilk + Ernie is considered disused, waste fabric that if not bought, would otherwise go into landfills across India. So not only are our garments COOL, they're conscious! 

These magazines thought so too..

If there’s anything we’re learning in the news at the moment, it’s that fast fashion is one of the most harmful industries affecting our planet.  Larger fashion corporations throw away huge quantities of fabric every season. This fabric is considered dead stock, waste fabric, that if not bought by little brands like Ilk + Ernie, would soon end up in landfills.

Every season, we travel to India and spend weeks trawling the markets where these fabrics are cast off. We purchase, recycle and re-use these disposed fabrics by taking them off the street and turning them into the clothes you see on our website! Our method of doing things also means that we don’t produce fabric, saving on greenhouse emissions and the millions of litres of water used to produce fabrics worldwide every year. 

We not only want to reduce waste with the fabric we use, but in our factory's supply chain as well. Once a year, left over samples and unused garments from all the brands working with our factory are collected and distributed to homeless children in Delhi. 

All of our collections are designed in-house and ethically made by a talented team of men and women in Deli, India. They receive all of the amazing treatment that a lot of us take for granted: fair wages, holiday pay, health insurance, safe working environments and EU standard working hours. 

Sam our factory owner has worked tirelessly to achieve these ethical standards through out his factory, so much so that he is now officially Sedex certified, meaning his factory is recognised worldwide as doing things ethically - which is pretty cool!

MEET THE TEAM!

Meet our heads of departments: Prabhu, Usman, Javed and Rajesh. 

They head up the sampling, merchandising, quality checking and accounts for our factory.

Colour, pattern and texture are our main squeezes. Designed with comfort in mind, we wanted to launch a label that not only brought the vibes, but encouraged women to shop ethically at a price point they can afford. So we source, research and reuse our way to doing better. Our clothes empower because they turn heads whilst doing good.

PRODUCING SS20 COLLECTION - £7k

We have designed an AWESOME collection for spring/summer 2020. Think jumpsuits, co-ords, mini dresses and statement blouses. Your donations will fund the ethical manufacturing and shipping of our garments. It will also allow us to rescue more fabric than we've ever been able to before!Turning other fashion brands leftovers into fun, comfortable, one of a kind designs for all our amazing supporters and customers.

MARKETING - 3k

Your money will also help us grow our audience. If we are successful, for the first time, we will have a marketing budget that will allow us to reach, preach and spread the good word of what our little label is striving to achieve.

 If you have any questions about our rewards, how to donate or simply want to know more about ilk + ernie. Please get in touch! We'd love to hear from you.

This project successfully funded on 4th December 2019