Responsibility
Peony Rice designs are inspired by our own heritage and love for our asian roots and western influences. We want the pieces to survive and continue to be loved by our clients and become treasures that will last because they were well made in the right way and can be passed down to the next generations.
We strive to be responsible with our decisions and designs
We continuously seek to improve our products, practices and our transparency as a brand. We do our best to make responsible decisions when designing and developing each piece with all the different processes. We decided not to ‘over produce’ since the very beginning and have been doing so for over a decade. We stay committed to this philosophy. Being better for the future is a constantly evolving learning process for all of us.
We like natural fibres and so should you
The majority of our garments are made from silk and other natural fibres like wool and cotton. We line our garments in pure silk or a cellulose material; these are naturally breathable, soft, smooth and light. We consider fibres that are natural, biodegradable under the right conditions, and renewable, requiring less energy, water and chemicals than many other fibres. We choose to use less synthetic materials in our own collections, and look for design alternatives for decorative elements. We are aiming to use 100% natural and recycled fabrics for our collections. Hope that you can support us in this with a change of mindset
We mainly source fabric and trims locally in Asia where we are based but also source some special fabrics from Europe
As we are based in the main country for producing the highest grade of silk, we keep the majority of our supply chain here in Asia. These tend to be family businesses and small suppliers. We work towards always keeping our carbon footprint low as possible. There are some fabrics that require special fibres, finishing techniques that are sourced and developed from France, Italy, and UK with suppliers that we have worked with for a very long time and share the same values. These also are family business with a long heritage and care about their customers and ours. We are also actively sourcing plant based fibres that can biodegrade and be better for the planet closer to home.
Prints and Color
We try to ensure that our new prints are created with better printing and dye stuffs that are environmentally friendly. We are exploring alternative natural vegetal dyes and prints for our ready to wear collections.
Synthetic materials, such as nylon and polyester, can and should be recycled and come from recycled sources
Synthetic materials such as nylon and polyester, should be able to be recycled and come from sources that can help other parts of environment such as ocean waste. We are constantly looking into alternatives concerning these recycled synthetics. At present only a small amount of the polyester that we use is made out of recycled plastic bottles. We are sourcing commercial options that will enable us and the industry to recycle polyester back into fabrics and other materials.
Use of end lots from manufacturers
Since 2018, we have been working with local manufacturers to up-cycle from their end stock of luxurious silks, fine cottons, wool blends and creating pieces that can be easily worn and loved. We use our design know-how in order to pair together all different types of prints and colors in a harmonious and creative way into wearable silhouettes that we feel our customers would want to wear and will stand the test of time. This means that many of our occasion wear dresses and small RTW runs are quite often limited in quantity, size and color.
We pay premium costs for our manufacturing to produce in limited quantities
The majority of our product is created in house at our studio as made to order and Made-to Measure services as well as bespoke designs. This allows us to control the whole production process and keeps wastage to a minimum.
Our ready-to-wear designs are produced in small production runs to ensure high standards can be maintained and do not 'over produce' styles or sizes. For styles created in fabrics that are limited, each garment takes time and care to lay out on the fabric, match seams, patterns and hand cut as so not waste more fabric during the process of assembly. We are working exclusively with small local manufacturers that we have trained or partner with to ensure our own high quality working standards are met and who share our values of paying living wages, treating workers with respect, and providing safe, comfortable working conditions.
Why we do sample sales
After the natural life cycle of a collection, the pieces enter our seasonal sales, with any remaining items transferring to our annual sample sales. This sale includes production and design samples, giving every garment a chance to be owned and worn. Some pieces are design samples, fitting, prototypes or purely experimental because we loved a fabric therefore truly unique one of a kind piece. Some pieces can be modified after the sale purchase, restyled, deconstructed, reconstructed to create something even more of value than the original.
We up-cycle where possible without throwing away fabrics, trims or garments
Larger remnants or special cloths are saved for repair work to garments. We make sure fabric scraps or non usable prototypes are responsibly recycled if they are truly not usable in creating a garment. We take great care when cutting each dress in order to salvage any leftover fabrics that can be carried over to the next designs for private orders or we may make individual one off creations.
We aim to remove all unnecessary plastics
Storing your Peony Rice pieces in their garment covers helps prolong their life so you can enjoy them for years to come. These can also be used to store other clothes. For small items we use fabric pieces from our studio and wrap the old fashioned way. You can use these fabric squares to wrap and store other items or use them to wear as scarves etc. We have sourced biodegradable packaging and have started to phase out unnecessary excess packaging to reduce the environmental impact, while still protecting your garments. We also hope you can help by understanding this and taking care your garments too in order for them to be cherished longer.
Reducing carbon footprint
We try to maintain the shortest possible supply chain to reduce the carbon footprint of our logistics. However sometimes due to special client requests for specialty items we have to source from a different country.
Supporting projects to do better for our planet and community
We contribute 1% of each sale to planting trees in Asia with Onetreeplanted.org. 1 = 1 tree.
How we can ALWAYS do better
We are not perfect and continue to research and learn how we can further improve as a company and re-assess our production process as new technologies are introduced that allow us to become better with each garment we make.
We want to become more circular by encouraging you to restore or adapt your Peony Rice garments
We are committed to restoring your Peony Rice garments where we possibly can. 'Being circular' is important to us. We encourage you to repair and restore and never just throw away. We have breathed new life into many garments by, for example, adjusting their lengths or converting dresses into separates. Please email sales@peonyrice.com to find out more. If you want to sell on your Peony Rice garment, look to reputable reseller platforms to prolong it's life.