Abelone Wilhelmsen

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.

The materials Abelone chooses are mostly natural. Many of her clothes are made from GOTS-certified organic cotton, conventional cotton and viscose. Some of these fabrics are surpluses from other suppliers that would otherwise not be used, or deadstock. 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!

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.

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.

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.
By making all the clothes herself, Abalone ensures that the items are made locally and in ethical conditions. 

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.

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.

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.

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, but it would be nice to have more information about the materials and where they were sourced.