Inclusive, ethical, eco-conscious, made-to-order, comfortable clothing.
Banner: Shot & modelled by Ellie Munro, Half Jumpsuit: shot & modelled by Alex De Chari
Ethically made. Locally made. Made to order. Minimal waste. Sustainable. Vegan.
Maker & Mineral is located and manufactured in Melbourne, Victoria.
Who makes your clothes?
I do!
Can you share a little more about your values?
Ethically made: Maker & Mineral garments are ethically made through and through. The fabric is ethically produced. If I’m not printing the fabric myself it is locally printed by a family business in Collingwood. I work with a dye house just a few hours outside of Melbourne. Even the labels and packaging are sourced from sustainable / ethical brands.
Locally made: The fabrics are sourced internationally, but everything else happens locally. Each piece is designed, cut, printed, and sewn in Melbourne.
Made to order: To minimise waste and allow for size inclusivity, each piece is made to order and takes between 3 – 4 weeks to produce and ship.
Minimal waste: Because each piece is made to order, there are never extra pieces that need to go on deep discount or get discarded. I save all of my fabrics scraps for donations and repurposing, so very little of the fabric isn’t usable in some way. I also ship my garments with reusable, recyclable, and compostable packaging materials so that nothing is ending up in landfill.
Transparent: Full supply chain transparency page at makerandmineral.com is in the works.
Vegan: Linen is vegan. I don’t use any animal products or bi-products for Maker & Mineral.
Size Inclusive: I think this one is important to include, because it is something that my customers really appreciate and really look for when searching for other local brands. Because I make everything to order, I do custom sizing at the same price. I want to make clothes for ANY BODY.
Which particular fabrics do you use?
I primarily use linen because it is a hearty, natural, and relatively sustainable fibre. When producing linen, very little of the flax plant will go to waste because it can be used in so many other ways. Farming flax also requires less water than cotton and it can be grown with minimal herbicides and pesticides. And, linen will fully biodegrade, so at the very end of this garment’s life, it will not sit in a landfill.
The linen I use is grown in Poland, where flax standards require near organic production methods. It is milled ethically in China, and meets OEKO-TEX standards meaning no harmful chemicals are used in the production process. I also use secondhand fabrics found at op-shops which can range from linen to cotton and poly/cotton (although I avoid polyester as much as possible, I also believe in giving these fabrics more life considering they will not biodegrade).
Any extra efforts you make at Maker & Mineral that you can share?
My aim with Maker & Mineral is to make clothing that people can feel their absolute best in. As their bodies might change over time, most pieces are adjustable in some way or have a loose drape.
Can you share some labels you admire?
The brand that first brought me to textiles and inspired me to make clothing is the Finnish brand MARIMEKKO. Their approach to happy clothing is something I still try to emulate.
In Australia: Variety Hour, Le Buns, Collective Closets, Vegethreads, Togetherness Design
Elsewhere: La Reunion Studio Selina Sanders, Eileen Fisher, Ace & Jig, Nooworks, Bryr Clogs
Price guide: $100 – 200 up to $300 – 500
Size guide: Custom sizing! so for a range XXS – 5XL
Want to get in touch with Maker & Mineral:
