Abelone Wilhelmsen

Production locations –

• Production: Belgium
• Sourcing: EU

Working Conditions & living wages – 

As Abelone Wilhelmsen’s clothes are made in Belgium from fabrics coming from neighbouring countries, like Germany, France and Portugal, there is no doubt this is ethical fashion. European and Belgian labour laws apply here. In addition, Abelone makes all of the clothes herself! Only the leather handbags and accessories are an exception, they are handmade in Spain.

In the collections, you will also find lifestyle accessories such as cushions and totebags under the name ​‘Cellmade’. These are made by Bruges prison inmates using leftover denim fabric. Through this collection, Abelone wants to integrate a social dimension, which is very important to her, into her brand.

Materials –

• Organic cotton 
• Conventional cotton
• Viscose
• Deadstock
• Lycra

The materials Abelone chooses are mostly natural. Unfortunately, the cotton is sometimes mixed with lycra, making these clothes non-biodegradable and harder to recycle after use. 
Abelone indicated to COSH! that she aims to only use 100% natural materials in the future, a great goal!

Packaging –

The brand uses plastic free packaging made of paper and cardboard and recycled materials. 

Water usage & chemicals -

Abalone uses high quality materials, especially natural and organic, which ensures no toxic chemicals pollute the water in surrounding environments, and make use of minimal water where possible. 

Circular product design – 

Abelone avoids waste whenever possible, which is why, among other things, she works with deadstock fabrics and uses leftover fabrics from her own collections. These materials get a new life as lifestyle accessories made by Cellmade.

Circular business models – 

The brand also encourages you to give the clothes as long a life as possible with care & repair tips, a circular mindset! The garments made of monomaterials (such as 100% cotton) are recyclable.

Distance & complexity of the supply chain – 

• Production locations: Belgium
• HQ is located in Belgium
• The brand sells/​exports within the EU

Transportation -

The fabrics are all from Western Europe, coming from the Benelux countries, France and Germany. There is no fear therefore about long distances being travelled.

 

All transport is done by bike or electric car to lower their footprint.

• Wool
• Silk
• Leather

Some of Abelone Wilhelmsen’s clothes are vegan, not containing any wool or leather. Only the wool & silk scarves and accessories with leather are not vegan.

You can read more information about how these materials were sourced on the product pages of each item. The yak wool for example was sourced from small scale, local farmers that treat the animals well.

Product design –

The colours of the clothes are refreshing and don’t follow passing trends, so you can enjoy them for as long as possible. Abelone also makes her designs as gender neutral as possible, although some of the clothes are specifically tailored to the female or male body.

Another great thing is that high-quality clothes can take a real beating. Add to that the timelessness of the designs, and you’re guaranteed to be able to wear Abelone Wilhelmsen clothes for years and years. 

Slow fashion processes – 

Abelone does not participate in sales and only produces in small quantities, meaning the brand definitely qualifies as slow fashion. The brand works with permanent collections that are independent of the seasons.

Some pieces are even made-to-order so there is no surplus stock. They can also be made-to-measure so that the clothes fit everyone perfectly.

Transparency on product -

The brand provides a lot of information on individual product pages, including sourcing and production locations, and sustainable qualities of materials. 

Transparency on processes -

Transparency can be a challenge for small brands like Abelone Wilhelmsen, because it takes a lot of time & effort. As the designer produces all the clothes herself we can be sure of ethical working conditions.