King Louie

Production locations 

• Turkey (52%)
• China (48%)

Working Conditions & living wages 

Both countries face challenges in labour rights and environmental standards, which is why King Louie relies on certifications like GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and OE100 to ensure both social and environmental standards. 
King Louie has been a member of the Fair Wear Foundation since 2015, actively working to secure fair working conditions.

Since 2015, King Louie has focused on improving working conditions in the factories of its partners, collaborating with Amfori BSCI, a leading organisation for more sustainable trade.

The company maintains long-term partnerships with its suppliers, many lasting over 10 years, with one exceeding 20 years. These partnerships foster trust, stability, and consistent quality. 
King Louie does not own production facilities but collaborates with external manufacturers.

One of its suppliers, Suteks, is deeply committed to gender equality and has received multiple awards for its social initiatives.

As part of the ​‘For Fair Fashion’ project, King Louie worked with partners in Turkey to investigate living wages and violence in the workplace. 

Materials 

• GOTS certified organic cotton
• OCS (Organic Content Standard) certified cotton 
• Better Cotton (Better Cotton Initiative)
• Bamboo
• Recycled polyester
• Polyester
• LENZING ECOVERO™ Viscose
• Tencel
• Metallic
• Spandex
• LWG certified leather
• Silk
• Wool

King Louie sources eco-friendlier jersey fabrics made from organic cotton and bamboo, produced without harmful chemicals to protect the environment and the health of farmers. Both the company and its suppliers hold certifications like GOTS, ensuring high ecological and social standards.

Packaging

King Louie uses grass cartons, fibreboard from certified managed forests, and poly bags made from recycled plastic.

Water usage & chemicals

The brand prioritises materials like organic cotton, which typically require less water than conventional cotton. More sustainable materials provided by partners like Orimpex are produced without chemicals that harm nature, groundwater, or worker health.

King Louie uses a variety of certified materials, including GOTS for organic cotton, OE100, Organic Exchange Blended Standard, and Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) for more sustainable cotton. Leather is Leather Working Group-certified, ensuring more eco-friendly tanning processes. 
However, the limited use of synthetic materials like recycled polyester could potentially release microplastics.

Circular product design 

King Louie offers both monofibres and blended fibres, such as cotton-elastane blends, to ensure comfort but which make recycling more difficult. 

King Louie launched the first circular garments made partly from post-consumer waste in 2023. However, there is no precise information on whether these products are made from mono-materials or contain material mixtures. This can affect recyclability, especially in the case of blends of plant and synthetic fibres.

King Louie does not offer an official take-back service for used clothing.

Returns from the online shop are processed in the warehouse and, if possible, resold. Items that cannot be repaired are offered as B‑goods on the Noordermarkt.

Remaining stock is sold via channels such as Otrium, the Batavia Stad Fashion Outlet or the Noordermarkt.

Unsold items are donated to organisations such as the Salvation Army, Dress for Success or refugees in Ukraine and Greece.

Circular business models 

King Louie does not offer a direct repair service for customers. However, returns with minor defects (e.g. stains) are reconditioned (cleaned or repaired) in our own warehouse in order to resell them. There is no explicit mention of a free repair service.

King Louie promotes the renting of clothing by co-operating with the clothing libraries LENA in the Netherlands and Kleiderei in Germany. 

Distance & complexity of the supply chain

• Turkey
• Enschede, Netherlands 
• China
• The Headquarter is located in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Transportation 

• In order to minimise its environmental impact, King Louie pursues a no-airfreight policy in which 99% of its clothing is transported by ship, train or truck. 
• In the future, King Louie plans to increase the use of trains for transport from China, but this is currently not feasible due to geopolitical challenges.
• Within the Netherlands, customers can have their order delivered by bicycle courier.

• Silk 
• Leather certified by the Leather Working Group (LWG)
• Wool from certified traders who ensure responsible wool sourcing

Only an average of 5% of the products contain animal materials.

The leather is certified by the Leather Working Group, which guarantees environmental standards and good working conditions in leather processing.

King Louie is working to certify all wool products to ensure compliance with strict requirements. Currently it is not confirmed whether the wool is mulesing-free, but it is emphasised that it is obtained in a responsible manner.

King Louie requires guarantees about the origin of the raw materials and favours standards that guarantee good conditions for animals and humans.

Product design 

King Louie mainly offers clothing for women, including fashionable dresses, skirts, tops and trousers. The collections are characterised by colourful, playful and retro-inspired designs.

Slow fashion processes

King Louie focuses on slow fashion by using timeless designs and durable materials. 

The company motivates customers to take good care of their clothes, repair and reuse them in order to extend the life of the products. It also promotes more conscious consumption through campaigns such as clothes swap events and collaborations with more sustainable initiatives.

King Louie works with a continuous collection that is gradually supplemented with new designs instead of releasing many collections in a short space of time. This is in line with the principle of slow fashion.
Some pieces are labelled by King Louie as ​‘timeless choices’. These classics remain in the collection permanently and promote slow fashion that you can enjoy for a long time. Choose a beautiful King Louie piece in your favourite colour or pattern and cherish it!

The brand participates in sale periods, but also offers alternative promotions such as swap events and vintage sales to promote more sustainability.

Transparency on product 

Consumers can use the Retraced tool to access detailed information about the origin and manufacture of each product from the 2023 winter collection onwards, either via the website or via QR codes on the garments. 

Customers can also find details about the design, material, care instructions and fit of the item on the product page.

Transparency on processes 

King Louie promotes transparency through a fully visible manufacturer list for suppliers. 

Long-term partnerships, regular visits and audits by the Fair Wear Foundation ensure fair working conditions and ecological standards at suppliers. Certified partners such as Orimpex, which supplies GOTS and OE-certified fabrics, guarantee more sustainable production processes. 

These comprehensive measures emphasise King Louie’s commitment to a transparent and responsible supply chain.