Empowering women, one dress at a time

It was International Women’s Day last week and this year's theme was ‘#BreakTheBias’ – standing up for equality for women and transgender women, a sentiment that shouldn’t be just for one day but every day of the year. In celebration of IWD, it seems like the perfect time to share something we’ve been working on!

Ever since the first lockdown when we helped the NHS by making 1,400 scrubs, we have been looking for more ways we could be environmentally-friendly AND regenerative.

The first thing we did was design and launch a new eco-friendly line, The Green Collection. All dresses in this collection are made from the finest plant silk we could source. We are so proud of this collection, but we wanted to do more.

After experimenting with different ideas and researching what people need most, we’re ready to launch the first of these ideas… We have decided to transform our leftover, off-cut 'waste' silks from each dress we make into beautifully-made tops to regularly donate to Smart Works, a charity that was created in in September 2013 that exists to help unemployed women gain the confidence they need to succeed at an interview, get the job and transform their lives.

Smart Works

Thanks to the charity’s support in 2021, 69% of clients went on to get a job within one month of their Smart Works appointment. As well as providing complete outfits of high-quality clothes for job interviews, beneficiaries also have access to one-to-one interview training and the opportunity to join the Smart Works Network, meeting every month to further their professional and personal development.

Over the next three years the charity aims to double the number of women it helps to 10,000 women a year. This will be done by deepening connections in the communities the charity already serves, opening new centres and providing a digital service for women in need all over the UK.

Our Pledge

We’ve designed the Dahlia and Laelia tops with women in mind and made in the same ateliers who make our dresses. Dahlia is a slash neck topper with a keyhole back neck, and three-quarter length sleeves. Laelia is a pleated little number with grown on slash sleeves. They’ll go with any outfit: with a suit, with jeans… they’re made with love, made to last.

For every single dress we make, all of the leftover and off-cut fabrics from both our Couture Collection and our Green Collection are transformed into one of these gorgeous tops and will be donated to Smart Works. By purchasing one of our dresses, brides help reduce waste from the bridal industry while helping women in need and their communities, too.

And at each appointment, we will be giving brides a free, luxurious silk mask made from our off-cuts, too.

charity tops