Hello world!

Mount Taranaki, Aotearoa New Zealand, 2024

Hello World! Here we are. EMILY WATERS is a new clothing label, committed to the idea that fashion can be different, that fashion can and should do better by the people who make and buy clothing, and the planet that supports and absorbs everything we do. At EMILY WATERS, this means:

• Designing and producing for stability, resilience, and longevity:

  • Quality and stringent climate-awareness in design and production, with an aspiration for climate-neutrality and beyond

  • Styles meant formulti-seasonal, multi-year wear and use

  • Products that pass the “30-wear” test in style, fabrication, and construction

• Prioritizing mindful, respectful, authentic, inclusive, and steadfast business practices:

  • Moving heedfully in the development and growth of our business–being slow when we need to be slow, efficient when we need to be efficient, to prioritize our mission over profits (but without ignoring profits, without which we cannot flourish and expand)

  • Active prioritization of DEIJ in hiring, leadership, and collaborations

  • Radical inclusivity across the design process and product life cycle from R&D  to marketing to end-of-life

  • Building community with customers, employees, contractors, collaborators, and followers through authenticity, transparency, connectivity, flexibility, engagement, education, and trust-building

• A commitment to ongoing self-analysis and external research

  • Continually gauging our impact on the climate, and on the lives and well-being of our community

  • Learning about and implementing new advances in and opportunities for harm-avoidance–or better yet, rejuvenation– for the planet and our community to the best of our ability

  • Remaining humble and open to feedback; always maintaining a learner’s mindset

• Offering collections that are uplifted and uplifting

  • Artistry, decorum, and uniqueness of design

  • Slow fashion principles, even as we grow

In this early phase of launch, these values come to life through one-of-a-kind handmade pieces, lovingly designed and crafted in our studio from fabric that is vintage, upcycled, recycled, rescued, or deadstock. Working this way positively addresses two ends of the life cycle of a garment: its beginning and its end. We will post another journal entry in the coming weeks on product life cycle: the ways we are working to reduce our negative impact and increase restorative components to our process, and impactful things you can do as a member of the fashion community toward positive change.

Another top priority from the outset: most of our styles are designed with flexible sizing. We think numerical sizing (and its close cousin, the “alpha” system of S, M, L, XL) are deeply troubling, completely invented hierarchical discourses. They do little to help people find clothing that fits well and much to harm those who have already spent a lifetime inundated by very specific, highly detrimental, and completely arbitrary “beauty” standards. We design ll our styles to be worn the way that makes you feel most confident. Read our product descriptions, check the measurements, and think about how each garment will fit your unique body before ordering.

We aspire and fully intend to offer collections from across the size spectrum as we grow. Please stay tuned as we build out our catalog to include all sizes.

Love,

The EMILY WATERS Team