Oscar Wilde’s famous words are on our mind at the moment. We have been thinking about our products and the values that they embody. The integrity of a product is a matter of deep principle to us and it is absolutely who we are.
In creating Moot we knew, from the very beginning, that our brand would be a brand we were wholly proud of.
We are committed to giving you the best that we can offer in all aspects. Jules has spent years at the design stage, various generations of samples have been tested, reviewed and improved. He has driven numerous times to Northern France to meet suppliers including the traditional lace makers, taken the train to London to collaborate with underwear experts, gone to Yorkshire to work with the machinists and still he continues to review and evaluate the designs to make sure that Moot is all that he wants it to be.
The materials have to be the right ones. They have to perform and they have to be created in environments that do not exploit. We have to know that our products are made by adults who are paid a fair living wage in the same country we live in, in comfortable workplaces where their welfare is paramount. Yes, we could easily outsource to places where the production costs were a fraction of ours, but would we feel alright about our pieces being part of a chain imposing a huge disparity of wealth?
Some years ago, 1134 people were killed and hundreds more were seriously injured when a textiles factory collapsed in Bangladesh. The workers had been forced back into a lethal building under the threat of losing a month’s wages. They were working on heavy machinery installed in a building woefully inadequate for industry. The tragedy exposed a staggering list of well-known fashion labels using the factory to cut costs, from European high street fashion stores to some of the highest end fashion houses we associate with extremely luxurious lifestyles and with price tags to match.
We will never take this route. Now, more than ever, we have a chance to stop and look at how we can control the few things left that it is possible for us to control. We can see injustice, intolerance, zero hours contracts, even children in the workplace - and although we may feel that we have little influence when it comes to creating change, what we can control right now is how we stay at home and spend our money.
When you wear Moot, you feel good not only due to the beautiful designs you are wearing, but also by knowing that you are making a conscious choice to support a business with deep rooted principles. You are making a choice to vote for a fairer way and we believe that is a truly empowering feeling.
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