Sustainability

The guiding principle for Less Common is to reduce landfill waste. This means we prioritize biodegradable materials and recyclable or biodegradable packaging. It also means our garments are designed to last years which makes the most of the energy that went into producing all their component parts.

Fabric

All fabrics are 100% natural fibres. Currently we use cotton, linen, and tencel.

We source our fabric mainly from designer deadstock: that is fabric leftover from another business. This comes from www.fabricmerchants.co.nz based in Auckland.

Some fabric is new from the textile mill: Cosmo Textiles and Vancet Textiles - both in Japan. These come on sea shipment and are sourced from a local Melbourne wholesaler, Fern Textiles.

Thread

Overlocker thread is 100% cotton from Birch Creative, a Melbourne-based wholesaler who have created their own line of threads and notions.

Sewing thread is 100% cotton from Aurifil. Aurifil is an Italian company using Egyptian cotton for their thread. Egyptian cotton is especially good for thread because the longer fibres typical of Egyptian cotton create a stronger yarn and reduce the chance of breakage.

Aurifil and Rasant threads used in Less Common's 2024 summer collection.
Aurifil and Rasant threads used in Less Common's 2024 summer collection.

We also use Rasant polyester core (50% polyester/50% cotton) thread for our shorts. We are working to source a biodegradeable option that provides the necessary strength for bottoms. During our fittings and wear-testing we found that cotton thread broke when used in seams that experience high tension. The Rasant thread provides a durable seam while we seek out a fully compostable option.

Zippers and Buttons

We source the zippers from YKK and they do not have a 100% cotton zipper tape option. The zippers we use have nylon tape and either nylon or metal teeth. YKK Oceana manufactures and ships from NSW.

Our buttons are vintage brass.

Pearl snaps are nickel and resin.

Labels

Our sew-in labels are 100% cotton.

Care and brand labels are from Dutch Label Shop who print and ship Australian orders from Sydney.

Size labels are from Viking Labelling, printing and shipping out of Hong Kong.

Packaging

Our focus for packaging is to be recyclable or biodegradable.

Hangtags are from Viking Labelling in Hong Kong. They are printed on 1000GSM bleach white paper with cotton string and metal safety pin.

Mailers and stickers are from HeapsGood, a local Melbourne business selling biodegradable packaging made of plant based materials and zero plastic. They are certified home and industrial biodegradable by Australian standards (AS5810 and AS4736).