state of art

PRODUCTION LOCATIONS

• China
• Turkey
• India
• Bangladesh
• Italy
• Hong Kong
• Vietnam
• North Macedonia

WORKING CONDITIONS & LIVING WAGES

The distance between the headquarters and the production sites can pose challenges when it comes to monitoring labour conditions and environmental standards. 

The company emphasises that it pays attention to safer working environments and humane conditions along the entire supply chain, but does not explain in detail how these standards are implemented or monitored. Certified production facilities or external inspection bodies are not mentioned, which makes it difficult to verify the information. 

However, State of Art emphasises that it maintains long-term partnerships – it has been working with some suppliers for over 20 years, which suggests a certain degree of trust and stability. 

MATERIALS

• Cotton
• Organic cotton, GOTS certified 
• BCI cotton
• mercerised cotton
• cotton mouliné
• Linen
• Modal
• Polyester
• Spandex
• Lyocell
• Hemp
• Wool
• Acrylic
• Viscose
• Rayon
• Acetate
• Polyamide
• Spandex

The company mainly uses cotton (including organic, BCI and mercerised cotton), in pure form or combined with elastane, linen, polyester and modal. Lyocell, viscose, polyamide and, to a lesser extent, wool, acrylic or hemp are also used. Leather seems to be an exception. The variety of fabrics indicates a wide range of products, from basic items to more complex, functional or fashionable garments.

Some products are GOTS-certified, which guarantees strict criteria along the entire supply chain, including safe working conditions, fairer wages, a ban on child labour, no chemical pesticides or artificial fertilisers and limited water and energy consumption. All steps are monitored annually by independent auditors. State of Art expands its range of GOTS-certified products every season.

Although the GOTS certificate confirms more sustainable standards for cotton, the use of synthetic fibres carries the risk of microplastic release. If you want to read more about the invisible environmental impact of synthetic fibres, read our article. 

PACKAGING

No packaging materials are communicated.

WATER USAGE & CHEMICALS

Based on the available material data, it can be stated that the company shows signs of a more environmentally conscious approach in some areas, but no concrete measures are recognisable with regard to water consumption, chemical management or microplastic avoidance. 

The regular use of GOTS-certified cotton and BCI cotton indicates that some attention is being paid to more resource-efficient alternatives at the fibre level. These fibres are generally associated with lower water consumption and reduced exposure to chemicals than conventional cotton.

The use of mercerised cotton, on the other hand, indicates chemical finishing processes in which caustic soda is used, among other things. However, it remains unclear whether environmental standards are adhered to here or whether appropriate safety measures have been taken, as no further information on systematic chemical management was provided. 

With regard to microplastics, it should be noted that many textiles contain synthetic fibres such as polyester, polyamide or acrylic. These are potentially problematic in terms of microplastic emissions during washing. 

There is also no specific information available on colouring, printing or bleaching processes. Although certain fabric treatments such as mercerisation suggest chemical processes, it remains unclear whether more environmentally friendlier methods are used.

CIRCULAR PRODUCT DESIGN 

A large proportion of the products are made from mixed fibres, which makes recycling considerably more difficult, as these materials are often difficult to separate from each other and therefore cannot be recycled efficiently.

CIRCULAR BUSINESS MODEL

There is no information available on a repair service, possible cooperation with repair workshops, an in-house take-back service or other circular business models such as rental or resale.

DISTANCE & COMPLEXITY OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN

• China
• Bangladesh
• Italy
• Hong Kong
• The Netherlands
• North Macedonia
• North Macedonia
• Vietnam
• Bulgaria
• India
• Turkey
• The headquarters are located in Lichtenvoorde, Netherlands.

TRANSPORTATION 

• The brand’s supply chain includes international transport, including from China, Turkey, North Macedonia, Vietnam, Bulgaria and India to the central warehouse in Lichtenvoorde, the Netherlands. In addition, logistics players such as Amass Freight, Hunicorn Shipping and Rotra Air & Ocean specialise in international freight solutions – especially sea freight and truck transport. Rotra’s location in the Netherlands also suggests lorry transport within Europe. Although no official information on the mode of transport is available, it can be concluded from these factors that sea freight is likely to be used in the supply chain for intercontinental routes and lorry transport for European onward transport.
• No statements are made on transport methods within the supply chain. 

• Leather
• Wool
• Merino wool
• Alpaca
• Cashmere
• Lambswool
• Silk

There is no information on where the animal materials come from. There are also no guidelines on the handling of animal materials.

PRODUCT DESIGN

The company specialises in elegant menswear that stands out thanks to its focus on timelessness and stylish designs. With a harmonious combination of classic cuts and modern accents, the collection is aimed at men who value durable and tasteful clothing that outlasts trends.

SLOW FASHION PROCESSES 

No information is available on the publication frequency of the collections. 

There is also no indication of an offer for made-to-measure or made-to-order services.

TRANSPARENCY ON PRODUCT

The company’s product pages generally show the material composition, cut, colour variants, care instructions and, in some cases, details of the model wearing the clothing. 

As far as traceability is concerned, the product page refers to the TextTracer tool, which is designed to provide an insight into the so-called ​‘product journey’. All relevant stages of the supply chain are listed there – from material trading, spinning, knitting, dyeing and washing through to manufacturing, transport, import and storage. This structure provides the basis for transparent tracking of the production process. However, this traceability is not guaranteed for every product.

TRANSPARENCY OF THE PROCESS

With the help of the innovative tex.tracer system, customers can trace the entire manufacturing process of a garment for some products. These products have a QR code directly on the label, which makes it possible to view the entire supply chain. Important information is presented in an easy-to-understand way – from the origin of the raw materials to the processing and transport routes. 
State of Art only offers this function for certain products.