Grace & Mila

Grace & Mila has strong ties with China and therefore collaborates with Chinese manufacturers.I n 2023, it also started working with a new supplier from Turkey. Unfortunately, the brand does not share information about the different manufacturers. As a result, we cannot assess the working conditions in which the clothes are produced.

Grace & Mila does want to commit to using sustainable materials, but still has a long way to go. The collections incorporate many different non-sustainable materials. Some of the clothing uses synthetic fabrics such as polyester, nylon, acrylic and polyamide. These materials always require a lot of petroleum and chemicals to be produced. Microplastics can also be released when these clothes are being washed, causing problems for marine ecosystems.

Grace & Mila says 90% of its summer 2023 collection is made of natural materials, recognisable by the label ​‘Un brin de vert’ (a touch of green). But even natural materials are not problem-free. Grace & Mila uses cotton, linen and viscose, among others. These fabrics don’t contain plastic, but are not yet fully sustainable… Growing cotton, for example, requires large amounts of water and chemicals.

The production of viscose often uses harmful chemicals that can end up in the environment. Viscose is made from wood pulp but only viscose carrying the FSC label has wood pulp from sustainably managed forests. Sustainable alternatives to this are organic or recycled cotton, FSC-labelled viscose, Tencel or Ecovero viscose. These last two are types of viscose, made by the manufacturer Lenzing, which are sustainable because they are made in a closed-loop so no harmful chemicals are released. 

Grace & Mila also has some way to go in terms of circularity. Several of their designs are mono material, e.g. 100% polyester. These are easier to recycle after use. If an item of clothing is made entirely from one natural material, then it is even biodegradable.

However, much of the collection consists of material blends, where different materials are combined in one item of clothing. This makes recycling after use much more difficult. A blend of synthetic and natural materials is also not biodegradable.

Even so, it carries out actions to improve its circularity. They have a partnership with Give back which allows them to collect and recycle all their unused textiles (household linen, clothes, lingerie, etc.), whether they are damaged or not. They sort the garments before they are resold or donated to associations (58%), recycled into raw materials (34%) or transformed into fuel (8%). In exchange for your participation in a more circular fashion, Grace & Mila gives you shopping vouchers to use in their online shop.

As all production takes place in China and Turkey, Grace & Mila’s sales made in Europe have a pretty long supply chain. 

Grace & Mila use animal materials such as sheep’s wool and alpaca wool in their jumpers. They do not share information about the origin of these materials. Therefore, here at COSH!, we cannot find out how animal-friendly these materials are.

Grace & Mila only works with high-tech manufacturers in China to ensure the quality of their products. They launch six different capsule collections every year in small batches to avoid overproduction. Because the brand creates multiple small collections, the designs tend to be trend-dependent.

The colourful collections combine casual comfort with French elegance. A blend of French and Chinese culture is reflected in the quality and expertise.

Grace & Mila are not transparent about their production sites and the origin of their materials. The lack of information makes it difficult to make an accurate assessment of the brand’s sustainability.