Sustainability & Policies

 Contents 

1. Materials
2. Certifications 
3. Zero waste 
4. Circularity
5. Recycled and upcycled fabrics 
6. Slow fashion techniques
7. Packaging
8. Emissions
9. Chemicals
10. Wastewater management and pre-washing
11. Environmental citizenship
12. The Renewal Hub – repair, rewear, relove, resale
13. We are members of these organisations
14. Animal transparency
15. Silk free pledge 
16. Traceability
17. Certifications and labour Risk: final, second and primary stage production
18. Positive Labour Conditions
19. Labour citizenship
20. Who made my clothes?
21. Supplier Code of Conduct for Labour Conditions
22. Supplier List

1. Materials 

Silk 64.3% 
Viscose and Acetate blend (recycled) 28.6% 
Polyamide 7.1% (being phased out)

We will be replacing silk by 2029 + phasing out all lace in 2026:

Silk is natural and free from pesticides and toxic chemicals, bleaches and dyes. But as silk is also not great for the environment, we have pledged and committed to phase out silk by 2029 and replace with a high-performance, innovative sustainable fabric that is to the same quality.

2. Certifications & Awards

Winners of the Best Bridalwear Brand in the fashion category at the Marie Claire’s Sustainability Awards 2022 and 2023.

• Fabrics: 100% certified by OEKO-TEX Standard 100
• Ivory Silk: Undyed and conforms to REACH regulations and OEKO-TEX Standard 100
• Viscose/ Cupro (Circular): GRS and OEKO-TEX standard 100
• Care Labels: Organic GOTS certified with sustainable water inks
• Garment Covers: Made with deadstock GOTs certified cotton and no plastic zips
• Packaging: FSC certified 

3. Zero waste 

All our waste fabrics are upcycled into:

1. Valuable newborn baby clothes we donate to two charities - AFRIL and Baby Cornerstone. (Small fabric offcuts). This accounts for about 80% of all our fabric waste off-cuts.
   
   
2. Tops for Smart Works, charity who help to empower marginalised women (Large Fabric offcuts). This accounts for about 15% of all our fabric waste off-cuts.
   
   
3. Paper made by Fibre Lab (all remaining off-cut fabric). This accounts for about 5% of all our fabric waste off-cuts.
   
   
4. 100% of all our waste gets repurposed. 80% gets upcycled into valuable items that get donated to AFRIL, Baby Cornerstone and Smartworks. All remaining smaller bits of fabric, which is around 20% of our off-cuts that cannot be converted into anything valuable that can be reused, it gets donated to Fibre Lab and turned into beautiful luxury paper. No fabrics ever get disposed of in the bin. We have found a way to repurpose 100% of all our leftover fabric off-cuts for better use.
   
   
5. Most of our wedding dresses are made with bias cut which means there tends to be a lot of wastage, as pattern pieces for bias-cut are placed diagonally. We are very mindful how we place patterns that they are close together as much as possible. We have trained and instructed our factories to always use layout markers that we also share which further instructs the factories how and exactly where to place pattern pieces. By doing this ourselves we are helping to reduce wastage. All pattern pieces are butted together, and placed as close to the selvedge as possible. We use the skills of digital pattern cutters who use CAD in Gerber who draft some of our patterns to also help us to control the fabric usage. What is left behind, after all the additional baby clothes items for refugees and workwear tops for Smartworks, has also been factored in and planned in this way, means more than 95% of fabric gets completely used and made into products we sell, and also products we are paying to make to donate to disadvantaged communities. We are actively paying artisans such as Jesy from J & S Tailoring and seamstresses in East London to make the baby clothes for us, 
   
   
6. We design are pieces so that it is not wasteful, and we insert a seam in the middle of the godet train for instance, because this increases fabric usability and reduces wastage.
   
   
7. We make sure that each time any of our dresses are made in production, that at the same time, around 3 to 4 new-born baby clothes are also cut from the fabric wastage in between the pattern pieces as well. These new born baby clothes are donated to the above charities. Any larger pieces we make smart workwear tops for Smartworks, and any smaller bits that cannot be upcycled into anything valuable, we donate to Fibre Lab who turn this into beautiful paper. We consider these processes and initiatives to be are very innovative cutting techniques we employ during production of every single garment we produce. By doing this it optimises our fabric usage, nothing gets thrown away, and not only do we get beautiful clothes, we also make valuable items of clothing that are very much appreciated by disadvantaged communities and refugees. Everything gets used and nothing gets thrown away. 
   
   
8. We use low-waste cutting techniques in our supply chain. The techniques we employ are, monitoring production to ensure the factories place each pattern piece butted against each one. We create our own markers to ensure we get the best fabric optimisation and instruct the factories to follow these. We also design the wedding dresses to ensure we add seams in places like the middle of the train which creates a better fabric optimisation. We also place at least 4 new born baby clothes in the same marker for every single dress at the same time of cutting each dress. This leaves approximately less then 10% of actual fabric waste every single time we we produce a dress which is then donated to Fibre Lab to convert into luxurious paper. By ensuring pattern pieces are placed correctly, this avoids factories using too much fabric and placing pattern pieces far away from each other causing avoidable waste. By cutting the new born baby clothes for refugees at the same time as cutting each wedding dress, we are producing low waste and therefore constitutes as a very good example of a low-waste cutting technique.

Old or unsold samples are donated to Brides Do Good who support three amazing charities that help children from early marriage, better menstruation and toilets.

Our donated old samples raise funds to help girls who are at risk of early marriage. Funds raised from our donated samples, will support a year of school for over 150 girls at risk of early marriage.

We have donated 12 wedding dresses (as of 18 May) from previous collections to to ethical boutique Brides Do Good in London. These unsold wedding dresses (clothes) have been donated to a charity, which Brides Do Good are, who have managed to raise enough funds to support a year of school for over 150 girls at risk of early marriage.

https://www.bridesdogood.com/ethical-wedding-dresses

The charities that Brides Do Good support and where the funds that were raised from our donated unsold clothes and samples are:

Plan International UK is the UK branch of the global children's rights non-profit organisation striving to advance children’s rights and equality for girls all over the world. Every child has immense potential, but this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination, and it is girls who are most affected. Plan is committed to taking action to see a world that values girls, promotes their rights and ends injustice.  Our donated unsold clothes and samples helps.

Brides Do Good have been working with Plan since they began. Most recently helping to fund their Safe Schools for Refugees Programme in Ethiopia, which works to provide safe access to quality education for the South Sudanese refugees and their host communities in the Gambella region.

Huru International is committed to providing a straightforward and sustainable solution: locally producing and delivering high-quality menstrual pads alongside sexual and reproductive health education to girls and their peers. Because no girl should be limited by her period. Without the resources or information to manage menstruation, millions of girls around the world are forced to miss school during their periods. This causes them to fall behind both academically and socially and increases their vulnerability to gender-based violence and health issues. An increased risk of poverty and financial insecurity often leads to instances of child marriage. 

Sanitation First + CODE RED (now known as The Cycle) is a non-profit operating for over 20 years dedicated to building sustainable eco-toilets and fighting period poverty in rural India and Africa. work with communities in India where over 700 million people have no toilet, and over 10 million children every year leave school when they start their periods due to poor facilities and harmful taboos. Sanitation First's sustainable solutions for sanitation work to provide cleaner, healthier environments for families to work and thrive. 

2.4 billion people worldwide do not have access to a toilet; the consequences of this kills more children than Aids, Malaria, and Measles combined. Provision of adequate sanitation has been identified by the World Bank as the single most cost-effective public health intervention to reduce child mortality. 

With good sanitation whole communities are healthier, adults can go to work, and children can stay in school. By earning, learning and spending less on tackling poor health, millions of families can have a brighter future full of opportunity.

What we’ve donated so far (24 February 26):

102 baby clothes from off-cut fabrics
16 workwear tops from off-cut fabrics
20 bridalwear samples
8.6 kg of remaining off-cut fabric turned into paper
1,386 NHS scrubs
4,000 NHS masks

4. Circularity

• We have launched the 'The Renewal Hub – repair, rework'. Brides who chose Sabina Motasem for their wedding day can find ways to list their dress and sell as a preloved item to another bride. Read more about this new initiative here with everything that's needed to buy and sell, upcycle, repair and rework a once-worn wedding dress and any of our fashion pieces into pieces that can be worn for a lifetime. This reduces impact, and encourages all of our pieces to stay in circulation 
  
• We have sourced a circular recycled viscose and acetate fabric for our plant silk wedding dresses
  
• We have an all natural fibre policy and do not use any plastic based fibres or blends
  
• Other designs in the current bridal collection have been successfully upcycled and adapted from previous collections
  
• Our products are durable, only using the best quality fabrics selection. Our wedding dresses uses a silk that has a 200gsm weight
  
• All our wedding dresses are bagged out and have a luxury premium finish so that they can be easily altered and go beyond the wedding day and adapted for any body shape
  
• We offer all brides a list of natural dyers, alterations and seamstresses who can upcycle their dresses into dresses they can wear beyond the wedding day. This is a paid repair and upcycle service

5. Recycled and upcycled fabrics

We are replacing our plant silk cupro blend dresses with a recycled viscose and acetate blend that is circular that is sourced from Materialists. 

The fabrics are from a specific textile deadstock fabric company in Italy who hold these two ISO for their waste and greenhouse gas emissions and for all traceable fabrics diverted from waste stressed to be reused in a circular economy model.

Maeba International is the first company in the world to obtain a UNI EN ISO 14021:2016 type II certification, that asserts the recycling of textile waste and a proven of presence of a supply chain able to regenerate that material. ReLiveTex is its dedicated brand.

• UNI EN ISO 14021:2016: This certification is for environmental labels and declarations (Type II). It allows Maeba to make a self-declared environmental claim, specifically through their ReLiveTex® brand, which certifies that their recovered fabrics are traceable and have been diverted from waste streams to be reused in a circular economy model. This certification is internationally recognised and helps prevent greenwashing by providing a verified standard for recovered materials
  
• ISO 14064: Maeba International has also achieved this certification, which relates to the quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions. This demonstrates the company's commitment to measuring and reducing its environmental impact with full transparency, and this data can be used for sustainability reports or Scope

6. Slow fashion techniques

• All our pieces are made to order minimising fabric waste
  
• Everything is made in London close to our studio, so we can minimise on transportation and lower carbon emissions
  
• We do not operate seasonally. We have one evolving bridal collection with some styles, like Josephine and Elsa which has been in our collection since the brand’s conception in 2006. This core line only changes  based on the market and material innovations 
  
• Five dress designs in the collection, which forms 35% of all the dresses, have been upcycled from samples from previous collections - these are Rosa Nova, Super Nova, Midnight Magic, Blazing Star
  

We do not use any fast fashion business practices in our operations:

• Price points are consistently on the mid to high end of the market compared to similar products
  
• We do not have any regular discounts of (20% or more) via coupon codes or sales
  
• We do not have a weekly release of trend-led styles
  
• We do not adopt any marketing communications emphasising urgent and frequent purchases
  
• We keep our collections small with just around 15 styles in our bridal collection

7. Packaging

• All our packaging is 100% compostable and biodegradable and made from 100% recycled materials and 100% reusable. Dress covers are made from organic cotton, and strong rigid boxes are made from 100% recycled kraft board and is also 100% FSC certified
  
• All our garment dress covers are made from organic cotton that we make in-house All traditional bridal gown dress covers are usually made from synthetic microfibres and made in China. We wanted to find find a much more sustainable option but could not, so we decided design and make our very own dress bags from organic cotton which have no plastic zips. Our brides love these bags we make, they are premium quality and they are reusable for another other garment in their wardrobe. The fabric used are always natural and therefore they are also can be recycled.
  
• ALL (100%) of our packaging, which are the dress bags we design and make in-house can be recycled and reused. All the boxes made from recycled materials can also be reused.
• All our packaging is 100% readily re-usable.
• All our packaging is 100% compostable
• We use packaging that can be recycled
• All our packaging is 100% biodegradable
• Our dress covers, have been designed very carefully so they are really appealing using bows instead of plastic zips and they look very premium and are designed to be reused many times over.  
• We use minimal packaging. Each of our dresses has a hangar and an organic cotton dress cover
  
• On the rare occasions when we ship our dressers as almost all our brides prefer to collect their dresses packaged in one of our organic cotton dress bags, we order kraft boxes that are made from 100% recycled materials and are FSC certified. We have sent just two dresses in these packaged boxes in the last 12 months, all other brides have collected in person. 
• There are no plastic packaging anywhere. We include no plastic coverings on dresses, no plastic zips on dress covers and reuse cardboard and/or paper
• The boxes we use to ship our pieces, are strong and rigid, and they can be reused and recycled.

8. Emissions

• We bulk buy our fabrics, so we don't need to ship often- in turn reducing our carbon
  
• All our garments are manufactured in London close to our design studio, and have been since the brand’s conception in 2006
  
• Our London manufacturer’s energy provider is SSE Energy which is 100% renewable electricity
  
• Our secondary stages of fabric production take place in Italy and China and final stages of production are in London. We have committed to only ever producing in the UK and our fabrics will all be sourced from Europe by 2029
  
• We use XeroE couriers who have vehicles that are 100% emission-free across the UK. XeroE. We HAND DELIVER dresses using public transport and tube in person for orders from our factory directly to our exclusive stockist IN-PERSON and are , in the last 12 mths (to date 18 May 2026) this has accounted for 100% of ALL orders which were hand-delivered. In the last 12 months we have booked a total of five (5) courier deliveries which were and they were 100% carried out by electric couriers ONLY. These were for delivery of fabric from my studio to the factory, and sometimes the delivery of the dress to our studio so we can carefully QC the dress.
  
• We recommend and have written blogs on how consumers can upcycle a wedding dress as part of a climate change initiative. By doing this, we hope our consumers can reduce their environmental footprint by cutting down on textile waste, conserving resources, and lowering carbon emissions
  
• Our viscose fabric is from Maeba, who hold the certification ISO 14064: This relates to the quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions. This demonstrates the company's commitment to measuring and reducing its environmental impact with full transparency

9. Chemicals

• All our fabrics used for our wedding dresses are natural and un-dyed
  
• All fabrics are certified with OEKO-TEX Standard 100 which certifies they are free from harmful chemicals
  
• Our London atelier uses no chemicals in the production process
  
• Our main silk fabric complies with the REACH Restricted Substances List (RSL) and is OEKO-TEX standard 100 certified
• We ONLY choose fabrics that carry the certifications OEKOTEX STANDARD 100 
• We have worked closely with 

  Ceres Studio 1 – Design and print with natural dyes

  and

  Studio Kühü | Natural Dye & Sustainable Fashion in London

  to dye our plant silk that is made from cupro, with pomegranates and avocado to create a warm creamy colour for our slip dress.. We want to create some bridal pieces that are have a soft warm colour that we can dye ourselves and it can go way beyond the wedding day, where brides can upcycle their dresses, with lots of helpful tips found in the Renewal Hub
• We also share these contacts with any brides who want to dye their dresses after the big day too with safe natural dyes that are not hazardous. Here is a link to a blog article recommending the best places to naturally dye your dress to brides, which also features on the Renewal Hub as well - Best places to naturally dye your silk Sabina Motasem wedding dress.
  
• We refer to the ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL), which shows that our use of naturally undyed silks excludes all these chemicals: PFAS, Chlorobenzenes, Azo dyes, PAHs, Flame Retardants, Halogenated Solvents, Organotins, and specific VOCs and substances in commercial chemical products (dyes, auxiliaries, inks, adhesives)

Chemicals Policy (RSL & MRSL Compliance)

This is our formal Restricted Substances Policy (RSL/MRSL). It applies to all fabrics, suppliers and production partners across our entire supply chain.

We only work with natural, undyed fabrics that are certified to OEKO‑TEX® Standard 100. This independent certification verifies that all fabrics used in our bridal collections are free from harmful and legally restricted chemicals.

We formally adopt the ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL) as our chemical management standard. We have adopted the ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL) and the EU REACH Restricted Substances List (RSL) as the chemical standards we require our suppliers to meet. Although we do not use dyes or chemical treatments in our production, these standards guide our sourcing decisions and ensure that the fabrics we select meet strict global chemical safety requirements.

Our suppliers must confirm that the fabrics they provide comply with OEKO‑TEX® Standard 100 and do not contain substances restricted under the ZDHC MRSL or REACH RSL. We request and retain OEKO‑TEX® certificates as our primary evidence of compliance.

The following substances are formally prohibited across our entire supply chain:

• Azo dyes

• PFAS / PFCs

• Chlorobenzenes

• PAHs

• Flame retardants

• Halogenated solvents

• Organotins

• VOCs listed in the ZDHC MRSL

• Any substance restricted under REACH Annex XVII

Verification

• All our natural silk and plant‑based fabrics are supplied in their undyed, pre‑treatment state and are OEKO‑TEX® Standard 100 certified.

• Our London atelier uses no chemical treatments, finishes or solvents.

• We request all suppliers confirming compliance with OEKO‑TEX®, REACH and the ZDHC MRSL.

• We only work with mills and studios that can demonstrate safe, non‑hazardous dyeing processes 

Production

Our London atelier uses no chemical treatments, finishes, solvents or dyes in the making of our dresses.

Natural dyeing (optional for brides)

For brides who wish to add colour after the wedding, we partner with natural dye specialists such as Ceres Studio and Studio Kühü, who use safe, plant‑based dyes. These processes are optional and take place outside our core production.

10. Wastewater management and pre-washing

• We do not use any water‑intensive wet processing in the production of our wedding dresses. Our fabrics are supplied in their natural, undyed state, and we do not carry out dyeing, printing, bleaching, scouring, enzyme washing, softening, or any other wet finishing processes.
• We have a strict no pre‑washing policy. No garments are pre‑washed at any stage of production in our London atelier and factories. We confirm that as a policy we never pre-wash any garments at all in any stage of our final production stage.
• Because our dresses are made from natural, undyed fabrics, our production generates no dye wastewater and requires no water‑based treatments. This significantly reduces the water footprint of our supply chain compared with conventional bridalwear.
• The only printing we carry out is on our care labels, which use a waterless digital printing process. This ensures that even the smallest components of our garments avoid unnecessary water use.

• Water Use in Final Production. We have implemented water‑reduction initiatives in our final production stage. Our London atelier and partner factories do not use any water‑intensive wet processing. We do not carry out dyeing, printing, bleaching, scouring, enzyme washing, softening, pre‑washing, or any other wet finishing treatments. All garments are made from natural, undyed fabrics, which eliminates dye wastewater entirely. The only printing we carry out is on our care labels, which use a waterless digital printing process.

• We do not use any dyes in the production of our wedding dresses. All fabrics are supplied in their natural, undyed state, which eliminates dye wastewater entirely. We also do not carry out any water‑intensive wet processing such as bleaching, scouring, enzyme washing, softening, or pre‑washing at any stage of production. Our London atelier operates with a zero‑chemical policy, and the only printing we carry out is on our care labels, which use a waterless digital printing method. This ensures that even the smallest components of our garments avoid unnecessary water use.

• Our care labels have waterless digital printing on them
  
• Our silks are undyed and natural, which means they have less wastewater from the dyeing process.  We have purchased an ivory plain circular viscose which all of our plant silk will be made from
  
• Our London manufacturer has a zero-chemical policy
  
• Our plant silk is a circular, recycled ReliveTex brand from Maeba International. Maeba is the first company in the world to obtain a UNI EN ISO 14021:2016 type II certification. This certification is for environmental labels and declarations (Type II). It allows Maeba to make a self-declared environmental claim, specifically through their ReLiveTex® brand, which certifies that their recovered fabrics are traceable and have been diverted from waste streams to be reused in a circular economy model
  

11. Environmental citizenship

• Sustainability forms the core brand identity of Sabina Motasem 
  
• We promote resale of second-hand products through our Renewal Hub
• The Renewal Hub – repair, rewear, relove, resale –. Brides who chose Sabina Motasem for their wedding day can find ways to list their dress and sell as a preloved item to another bride
• We are involved in a key multi-party initiative to reduce the environmental footprint of fashion we are a Fur Free Retailer and a member of Common Objectives

12. The Renewal Hub – repair, rewear, relove, resale

We’re launching a new The Renewal Hub platform, where worn pieces can be resold, repaired and upcycled for a second lease of life. This initiative closes the loop on a wedding dress’s lifecycle. Instead of gathering dust, a once-worn piece can bring joy to another wearer while reducing the environmental impact of luxury and bridal fashion.

Why we created the The The Renewal Hub

When Sabina Motasem began, the idea of a wedding dress worn for a single day felt wasteful. Our design philosophy has always been to be beautifully understated and minimal in a timelessly chic and adaptable way so our pieces can last way beyond trends, the wedding day and are made to be easy to alter too. The Renewal Hub extends that philosophy: it keeps beautiful garments in circulation, reduces demand for new production, and supports more sustainable bridal choices.

[Read more about the program here - LINK COMING HERE]

13. We are members of these organisations

• Fur Free Retailer
• Common Objectives

14. Animal transparency

• 64.3% of our collection is made from silk. We have however ensured that the silk we source meets REACH standards and also certified by OEKO-TEX 100 Standard
  
• We are in the process of searching for an alternative couture silk fabric, that is high performance, innovatively sustainable and that matches the handle and weight of our much-loved silk crepe, so that we can phase out all silk fabrics by 2029
  
• We do not use any extreme risk animal materials, such as angora, crocodile skin, fur, karakul, uncertified virgin mohair, pashmina, snakeskin, decorative exotic feather, and other animal skin or product (excluding fish leather and horn), fish leather, horn, llama wool, shahtoosh, vicuna, other animal hair
  
• We have already found a great recycled viscose silk material from a dedicated textile deadstock fabric supplier, called Maeba through Materialists, which will offer our brides an alternative to silk. But we are also actively sourcing another premium level matching fabric for the heavy silk crepe fabric we use in our couture wedding dresses

15. Silk free pledge

We would like to confirm our commitment to phasing out silk in all our dresses by 2029. We also pledge to source the replacement fabric from Europe. Thus far, it has been a challenge finding a sustainable silk alternative that meet our premium and high-performance standards. We hope that by our 2029 target, more fabrics will be developed that will meet our requirements. 

Why are we phasing out silk?

Despite being natural, it is environmentally taxing due to high energy use for climate control in farms. The intensive cultivation of mulberry trees contributes to high water use and potential pesticide/fertiliser runoff, making it resource-heavy compared to other fabrics. Energy is needed for heating/cooling silkworm habitats and drying cocoons, often using fossil fuels, while chemicals used for degumming, dyeing, and finishing can contaminate water.  

Read more about our 'Silk Free Pledge' by 2029 here – read blog.

16. Traceability

• We are a small business, and we work with an atelier with a small team that is located close to our studio and we check in every week
  
• Our fabrics are all sourced from Italy and China, so our garments only go through three countries through secondary and final stage production
  
• Our policy is that we will always be made in London and we will never make anything internationally. We also certify that our fabric will only be sourced either from Europe by 2029
  
• We are looking into ways to trace our primary stage (agricultural) through contacting existing secondary stage suppliers
  
• We publish a list of all secondary and final stage suppliers with addresse

Second Stage Traceability (Yarn & Fabric Mills)

• We trace the majority of our second production stage, including the fabric mills and suppliers who produce our silks and plant‑based textiles. Our silk fabrics are sourced from established mills in China, the world’s primary region for high‑quality silk production. Our plant‑based fabrics are sourced from Materialists and Maeba International in Italy, who provide full traceability for their recycled viscose and acetate fabrics through their ReLiveTex® system.
• Where yarn‑level information is available, we request confirmation of fibre origin and spinning locations from our suppliers. For deadstock and recycled fabrics, we work with suppliers who provide documented traceability for the recovered materials and their processing stages.
• Our suppliers have confirmed the origin of the yarns used in our fabrics and fibre origin and spinning locations where available.

Final Production Stage Traceability (Cut, Make & Trim)

We trace more than 90% of our final production stage. All of our wedding dresses are made in London by our small network of authorised, long‑standing manufacturing partners. We do not use unauthorised subcontractors at any stage. Our atelier and partner factories are known to us personally, regularly visited, and operate under our zero‑chemical and no‑pre‑wash policies. This gives us full visibility over the people, processes and conditions involved in the making of our garments.

Use of Subcontractors in Final Production

We work exclusively with a small number of authorised subcontractors in East London for our cut, make and trim stage. These partners are long‑standing, known to us personally, and operate under our zero‑chemical and no‑pre‑wash policies. We visit the atelier regularly and maintain direct oversight of all production processes. We do not permit any unauthorised subcontracting in our supply chain. This structure gives us full visibility over the people, skills and conditions involved in the making of our garments.

17. Certifications and labour Risk: Final, second and primary stage production

Final stage:

100% of our production is proudly made in London and is not made in any other country. UK is a low-risk country. We have a policy that we will always be made in London and we will never make anything internationally. We visit and audit our final stage production weekly.

Secondary stage: 

All our plant-silk fabrics are from Italy, a low-risk country. Although our silk is currently sourced from East Asia, we have a pledge that all our fabric will be sourced either from Europe by 2029.

Primary stage: 

We are reaching out to secondary suppliers for primary stage information.

Second Stage Risk Profile

A proportion of our second‑stage production (silk fabric mills in China) is located in a region classified as higher‑risk by global labour indices. We are actively transitioning away from silk by 2029 and increasing our use of European circular fabrics with full traceability and ISO‑certified environmental standards.

18. Positive Labour Conditions

Collaborating with  London Artisans

We work with a small team of long‑standing makers in East London, London by a small team of highly skilled artisans we’ve worked with Since founding the label in 2007. Every dress has been developed meticulously through a collaborative process long-standing partnerships we have built on trust and respect. 

The innovative way we collaborate with our artisans, with decades of experience in couture and bridalwear, in the collaborative process, from our initial sketches and patterns to toiles to fittings creates the most premium garment, in fit, feel and flattering style. We visit the atelier weekly and ensure everyone is never paid less than the London Living wage and works in safe, supportive conditions. Our collaborative craftsmanship is the quiet heartbeat of our brand.

Artisans + Community

Alongside our atelier work of our wedding dresses, we run an upcycling programme where independent seamstresses transform our off‑cuts into new-born baby clothes and workwear tops. Many of these makers are women balancing childcare, study and work, and this programme provides flexible, fairly paid livelihood opportunities. These items are donated to Smart Works, AFRIL and Cornerstone Baby Bank, supporting marginalised women and refugee families in our local community. We also publish maker stories on the 'Artisans + Community' page to highlight the artisans in our extended circular network behind our charity work to help refugees.

Our workplace:

• We have flexible working hours, pay annual leave and maternity leave 
  
• We make a stand against any kind of discrimination in the workplace. We believe in good work/life balance
  
• We are committed to covering childcare costs for our employees
  
• We pay the no less than the UK’s accepted London living wage and we have also confirmed everyone who makes our clothes in the factory also gets paid the same
• The London Living Wage is a voluntary hourly rate of £14.80  (on 30 April 2026), calculated independently by the Living Wage Foundation to reflect the high cost of living in the capital. It applies to workers 18 and older and is higher than the government-mandated National Living Wage. We confirm that at Sabina Motasem, we pay no less than £15/hour.
• The above statement clearly demonstrates that we have a very clear understanding of the London Living wage and what it means and confirm we NEVER pay anything less than that.
• We also confirm that we have thoroughly audited our factories and have confirm there is no employee being paid less than the London Living Wage, which means not less than £14.80. We have seen evidence ourselves of payslips and received statements.
• The London Living hourly rate (£14.80) is based on the actual cost of living in London, while the government's minimum wage (National Living Wage, £12.71) is a legally mandated minimum for workers 21+. The London Living Wage is higher, designed for affordability, and set by the Living Wage Foundation. Legality: The Minimum Wage is mandatory (legal requirement), whereas the London Living Wage is voluntary for employers. The London Living Wage is higher, designed for affordability, and set by the Living Wage Foundation.

Our manufacturing partners

• The staff at our London manufacturer have flexible working hours from 8 – 4 or 9 – 6. Many are working mums juggling family and study alongside work. We are helping to support them by keeping all our production in one place
  
• We partner with a network of female seamstresses who work from home in London for our offcut upcycling initiatives and pay them a London living wage. 
• We are actively paying artisans such as Jesy from J & S Tailoring and seamstresses in East London to make the baby clothes for us. We are featuring these seamstresses in a special spotlight on each of these amazing women who are making our baby clothes that we are doing to AFRIL and the Cornerstone Baby Bank - Artisans + Community.
  

19. Labour citizenship

• We upcycle our off-cuts into new-born baby clothes for refugees and marginalised women. We work with AFRIL a refugee charity in Lewisham, Baby Cornerstone in East London and Smartworks, who help marginalised women to gain the confidence to get a job
  
• We are using craft innovation to turn leftover fabrics into valuable fashion items with a network of women who are working from home in London. We pay for each clothes item, providing an income to independent workers and donating to women in need. Using craft in this innovative way helps cultural communities in Southeast Asian East London. 
• We are actively paying artisans such as Jesy from J & S Tailoring and seamstresses in East London to make the baby clothes for us. We are featuring these seamstresses in a special spotlight on each of these amazing women who are making our baby clothes that we are doing to AFRIL and the Cornerstone Baby Bank - Artisans + Community.
• Old or unsold samples are donated to Brides Do Good, which raises funds to help girls who are at risk of early marriage. So far our donated samples to Brides Do Good have supported a year of school for 150 girls in Africa. We intend to keep donating old samples from previous collections to this amazing charity.
  
• During Covid-19, we pivoted our supply chain and our whole business when around 20 of our brides had to post-pone their weddings, and all weddings simply stopped, to produce and donated 1,386 NHS scrubs and 4,000 NHS masks. We raised over £4000 via a go fund me page, to help pay for the special medical appropriate fabric and used our know-how and expertise to draft patterns, and organise for all these pieces to be made for over 20 medical centres, hospitals and care homes in London. We are really proud of this achievement.

20. Artisans + Community

We are celebrating our talented makers, who create our beautiful dresses, as well as the incredible network who transform waste fabrics into new-born baby clothes for refugee charities. On a mission to build a circular economy, where nothing goes to landfill through zero waste and supporting marginalised women.

Find out more about this and read the interviews that we are adding here – Artisans + Community.

21. Supplier Code of Conduct for Labour Conditions

Supplier Labour Standards Statement 

Our commitment

Sabina Motasem requires all suppliers, subcontractors and partners to comply with applicable law and the ILO’s fundamental principles: freedom of association and collective bargaining, elimination of forced labour, abolition of child labour, and elimination of discrimination.

Key requirements

Freedom of Association: Workers may join unions and bargain collectively; where law restricts this, suppliers must provide an independent worker representation mechanism.

No Forced Labour: Work must be voluntary; no bonded, trafficked or involuntary labour; no recruitment fees; workers retain identity documents and may leave employment after reasonable notice.

No Child Labour: No employment below the legal minimum age or under 15 (whichever is higher); suppliers must verify ages and implement remediation prioritising education and family support.

No Discrimination: Hiring, pay, promotion, training and termination must be free from discrimination on any protected ground.

Working conditions

Wages & Hours: At least legal minimum wage and benefits; overtime voluntary, limited and paid at premium rates.

Contracts & Records: Clear written terms in a language workers understand; accurate payroll and time records.

Health & Safety: Safe workplace, training, PPE, emergency procedures and access to medical care.

No Harassment: Physical, sexual, psychological or verbal abuse is prohibited.

Supply chain transparency & remediation

• Subcontracting does not requires prior approval and compliance. We do not prohibit subcontractors
  
• Suppliers must maintain a confidential grievance mechanism and protect whistleblowers.
  
• Allow audits and worker interviews; noncompliance must be remedied via timebound corrective action; severe or repeated violations may lead to contract termination and remediation for affected workers.

Acknowledgement & contact

By working with Sabina Motasem, suppliers confirm they understand and will comply with these standards. To report concerns or ask questions, email mail@sabinamotasem.com. Reports will be handled confidentially.

22. Supplier List

Fabric suppliers

The Materialist, 23 Sleaford Street, London SW8 5FE – for recycled and certified deadstock fabrics from Maeba International (Italy)

Henry Bertrand, 13-15 Station Rd, London N3 2S – for silk fabrics (Italy)

Vega Textiles – for textile deadstock fabrics (Greece)

Biddle Sawyer Silks, Biddle Sawyer Silks, Rivermills, Langley Hall Close, Langley, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK110ER – for silk fabrics (China)

East and Silk, 112 Raleigh Drive, Whetstone, London. N20 OXA (China)

Eusebio Sanchez, Camí Nou, 223, Polígono Industrial Vara de Quart, 46950 Xirivella, Valencia – for lace fabrics. [note – we have discontinued the lace and are currently phasing this out of our collections] 

Ipeker, Fethiye OSB, Mavi Cd. No:7, 16215 Ni̇lüfer/Bursa, Türkiye – for plant silk fabrics (Turkey) [note – we have discontinued all the plant silk fabrics from Turkey and are in the process of phasing this out from all our collections]

Trims

William Gee, 2a Forest Rd, London E8 3BY

Hallmark Labels & Print, Unit 10 Oakwood Hill Ind Est, Oakwood Hill, Loughton, Essex, IG10 3TZ – for the eco friendly water based ink printed care labels

Manufacturers

Eden Studio, Assist House, 25b Lombard Road SW19 3TZ, UK
Plus Samples, Unit B, Summer Court, 1 Maybury Gardens, London NW10 2NB

Agartom, Millmead Business Centre, 36 Mill Mead Rd, London N17 9QU

ED Studio, East London Unit 2, Maryland Industrial Estate, 26 Maryland Rd, London E15 1JW