HANDMADE NEW AND UPCYCLED FASHION
Founded in Färgelanda, Sweden. Opened in Berlin, Germany, now home in Braidwood, Australia.
I enjoy creating clothing from new and found fabrics, as well as altering and revitalising used clothing.
As my business grows and I work less in upcycling, I strive to source my fabric for new items from other local and independent merchants. I aim to (mostly) use natural fibres but will occasionally depart from this for the sake of the quality and longevity of a garment (or just a bit of sparkly fun).
Färgeland is proudly fair, slow and independent fashion. From my home studio, I design, draft, grade and sew every garment I sell. As each garment is either hand-cut and sewn or upcycled by me, it will inevitably have its own charm and occasional imperfections.
This label proudly calls itself fair fashion, and I want to back this up by letting you know that my pricing is carefully considered so that each item is priced to reflect a fair payment for my labour and a fair price for the customer. In the interest of full transparency, I value my items using the following formula:
(materials + labour at an hourly rate + shipping) x 1.1 (to account for the approx 10% cut Etsy takes) = my retail price.
As you can see, I haven't used the conventional calculations used by the fashion industry. Most retailers double the rate I just mentioned for a wholesale price and then double the wholesale price to get the retail price. I pay myself a fair hourly rate based on the cost of living in Australia and the volume of product I am able to produce. There is no middleman or high retail fees passed on to my customers (although I understand the price may still seem high compared to fast fashion).