May 01, 2023

ETHOS | ETHICS + APPROACH

Part of the conversation surrounding the creation of Grand Pacific was the why and the how.

The why was to create something that was tangible to the community where it evolved. A blank canvas for subcultures and the countercultures it celebrated> Yet equally important was the how.

Looking at the how of the brands we had blindly followed it quickly became apparent that their how was the old way of doing things.

Hidden away overseas, dubious manufacturing, quantity in place of quality, veiled provenance of product hidden behind the assumed location of the brand itself. Very profitable yet unsustainable and not kind to anyone in the chain apart from some distant and uninvolved shareholder. So the how is as important as the why.

We are not a sustainable brand because proving so, currently, requires significant investments into NGO audits and other barriers to entry for small companies such as ourselves. So this is what we are doing and we can prove.

All base apparel is ethically manufactured with a traceable supply chain. Some of the base apparel is created overseas but we know where and how. This process reduces unwarranted waste.
The future ambition is to manufacture base apparel in New South Wales but to do so requires minimum orders in bulk, seasons ahead of when we need it and we presently cannot justify this due to our micro-batch print runs and low inventory commitments. However, we have to realise that shipping Indian cotton and trim for manufacture so we could say we manufacture in New South Wales often creates a triangle of unnecessary air miles. So sometimes the smart thing is to manufacture where the cotton is, avoid vanity air miles, invest in transparency and support distant communities.
Wasted air miles is one thing. Wasted inventory from overproduction and discounting apparel that feeds a fast fashion culture and inevitable landfill, is another. So we have pledged to invest in the Australian Fashion Council's infrastructure and education programme to achieve Net Goals for global reductions. We have sat in the AFC's proposal meetings and we know this is a great long term pathway, which addresses every point in the production, purchase and lifecycle of apparel. Grand Pacific will pledge a percentage of the cost of manufacture per garment to these project experts, that know what they are doing, rather than failing to achieve any meaningful change alone. Together we are effective. Together we are stronger.
We design and hand craft all our collection apparel in the Illawarra. This includes graphics creation, hand printing, hand labeling, hand finishing and hand tagging.
All our models are real people, not hired models. We seek out and support local up and coming young photographers and all the shoot locations are in the Illawarra.
All the elements for merchandising and logistics are from sustainable sources and if not manufactured in Australia we purchase them from Australian businesses.

What we do is good. What we do is quality. What we do is ethical. What we try to do is be cool.