Ottway The Label is a fashion brand that I found a year ago, and started buying from this year. They are a slow fashion brand that supports ethical procedures and are local’s, coming out of Melbourne AUS.
I own two of their Rarebird jackets, but it was this brand that opened my eyes to the fast-fashion crisis and made me think more consciously about what brands I support.
The fabrics are manufactured over in South-East China by a family-owned business. The guys go down to the factory often to catch up and create the Ottway family environment. But the cool part about it is a portion of every purchase is donated to install solar power, promoting clean energy.
They release their “timeless designs” in small batches to reduce fast fashion and move away from it completely. Heading over to their website they answer and chat about all things sustainability, discussing their brand in depth.
We believe in clothing with no expiry date crafted to journey through generations.
Neri and Manu, the creaters of Ottway the Label.
Each drop of clothing releases around 2-3 designs because of their approach to slow fashion and makes it meaningful. “With drops of 50+ designs every couple of months, clothing losses its essence and soul, becoming just a temporary and meaningless “treat” to fill a gap.”
But like many of you who are reading this article, I am a uni student. This means that this is generally associated with a lack of money, so purchasing expensive clothing like Ottway seems unrealistic. I thought that too, but once I began to stop buying so much clothing and started spending big on long-lasting pieces the $270 jacket became affordable.
My wardrobe is still huge, I have a lot of clothing but it is pieces that I have had since I was 14. Over the years I have collected items to create a timeless style that is unique to me. I have slowed in my spendings on fashion, now buying a few big pieces a year from Ottway and other cheaper pieces from places like Tree of Life and Ghanda. Two brands that still aren’t as sustainable but are working towards a goal.
The Ottway brand is cool to follow as they journal their travelling experiences and show their clothing out in the Australian environment and constantly update their followers on what the creators are doing. They understand that to create a successful brand they need to make each person feel unique, buying off them makes me feel a part of the Ottway family!
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