production & factories

We choose our suppliers with care. It is very important to us that we work only with factories that share our environmental values and provide a good working environment supporting workers’ safety, wages and working hours.

Before beginning any working relationship with a supplier, wherever in the world they are based, we do a lot of work behind the scenes to check they are a reputable company, which includes checking their annual audits. These are done by external companies who specialise in this area, and they look at many aspects covering the Health and Safety of all workers, how they are paid (at a minimum, a living wage for that area) and how they are treated. During these audits the auditors will speak to a selection of workers, to ensure they are safe and happy and treated fairly in all aspects. These audit reports are entirely non-biased. All suppliers are required to have these audits done annually, and we accept audits from SEDEX and BSCI.

We would not start a working relationship with any factory who does not meet the high standards of either the ethical treatment of their workers or the quality expectations of us here at Kettlewell.

Learn more about our factories...

Learn more about our Portuguese partners...

Our first Portuguese factory specialises in jersey and woven fabrics and have been making products for many well known brands in the UK and EU for over 25 years. Our yarn dyed stripe Breton Boat Neck is made here, along with our favourite Rachel and Roxy Jackets.

In 2019 they moved into a new, purpose built facility where they generate much of the energy used by solar power and have many initiatives in place to minimise their CO2 footprint, drive industrial and textile recycling and other industry innovations as well as ensuring their workforce are well looked after with benefits such as an on-site gym. They hold many certifications for different products and are SEDEX Members.

Our 2nd Portuguese Supplier is a knitwear manufacturer who have been making true knitwear styles for the European market for over 30 years. They specialise in heavy to mid weight knitting and are experts in creating intricate stitching.

They are a small factory, but their wealth of expertise has allowed us to produce some exceptional styles with them, such as the Alana Coatigan.

Learn more about our Turkish partners...

Our main jersey supplier who we have been working with since Kettlewell’s inception is based in Turkey. They have been manufacturing since the late 1980s and boast some very well known designer brands in their portfolio and hold a number of certifications for organic and recycled fabrics. They work out of a purpose built facility which was designed with reducing their environmental impact as a manufacturer and optimising efficiency in mind.

Our 2nd Turkish Supplier is our new denim factory. They started as a textile manufacturer in the mid 1960s, but for the last 20 years have been making garments for brands in both the UK and EU. They are experts in denim, which is quite a specialised area and have a really knowledgeable in house team to help guide us in this new area.

Denim historically is known to be a high polluting industry, with health issues and water pollution reported due to the heavy use of indigo dyes. Our factory uses the most up to date technology to ensure their waste water is tightly managed to ensure any chemical input, including dyes, meet the strict chemical restrictions of their certifications, which include GOTS and GRS. They are BSCI members (which is similar to SEDEX) and they use EIM (Environmental Impact Measuring Software) to monitor and track all emissions within their factory.

Learn more about our Nepalese partners...

The long standing supplier of our Cashmere Gauze Stoles has been working with Nepalese producers for many years. These beautiful cashmere stoles are hand-spun, hand-loomed and hand dyed by expert craftsmen and women. The company supports many local charitable projects including raising money for the rebuilding required after the devastating earthquake in 2015 and more recently supporting an orphanage near Kathmandu. They were the original providers of the Pashmina to stores like Fortnum & Mason, Harrods and Fenwicks.

Learn more about our Indian partners...

All of our Indian manufacturing is supported by an in country team working for Refined Brands, which allows us the opportunity for regular factory visits as well as pre-production and pre-shipment checking of all styles by our own team. 

Our first new Indian supplier is the manufacturer of our beautiful Hudson Jacket. They are based near New Delhi and have been making leather clothes and accessories for premium brands in the US, UK, France and Italy since the late 1990s. They have close relationships with their hide suppliers, so they can ensure the traceability of the skins, and also work closely with their tannery enabling them to ensure the processes are closely monitored to meet chemical compliance standards, and use vegetable tanning where possible and applicable.

Our next Indian supplier, is also based in New Delhi and has been working with some very well known British brands since the mid 1970s. Their experience with delicate woven, printed fabrics has allowed us to offer a whole new range of products to Kettlewell Colours, all coming with LENZING™ product licences.

Our leather accessories factory have been trading with brands in the UK and USA since the early 2000s and are both SEDEX and BSCI members, allowing them to meet the requirements of different brand expectations. They are experts in bags and small leather goods, and this new working relationship is allowing us to grow our colourful accessories offer with a specialist partner.

With expertise spanning over 30 years, our other new accessories supplier has significant experience in the production of fine wool and modal scarves. They also have garment capabilities, and produce clothing as well as accessories for a number of UK and US based brands.

Learn more about our Chinese partner...

We currently work with one supplier in China, with the factory specialising in recycled polyester outerwear. They have been working with Frugi, one of our Sister brands, for many years. The factory is located in Eastern China and we know that they do not use any type of forced labour either within their own premises or those of their own supply chain, including the use of the Uyghur and other Turkic and Muslim peoples of the Xinjiang Province.

The fabric types and construction methods for these types of garments is very specialist and we at Kettlewell wanted to ensure these new styles were of an outstanding quality and so we chose this particular supplier knowing that their quality is excellent and that their Social and Environmental responsibility is outstanding.