Novae Zelandiae sous-vêtements are hand made in London. The fabric is fair trade or from independent merchants.

Garments brought on the High street are often made in factories around the world such as Bangladesh, Asia and India.

Many of these factory owners can not afford to pay fair wages or health and safety is jeopardized, as small businesses compete for orders from big brands, who are always wanting the cheaper price.

This issue was highlighted in the news in 2015. Rana Plaza collapsed claiming the lives of 1,137 garment workers.

This is an issue, which is very close to my heart, which I have written about here http://novaezelandiae.bigcartel.com/transparency

Novae Zelandiae "Viola Low Rise French lingerie" and "Viola Low Rise French Underwear" are the same fit.

The difference is Viola Low Rise French Lingerie is finished with elastic concealed with a black satin ribbon around the hip.
This gives the garment a beautiful couture finish and structure.
Please see the gift box picture of 'Viola Low Rise Silk Lingerie in Nuit' for a visual reference.

Viola Low Rise French Underwear is finished with black picot elastic around the hip.
The finish is lighter and more comfortable as sleepwear.
Please see 'Viola Low Rise Cotton Underwear in Peach' for a visual reference.

The sous-vêtements are called 'French' as classic French finishing is used - such as French seams and encased picot elastic.

Your sous-vêtements will be personally hand wrapped and posted within 1 ~ 3 working days of placing your order. For custom made orders, delivery times will be agreed upon commission.

Standard Post
Your parcel will be sent without any tracking. This service can take up to 4 weeks for your parcel to arrive. If you are purchasing more than one sous-vêtements, option two will be more cost effective.

International Tracked Shipping
Your parcel will be traceable from London to your destination.
Europe 7 ~ 10 days
International 10 ~ 14 days
Oceania 10 ~ 20 days

International Tracked Shipping + Gift Box
Your sous-vêtements, will come in a black wax stamped box

Silk garments are damaged by machine washing.

Please hand wash your garment in the shower or basin using gentle cleanser and rinsing well with tepid water.

Remove excess water by wrapping in a bath towel around the garment and lightly squeezing.
Shake any creases out and air dry.

For other delicates fabrics please use a laundry bag, this prevents other garments rubbing against the fabric.

All postage prices are a reflection of the costs set by the Post Office of the United Kingdom.

Packages are hand wrapped in issue and a tied with satin bow and placed in a recycled postal envelope.

The envelope is priced as a small parcel (depth more than 0.5cm) with the weight being under 200g.

http://www.postoffice.co.uk/price-finder

The Novae Zelandiae gift box is priced at £ 3.00. The box is black with a magnetic and ribbon closure, with a Novae Zelandiae wax seal. The dimensions of the gift box are 10cm square x 4cm depth.

If for any reason you are unhappy with your garment - the fabric is not quite how you imagined it or the fit is not quite right for you, please send me a message.

I am more than happy to provide an exchange or refund within thirty days.

I am unable to refund shipping costs and worn garments, of course this does not affect your consumer rights, if the garment is found faulty within a six month period.

Novae Zelandiae believes in full transparency, below is full transparency on how our sous-vêtements are priced.

The pricing of all custom made garments is based on the following formula.

Quality 100% Silk is currently £39.00 ex VAT and fabric postage.
Total £46.30 - half a metre of silk = £32.35 + labour + trims

Labour is charged at the minimum UK Living Wage which is currently £10.42.

£32.35 + £10.42 x 2 + £0.81 (trims) = £54.00 per garment.

A fair trade price covers the expenses that go beyond the cost price of making a garment.

A fair trade price helps the craftsperson grow their business.

+ Designers are able to purchase resources to make new products

+ Start paying back loans, they may of occurred to start the business, such as buying fabric and trims.

+ Are able to invest in developing new products

+ Are able to work towards being self sufficient

Fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world, second only to the oil industry.

The True Cost is a highly recommended documentary that questions, who is really paying the price of fast fashion. From the cost to the farmers, the workers, the factory owners and the environment.

The True Cost Documentary is currently free to view on Netflix.

The documentary follows the life of Shima a factory worker in Bangladesh, a Texan cotton farmer, where your donated clothes really go and how chemicals are affecting the health of people and the environment.

Another amazing resource is written by Charlie Ross of The Offset Warehouse who also writes articles on sustainable fashion choices.

http://theswatchbook.offsetwarehouse.com/