Sandro and Stefania Pallotta are on a mission to prove that slow fashion manufacturing is entirely possible in the land down under – in Glen Innes, NSW, to be specific. Together, they’re choosing organic, natural fibres and sustainable practices every step of the way.
“I always say this is our third life – our first life was in Italy, our second life arrived when we moved to Sydney with our two sons and now here we are, starting again with our business in Glen Innes and a home in Guyra. I saw a house online. I fell in love with a picture and I said to my husband, ‘Monday we go’. We came, we saw the house, I bought the house, that was it.”
Stefania Pallotta sounds every bit the poet explaining how she and her husband Sandro ended up running a slow and sustainable fashion business aptly named The Organic Tshirt in the New England. She speaks with passion, wit and an Italian accent that lingers from her first life. It’s no surprise to hear the couple aren’t new to business ownership, with Sandro in particular boasting more than 40 years’ experience in fashion.
“I’m the talker – it’s the way it’s always been since we first met at the age of 16. But he’s happy for me to talk for him,” laughs Stefania. “His career began back in Italy – he started a pattern-making course when he was just 20 years old. The year was 1986 and fashion in Italy was big. He worked in leather, then bridal gowns, then opened his own business.”
While running a fashion business in Italy sounds seriously dreamy, Stefania goes on to reveal how the economy took a turn for the worst and the young family were forced to reconsider their options. A move to Sydney heralded the start of their second life and Sandro secured pattern-making work with some of Australia’s leading labels, including Charlie Brown, sass & bide, Supre and Cotton On.
As for Stefania, her love for all things mind, body and spirit led her to establish her own private practice offering remedial massage, aromatherapy, reiki, astrology and life coaching. For 11 years, Stefania soothed souls while Sandro cut cloth. Until one day, she was searching for a uniform made of organic cotton and kept coming up blank. Extensive research teamed with a can-do attitude led to the creation of The Organic Tshirt in 2011.
“People thought we were crazy, saying manufacturing in Australia is impossible and that the competition is too tough,” says Stefania. “But we wanted to give it a go and since bringing Sandro on board, we’ve grown from strength to strength. I say if you have a dream, you can achieve it – and making the business as sustainable as possible is a big part of that dream.”
Return to slow fashion
According to Clean Up Australia, the average Australian buys 56 items of clothing every year, most of which are made from non-sustainable, non-durable materials. Year on year, the price of clothing continues to drastically decrease, while the negative impacts to the environment as a result of the fashion industry continue to increase. What’s more, Greenpeace says the average person buys 60 per cent more clothing and keeps each item for about half as long as they did 15 years ago. It’s a trend Stefania is all too aware of.
“My mother was a tailor and she would make beautiful, good quality clothes for us that lasted years. The only reason you couldn’t wear it anymore was because you’d grown too big. That’s the kind of slow fashion we’re trying to move back to with The Organic Tshirt, all while supporting Australian manufacturing too,” she says.
To get there, Stefania and Sandro adopt the following key practices in their daily business.
Natural fibres
“We use only organic cotton, grown without harmful pesticides and fertilisers, preventing pollution and contamination of our planet. We also use Australian Merino wool, which is biodegradable and environmentally friendly, making it another excellent choice for clothing.”
Buy from local suppliers
“We buy fabric, labels and any accessories we need to make our clothing range from local and Australian suppliers. That goes for every element of the business, from the factory floor to our front office – we will always look to buy from an Australian company first in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint.”
Quality over quantity
“Our focus is on quality rather than quantity. We buy our fabric and accessories from the same Australian suppliers to ensure quality control and we cut and manufacture clothing that, if looked after, will last longer.”
Compostable mailers
“We use satchels, made from home-compostable materials to ship our online orders. Additionally, any leftover fabric is used to make small bags to place clothing inside for extra protection when shipping. Scrap fabric pieces that are too small to make bags from are donated to local businesses as cleaning cloths.”
Locally made to order
“To reduce environmental impact, we have cut down stock. We only order the fabric we need, produce clothing in small quantities and prioritise manufacturing on demand. When it comes to printing, we have our own in-house printer so we can offer on demand direct to garment and heat transfer printing too.”
As for the future, it looks bright.
“We are so proud to call Glen Innes home and bring our all-Australian, sustainable fashion offering to the local community and the nation beyond,” adds Stefania. “Our aim is to expand the business, employ a couple of machinists and keep following our dreams in this, our third life.”
2/150 Ferguson Street | Glen Innes NSW 2370 | 0405 494 053 | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Photography Jim A. Barker Creative
Steph Wanless
Editorial Director. Grammar-obsessed, Kate Bush impressionist, fuelled by black coffee, British comedy and the fine art of the messy bun.
