Behind The Label

Behind The Label

Who is Raw Luxury?

I thought it was only fitting to use this first post to let our customers know exactly who Raw Luxury is and what our label stands for.

Raw Luxury is an Australian clothing label started by myself, Alissa Nichles. 

My childhood years were filled with memories of fabrics being rolled out across our carpeted dining room floor and paper patterns being placed carefully on top. Using her beloved fabric scissors, my mum would cut out the fabric pieces and sew for hours on her even more beloved Singer sewing machine (which she still uses to this day)! She has created many much loved items of clothing over the years, each of which have a certain sentimental value. Thinking back to these times I can still distinctly hear the strangely soothing sound of the scissors cutting through the fabrics and the gentle hum of the sewing machine stopping and starting over and over again.

I also have many vivid memories of visiting my mum's favourite fabric store in Surry Hills, Sydney. As she would browse through the patterns and the fabrics, my brother and I would overindulge in the lollies left on the front counter for the customers to enjoy. We would then wander mischeiviously amongst the many tables and walls that held, what seemed to be at the time, "giant" rolls of fabric. These childhood memories were my introduction to the world of fabrics and sewing.

Design ethic

I have always been attracted to earthy colours & raw textures. I love the simplicity, the perfect imperfection and the beauty in all things natural. In an age where we have a perceived need to constantly alter, make things faster, brighter, shinier & glitzier, I wonder if simple untouched beauty is being lost. This has never been more apparent than in the world of fast fashion. It was not until I started researching the world of fashion manufacturing, that I realised, firstly, how polluting the fashion industry is, and secondly, the emphasis it often places on quantity above any concern for quality.

I made a conscious decision when starting the Raw Luxury label that I definitely did NOT want to be part of the fast fashion world & I am 100% committed to this decision.

Raw Luxury believes in SLOW fashion. Fashion that is considered, made from quality natural and organic fabrics, made to last, and made locally and ethically in Australia.

Why the initial focus on tees?

If you have browsed our website already you would have noticed that our debut products are predominantly t-shirts. Why t-shirts? Well there are a few reasons for this. Firstly, T-shirts are a classic wardrobe staple. Given the amount of time we spend in our much loved t-shirts, it's important that the good old everyday tee is not neglected. Raw Luxury's t-shirts are made to last, they are comfortable, fit well, and are made sustainably and ethically in Australia. Importantly, all our tees are made from high quality 100% certified organic cotton.

Another reason for our initial emphasis on tees is that I’m a self-taught screen printer from way back. I love that a message or a feeling can so easily be expressed by a simple screen-printed design on a t-shirt. And even more than this, I love that people connect with these designs enough that they are excited about wearing our tees.

And the final reason for our initial emphasis on tees – well I believe the classic tee is a starting point to any wardrobe. We’re excited to start with the tee and to then slowly, ethically, and thoughtfully expand the Raw Luxury range and build a classic wardrobe for all our customers to enjoy. 

Finally

Thank you for visiting the Raw luxury website and for taking an interest in what we are aiming to achieve. It has been a wonderful journey so far and I’m genuinely excited about developing quality, sustainable, natural garments to share with those who care about what they are wearing, how their clothes are made, and by whom they are made.

 

Alissa Nichles
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