We’re Working With a New Ethical, Sustainable Workshop in India

We’re making a few changes to our production processes at NICO and we wanted you to know about them, we’re all about transparency here after all. We’ve decided to move some of the making of our Basics range to an ethical, sustainable workshop in Tamil Nadu, India. Our first deliveries will be happening very soon so we wanted to give you a heads up on where they are being made.

After a year-long search, multiple trips to India and lots of time getting to know the team, we’ve finally found a modern workshop we love with a focus on ethical and sustainable manufacturing in the city of Tirupur in South India. Our capsule ranges as well as the remaining portion of our Basics range will still be produced in Melbourne and Brisbane. 

We know you believe in shopping with a conscience and voting with your dollar; you support brands who treat people and planet fairly whilst still making something you actually want to wear. And we think that’s why you like us. At the core of everything we do at NICO is a strong respect for the people we work with, and the environment we work within.

Supporting this industry in India is important to us; we, the modern fashion world, helped create it and it’s the livelihood and the skill set of so many in India. But we want to promote a positive, viable alternative to the unfair and short-sighted practices fast fashion has necessitated. Through our travels and research, we’ve seen a new picture emerging in clothing production in India, of incredible technical innovations and better ways of treating employees and the environment.

We were searching for an ethical, sustainable workshop in India for over a year with the help of our friends at Seljak Brand before settling on a few to check out in Tirupur, Tamil Nadu. When we met the owner, Ravi, and his team, we knew we’d found the right people for us.

Ravi worked for many years in a Fairtrade factory nearby before deciding to open up his own ethical, sustainable workshop a few years ago. What really stayed with us from our first visit to Ravi’s factory were the welcoming smiles of everyone we met. It left us with the sense that we were truly entering into something that was win-win for both parties.

Ravi’s factory is going through certification audits for Sedex and Fairtrade, two lengthy and expensive processes. In the meantime, the workshop has their GOTS certification, providing guarantees to the fair treatment of workers here.

We’re making all these changes at NICO for a few reasons. First, it means we can carry more product so we’ll pretty much always have your favourite styles and colours in stock when you need them - we know that long waitlists have been frustrating for so many of you! It’ll also allow us to start wholesaling; you’ll soon see NICO popping up in stores we love all over Australia, and one day soon, the world. We know it’s kind of important to be able to try on underwear and swimwear if you’re buying a brand for the first time. Stocking our stuff in stores where you are means you can get to know all of our ranges better.

NICO is growing and we want you to come along with us. But even as we expand, we’ll always employ ethical, sustainable, quality production processes and we will always be transparent with our supply chain.