To be able to keep our senses alert to feel, see and hear the vibrations of the world around us.
To progress, to innovate with technical and societal developments.
Trying, making mistakes, starting over, because it is not so simple until we find the path that suits us, the one that is in line with our experience, our knowledge, and our values.
We have embarked on a winding path, driven by beautiful energy.
70% of our production is carried out in Portugal in family-owned factories whose concerns are the same as ours: respect for the working conditions of the workers, CSR development, high standards, quality of manufacture, and recycling of waste.
Over the years, the bonds of trust with our partners have been strengthened thanks to our regular visits, facilitated by our geographical proximity and our colleague Laurinda on site.
We have been loyal to them for 12 years and continue to work with them to this day.
Part of our production is made in India, our second country of heart with an exceptional textile know-how heritage: block print materials, finely handmade embroideries, Mukesh.
This is why we have been working since 2012 with a family workshop located in New Delhi, controlled by Vikram. The men and women with the fingers of fairies sew our blouses, our dresses, embroider them with gold, embellish them with braids and laces, in block print cotton with millimetric precision. Their skills and expertise enable us to offer you unique, poetic, and high-quality products. This factory is BSCI certified.
The sofia family
A beautiful knitwear factory that produces our organic cotton jersey shirts and sweaters for children.
(Portugal)
The vikram family
An Indian workshop that produces all our block prints and embroidered blouses and dresses.
(India)
The sameira & america family
The two sisters lead the production of our organic cotton sweatshirts and t-shirts.
(Portugal)
The antonio family
Cette usine de tricots produit notre iconique cardigan en laine et nos pulls ultra doux.
(Portugal)
Ethics has been an inherent value at Emile et Ida since the beginning:
We have chosen to work essentially with family workshops on a human scale. This model resembles us, and we take care to respect everyone as well as their working conditions (environment, hours, wages).
By taking care of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) we allow small manufacturers to live with dignity from their work thanks to a committed consumption.
« We have chosen to work
with family workshops
on a human scale. »
Once a year, we donate our unsold goods to charities that defend children's causes (Mécénat Chirurgie cardiaque, the Red Cross, ADN ), and we organize solidarity sales for the benefit of Mécénat Chirurgie cardiaque, Tara India, SOS village d'enfants. 20% of the turnover of these sales is donated to the partner association.
Out of respect for the work of our retailers, the company's commercial policy is based on a very strict calendar: no promotions or black Friday outside the sales period to put everyone on an equal footing!
Reducing the transport of goods to limit the consumption of fossil fuels and the production of CO2 is an issue dear to Emile and Ida. This is also why 80% of our production is made in Portugal. The fabrics we use are woven or knitted in Europe. Also for the sake of common sense, when a material is found in a country, the garment will be made in the same place to avoid transporting rolls of fabric to the four corners of the world.
We work with factories that are committed to sustainable and transparent production that respects the planet. Thus, 60% of them are certified by the independent associationOEKO-TEX, thus ensuring the legal conformity of our products. Textiles are checked at each stage of processing, from the raw material to the finished product, including the yarns and dyeing.
Finally, almost all our factories recycle their waste, sometimes even oiling sewing machines! If not all our factories are 100% certified, it is because these small family-run workshops do not always have the financial and human resources to complete the long and complex process of certification. Our dyehouses in Portugal comply with all REACH standards and have obtained OEKO-TEX certification. They have implemented a wastewater treatment program to limit the environmental impact of the products.
Since 2010, our clothes are made of high quality natural textiles. Our fabrics are 95% cotton or linen. Step by step, Emile et ida tends towards ecoresponsibility. The 100% organic cotton certified GOTS (in which 95% of our T-shirts and 80% of our sweatshirts are made) is elaborated from fibers resulting from a certified agriculture without any pesticide. Step by step, the organic part is increasing in our collections, like our women's jeans which are now mostly made of organic cotton!
From the very beginning of our company, we have packed your purchases in reusable fabric tote bags to please you but also because we did not want any plastic bag or disposable paper. To protect the products during transport and storage, the factories now use polybags made from recyclable materials.
On the sales side, the brand is committed to a system of just production, so only what is sold is produced. This system is similar to pre-ordering and allows us to meet demand as closely as possible to avoid unnecessary production.
For Delphine, a sustainable garment is above all a garment that will last over time, pass from hand to hand, from generation to generation, and will not require the production of new ones. The timelessness, the quality of the materials, the affect that the garment will arouse and the story it will tell are therefore as much a commitment as the way it is produced.
We pay great attention to the choice of materials we work with. We select quality fabrics from European manufacturers and always favor natural materials (cotton, linen, wool, alpaca, cashmere) even if we sometimes mix them, in very small quantities, with polyester, elastane, or viscose to provide either elasticity or comfort.
The wool for our jumpers is spun in Italy and knitted in Portugal or Bulgaria. We use mostly RWS certified alpaca wool (a voluntary global standard that aims to ensure the welfare of sheep and respect for the pastures, it guarantees that the farms' practices have been verified) but also 100% recycled wool.
The fabric of our coats is made of Shetland wool woven in Portugal, the Liberty of London, the cotton of the pieces made in India is Indian. Finally, most of our buttons are made by the French company Crépin Petit, which has been awarded the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant label. Finally, we refuse to use animal fur, angora rabbit wool, and, apart from the linings, 100% polyester.
The value of our products stems from all the choices we have made to develop them: the quality of the materials, European production, the know-how of the craftsmen, the quality of the finishing touches. We set our prices at the fairest level, the one that allows all the actors who have contributed to the development of our products to live with dignity from their work.
the price of
RAW MATERIAL
+
SINGULAR ELEMENTS
(Buttons, laces, prints, dyeing, embroidery...)
+
CUTTING/ASSEMBLING/SETTING UP
+
PACKAGING AND TRANSPORT
In addition, there is the company's margin, with which all employees are paid, and operating costs are financed. We do not add anything else.
A company's commitment to CSR is a process that requires patience. Little by little, things are moving.
In France and the rest of the world, awareness is growing, and we are working, each at our level, for a textile production that is more respectful of the planet and the living beings that inhabit it.
We have already come a long way, we are proud of this, but we are continuing our efforts and our commitments so that fashion continues to make our dream without damaging our natural environment.
Launch our Made in France production, increase the organic cotton part in our wardrobe, eliminate plastic polybags, obtain the OEKO TEX label for the whole brand, act to reduce e-trade returns by improving our product sheets: size guides, detailed descriptions, and quality of visuals...
The whole Emile et Ida team is working in this direction!
