February 01, 2019

About Us

Sinerji is an eco-label designed on the Sunshine Coast and made using organic natural fibres, non-toxic dyes, and fairtrade partnerships.

Sinerji produces patterns in Australia and travels each year to work personally with the farmers who grow the organic cotton, and the tailors who sew the garments, with two production teams in Northern Thailand and India.

Sinerji is renowned for creating fun pieces; well-shaped trousers, skirts and dresses that feel amazing, in organic natural fibres, with distinct hand-drawn illustrations that are printed using non-toxic dyes & water-based prints.

Designed to celebrate and flatter all body shapes, with integrity from pattern to garment, a passion for creativity and for storytelling, Sinerji is instantly recognisable.

Our Sinerji Makers

Who Made Your Clothes? Meet Gulshan. Gulshan handles all Finishing for Sinerji pieces made with our team in India. Gulshan is 24, & loves studying politics. She would love to one day have a career in politics. One of the things we love about working with our team is how many women are employed in safe, well-paid jobs. In India, this isn't always the case & we know from repeated studies that when women are paid well, the family & community benefit, not just the individual.⠀
As proud Fashion Revolutionaries, we love sharing a little insight into the lives of the people we work with to bring Sinerji to life. We couldn't do it without them, we are proud of our partnerships & we want to see more transparency in the Fashion Industry... connecting with the people at the other end of that garment on the rack brings meaning back. And is the only way we will improve the lives of garment workers around the world.

Gulshan handles all Finishing for Sinerji pieces made with our team in India.

Our Fabric

The organic cotton fabric is grown and woven in the same area and involves several villages. Organic cotton is rain fed to ensure minimal water usage. The thread is dyed using natural, hand-harvested plant dyes, and woven in the traditional way. Hand weaving is highly skilled and creates a stunning fabric that is soft, long lasting, chemical free and durable. The network within the communities, enhances personal relationships and builds long term support networks, and allows for long term community development. A community bank has been created in the community we work with, to provide financial support to people within the community for education, health care, and extra support where needed.

As veterans of the ethical fashion movement, Sinerji continues to lead the way in making ethical, sustainable fashion that is beautiful, affordable & relevant for everyday wear.

For more info and to see footage of the amazing natural dyeing process, check out our Facebook page: Sinerji Facebook

Bamboo / Organic cotton blend fabrics are 60% Bamboo & 40% Organic cotton. Produced and sewn in India, manufactured with G.O.T.S and Oeko-Tek 100 certification, and dyed using non-toxic eco-certified dyes. The G.O.T.S and Oeko-tex certifications involve strict adherence to chemical-free processes, higher wages, and the ten principles of Fair Trade as listed below.

Pretty Pink threads awaiting the loom...picked, ginned and dye by hand with natural dyes from plants & fruit, then woven into our lovely fabric. No wonder our garments last so long!!

Endorsements

Sinerji have been included in the Fellowship 500 list of global companies seen as leaders in ethical and sustainable fashion, by the Ethical Fashion Forum UK.

Sinerji is an endorsed Fair Trader of Australia. (more info here: Fair Trade Association)

Sinerji was built on the guiding principles of Fair Trade according to FTAANZ, and maintaining personal contact with our sewers is a key component to our production. The cotton grown for our garments is rain-fed to ensure minimal water usage.

View our Ted Talk: One Thread At A Time

What does fair trade mean?

In most western countries, we have laws to ensure that workers are treated fairly, and good employment conditions are upheld, and to ensure the protection of people in the workplace from injury, harm and exploitation. The principles of Fair Trade are used as a universal guide for producers in countries that do not have laws in place to protect workers from exploitation. Sinerji is an endorsed Fair Trader of Australia and a member of the Fair Trade Association and a passionate Fair Trade advocate.

The ten guiding principles of Fair Trade come under these headings:
1. Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers
2. Transparency and Accountability
3. Trading Practices
4. Payment of a Fair Price
5. NO Child Labour or Forced Labour
6. Non-discrimination, Gender Equity & Freedom of Association
7. Working Conditions
8. Provide Capacity Building opportunities
9. Promotion of Fair Trade
10. Respect & care for the Environment

Waste

Sinerji has a strong commitment to waste reduction. All garment offcuts are reused or recycled. Our teams are donated our excess fabric and stitch them into other items (such as purses etc) to sell for extra income. Anything that is not used in this way is sold to fabric recycling facilities. Any excess stock in Australia is never discarded. We are proud to say our excess is minimal through good stock management. We do not over order and do not rely on "cheap sales" based campaigns to clear stock. We believe too many sales encourage thoughtless purchasing and wish to encourage conscious slow fashion choices.

If we do have excess that cannot find it's happy home it is either donated to charity or repurposed by us.