Borrenberghs

Borrenberghs produces in her own atelier in Hasselt, Belgium, and is set to move to Brussels soon, where Tessa produces the garments under safe and healthy conditions. However, as demand increases, production will be shifted to production halls in Portugal and Italy. The Belgian atelier will remain for made-to-order garments. 

The new production locations will be visited over the year, and only small family-owned businesses will be chosen in order to ensure fair and ethical working conditions. This is the reason for choosing material suppliers within Europe, as it also enables the brand to ensure worker safety and environmental standards. Production locations mentioned on the website are in Italy and the Netherlands. However, names and addresses are not provided.

Borrenberghs works mainly with deadstock materials that compose 60% of the garment collection with polyester and jersey fabric deadstock. However, the brand is shifting to 100% natural, chemical-free fabrics. While deadstock materials are more sustainable in keeping them out of landfills or preventing environmentally harmful disposal methods, Borrenberghs aims to one day have a fully organic supply chain to achieve a fully transparent production process. While the brand has some way to go to reach this goal, they are actively working towards it.

Other than deadstock, the brand is currently working with other materials such as sustainable GOTS-certified organic cotton and other less sustainable Oeko-Tex-certified synthetic materials such as viscose, bamboo jersey, and Punta di Roma fabric, which conventionally consists of polyester, viscose, and lycra blends. These certifications ensure the sustainability of the production process of these fabrics, yet the details of these certifications are not specified and hence cannot be verified.

They also claim to use other materials such as silk certified by Seri​.co, which guarantees the health of workers and environment in line with requirements from ISO 9001 (quality system management), ISO 14001 (environment management), ISO 45001 (safety management) and SA 8000 (social responsibility). They also state the use of GOTS-certified mulesing-free wool, Cupro, a type of regenerated cellulose made from cotton waste, and Tencel, which is the most sustainable synthetic fibre. However, these products are nowhere to be found in any product descriptions of the garments.

Borrenberghs works with a made-to-order system to avoid overproduction. However, they will soon change to working with upfront stock in the next collections. The garments will continue to be produced in small quantities and stay exclusive and unique so that each piece is cherished. Any leftover fabrics are used to make limited edition pieces so that no fabric is wasted. 

This brand works with fully sustainable e‑commerce packaging with the company Rajapack. Their boxes are made of recycled products and are FSC-certified. The shipping label is also made from FSC-certified silicon paper, printed by a sustainable printing company. Forest Stewardship Certification (FSC) guarantees that the materials are sourced from sustainably managed forests and local communities.

This brand also contributes 1% of its annual sales to non-profit organisations dedicated to protecting the planet, its ecosystems and wildlife. They have also made a partnership with Bollebos VZW to plant a mix of native trees in Belgium, which strengthens and rejuvenates local forests to increase carbon capture.

Borrenberghs contributes to circularity by using deadstock material and giving them a new life, keeping them away from unsustainable disposal before the end of their life is due. They also have many monomaterial products that make recycling easier at the end of use, but recycling cannot be ensured for the deadstock material as their source and composition is not known.

This brand has its atelier located in Hasselt and cotton suppliers in Italy and the Netherlands. The suppliers for other materials are not mentioned. They will soon extend production to Portugal as well. However, everything is kept strictly within Europe to keep transport-related CO2 emissions as low as possible. All e‑commerce orders are shipped from Belgium using BPost. Which transport methods are employed within the supply chain is not mentioned.

Borrenberghs claims to use GOTS-certified mulesing-free wool. However, certifications are not verifiable.

This brand, being a luxury label, revolves around longevity. Every product is designed in small quantities and made-to-order, which ensures that the products will not be returned and will be cherished and kept in use for a very long time. The materials are chosen carefully to increase their durability. Once a quality material is found, it is used for future products and collections. Each product description comes with specific measurements and provides an email for the consumer to request measurement changes to ensure the fit is perfect. The descriptions are very personalised for each design and provide instructions and inspiration for different styling possibilities. 

They also give detailed instructions on garment care, stressing the importance for consumers to read each label carefully and follow the instructions to keep each garment in pristine condition. 

Each product goes through many stages, from sketching to prototyping and fittings, before reaching the consumers. The designs are timeless, and each piece is unique and made to be cherished by the wearer forever.

Borrenberghs stresses the importance of transparency and provides detailed information regarding materials and sustainability. COSH! has spoken with the designer herself to get a better look into the brand behind the scenes, and verify its sustainability. There are many aspects they could improve transparency on; however, being a one-woman show, the brand is already putting in a lot of effort regarding its sustainability.