I was reading a blog late last year and came across a deal for readers: 20% off texture clothing. I was psyched! I'd been wanting to try something from this eco-friendly company for a while.
What can I say? I've been a sucker for ethical consumerism for a long time, and texture's description -"clothing with a conscience"- immediately caught my attention! This discount provided a perfect opportunity to sample their clothes, so I e-mailed Teresa, texture's "naturally-caffeinated instigator", and asked if she'd be willing to ship to the UK. She was, and I ordered a few items. They arrived, thanks to our usual Christmas Posting Shambles [compliments of Royal Mail], about five weeks later. The wait was well worth it, though! I opened the package and was instantly thrilled by the earthy colour and natural feel of the fabric. Right away, I tried on the "posh pants".
Now, pants here in the UK means literally underpants. The word trousers is used instead of pants. But posh trousers just doesn't have the same ring! So, for the purposes of this post, we'll call them posh legwear. Anyway, I put them on, expecting to throw them in the wash that evening as I normally wash new clothing before wearing it. However, I ended up wearing them for the entire week, washing once after a few days and air-drying overnight before putting them back on again. Texture clothing really is that comfortable.
I've recently been on a weekend away in London and I took a few texture items with me. The first day, I wore jeans and the berry-coloured comfy mini skirt. [One of the fun things about texture's comfy skirts is that they have a subtly hidden pocket at the front that's perfect for cash, debit cards, or mobile phones. Inside mine was a surprise: a patch of fabric imprinted with the words, "Love is a verb"!]
The second and third day, I changed to my posh legwear, as we were sitting for an almost constant eight hours and jeans were just too unforgiving. These indigo trousers also look great with skirts layered over them.
The material for texture clothing is a soft yet substantial mix of hemp, organic cotton, and a bit of lycra. No tiny holes here and there after a few washes, like cheap [or not so] jersey clothing found in high street shops. This texture stuff is made to last.
I e-mailed Teresa again and asked her a few questions about how her "clothing with a conscience" came into being.
Mama Coffeebeings: What initiated your creation of texture?
Teresa: "I started hand sewing when I was young and I got my first sewing machine when I was 12. I went to design school, thinking that I was going to make costumes for the theatre. Because I had worked summer festivals for so long (doing 'hair wraps') I decided to sew a crazy mix of clothing and sell it out of my booth. After a few attempts, I decided to put a formal line together. "
MC: Where and how did you find such beautiful fabric?
Teresa: "I enjoy working with natural fabrics and the first roll of fabric I bought was a hemp/cotton muslin. There were not many options for hemp fabrics, and there were no organic cotton fabrics available. Over the years, I meet people who make fabric and I request swatches. I keep a file box full of swatches and I open it up when I start designing a new line."
MC: As texture's instigator, what is the most important thing to you about it's future?
Teresa: "The most important things about texture's future are:
a. to keep it as local as possible, creating jobs in my community.
b. to keep making clothing that fits 'curvy women'. [pregnant mamas too!]
c. to create clothing in the most sustainable way possible for this (harsh) industry."
When I mentioned to Teresa how much I loved the "patch" I discovered in the secret pocket of my comfy mini, she said; "I feel like we have a platform to spread 'good news' from and I am trying my best to stand up and do that."
Well, I'm quite happy to be using my blog as a platform to spread the good news about texture clothing! And... guess what? Teresa is offering my readers 20% off your texture orders for the next month, until the 4th of May. Just use the voucher [coupon] code "coffee20" when ordering.
Go here to visit texture's website and blog. This is my favourite story so far. I love reading about how this woman totally revamped and simplified her wardrobe!
What can I say? I've been a sucker for ethical consumerism for a long time, and texture's description -"clothing with a conscience"- immediately caught my attention! This discount provided a perfect opportunity to sample their clothes, so I e-mailed Teresa, texture's "naturally-caffeinated instigator", and asked if she'd be willing to ship to the UK. She was, and I ordered a few items. They arrived, thanks to our usual Christmas Posting Shambles [compliments of Royal Mail], about five weeks later. The wait was well worth it, though! I opened the package and was instantly thrilled by the earthy colour and natural feel of the fabric. Right away, I tried on the "posh pants".
Now, pants here in the UK means literally underpants. The word trousers is used instead of pants. But posh trousers just doesn't have the same ring! So, for the purposes of this post, we'll call them posh legwear. Anyway, I put them on, expecting to throw them in the wash that evening as I normally wash new clothing before wearing it. However, I ended up wearing them for the entire week, washing once after a few days and air-drying overnight before putting them back on again. Texture clothing really is that comfortable.
I've recently been on a weekend away in London and I took a few texture items with me. The first day, I wore jeans and the berry-coloured comfy mini skirt. [One of the fun things about texture's comfy skirts is that they have a subtly hidden pocket at the front that's perfect for cash, debit cards, or mobile phones. Inside mine was a surprise: a patch of fabric imprinted with the words, "Love is a verb"!]
The second and third day, I changed to my posh legwear, as we were sitting for an almost constant eight hours and jeans were just too unforgiving. These indigo trousers also look great with skirts layered over them.
I e-mailed Teresa again and asked her a few questions about how her "clothing with a conscience" came into being.
Mama Coffeebeings: What initiated your creation of texture?
Teresa: "I started hand sewing when I was young and I got my first sewing machine when I was 12. I went to design school, thinking that I was going to make costumes for the theatre. Because I had worked summer festivals for so long (doing 'hair wraps') I decided to sew a crazy mix of clothing and sell it out of my booth. After a few attempts, I decided to put a formal line together. "
MC: Where and how did you find such beautiful fabric?
Teresa: "I enjoy working with natural fabrics and the first roll of fabric I bought was a hemp/cotton muslin. There were not many options for hemp fabrics, and there were no organic cotton fabrics available. Over the years, I meet people who make fabric and I request swatches. I keep a file box full of swatches and I open it up when I start designing a new line."
MC: As texture's instigator, what is the most important thing to you about it's future?
Teresa: "The most important things about texture's future are:
a. to keep it as local as possible, creating jobs in my community.
b. to keep making clothing that fits 'curvy women'. [pregnant mamas too!]
c. to create clothing in the most sustainable way possible for this (harsh) industry."
When I mentioned to Teresa how much I loved the "patch" I discovered in the secret pocket of my comfy mini, she said; "I feel like we have a platform to spread 'good news' from and I am trying my best to stand up and do that."
Well, I'm quite happy to be using my blog as a platform to spread the good news about texture clothing! And... guess what? Teresa is offering my readers 20% off your texture orders for the next month, until the 4th of May. Just use the voucher [coupon] code "coffee20" when ordering.
Go here to visit texture's website and blog. This is my favourite story so far. I love reading about how this woman totally revamped and simplified her wardrobe!
I REALLY enjoyed this blog post. Firstly I love the top picture of you!!!!! Awesome! Going to look at the website. loved your 'interview style' blog! Great idea!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Photo credits to Dan. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a neat idea! And I love comfy clothing. I get so tired of wearing jeans...but I'm not that comfortable in dresses, either! I'll have to check these clothes out...
ReplyDelete