Our Engagements
We avoid the word sustainable when we can. It has been worn down by repetition, and its meaning has thinned. What we can offer instead is an honest account of how our silk is sourced, who works on it, and the small commitments we have made — not as a campaign, but as a way of doing business that we can defend, line by line, to anyone who asks.
Where the Silk Comes From
Our mulberry silk is woven in the Hangzhou region of China — the place silk has been made, more or less without interruption, since around 3000 BCE. We work with two mills, both family-owned for at least three generations, both audited annually for working conditions and environmental practice. The cocoons come from mulberry groves in Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces. The weavers are paid above the regional textile average, work a regulated week, and operate equipment we have visited in person.
We chose Grade 6A — the highest classification recognised in the silk industry — because longer fibres mean fewer joins, fewer weak points, and a fabric that lasts years longer than the cheaper grades that dominate the mass market. A piece that lasts is, in our view, the most underrated form of sustainability available.
OEKO-TEX Standard 100
Every Rêvery & Silk fabric carries OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification — an independent textile testing system that screens for over 1,000 harmful substances, including azo dyes, formaldehyde, heavy metals, phthalates, and chlorinated phenols. Class I certification — the strictest level, intended for textiles in direct contact with infant skin — is the standard we hold ourselves to. What this means in practice: nothing you wear from us has any business being on your skin that should not be.
Dyes & Finishing
Our colours come from low-impact reactive dyes, fixed at lower temperatures to reduce water and energy consumption. Wastewater from our partner mills passes through a closed-loop treatment system before release. No optical brighteners are used. No chlorine. No formaldehyde finishes — which is why our silk wrinkles honestly, the way silk has always wrinkled.
Packaging
Each piece travels in a recycled cotton dust bag — usable, not disposable. Boxes are FSC-certified, printed with vegetable inks. The tissue paper inside is acid-free and recyclable. We do not include plastic inserts, ribbons we expect you to discard, or filler material. If a piece does not need protecting, we do not over-pack it.
Carbon-Neutral Shipping
All outbound shipments are carbon-offset through verified reforestation and renewable energy projects, at our cost — never the customer's. We use ocean freight rather than air freight for inbound stock wherever possible, accepting the longer lead times in exchange for the lower footprint.
Longevity, as a Philosophy
The most sustainable garment is the one you do not replace. Everything we make is designed to be worn for years — and repaired, where needed, rather than discarded. We offer a complimentary repair service on seams, hems, and minor snags for the lifetime of any Rêvery & Silk piece. Send it back. We will mend it. You will keep wearing it.
This is the only sustainability story we feel entitled to tell: buy less, choose well, keep it longer. The silk we make is built for that arithmetic — and we will keep working, quietly, to make sure each piece earns its place in the count.