About Us

Shop Chops at its core is a passion project!

For the past 2 years, i've been pattern-making, sampling, cutting and sewing every single order out of my studio. All of my designs are heavily influenced by foregone eras; namely the '60s or '90s. I strongly believe in only purchasing pieces you'll cherish for years and years to come, creating a wardrobe full of staple pieces that will stand the ever-evolving trends. 

Our 2025 ambition is to design and release only ONE staple wardrobe item at a time. Just one!! Why? Because i've come to realise that dropping a collection of new items every few months/season is mis-aligned with calling this brand sustainable. Mindless fashion consumption and one-wear items is a rapidly growing, harmful and destructive habit to the environment (and our bank accounts!). I believe that a revolving release of new items inadvertently tells and influences my customers to constantly purchase new items; most of which aren't needed. With sustainable choices and messaging being at the forefront of this brand i'm deciding to change the underlying messaging, and therefore how we do things! The idea is to release one new piece of clothing at a time, allowing more effort and money spent perfecting it, choosing classic colourways and the best materials so that every piece can become a beloved wardrobe staple. As new styles emerge, previous designs will continue to be stocked on demand in the background, in new colourways if requested. Please let us know your thoughts and any ideas you may have as we transition into this way of designing and producing. 

 

A few of our leading morals here at Shop Chops:

Ethical production: this one's pretty easy when everything's been a one-woman show, made in-house. However, as this business grows and expands into small outsourced production, the ethicality of our makers is the biggest priority. Any Chops items made out of house will say so in the product description, and include the location made. I work directly with all of my makers, cutters and pattern-makers, dropping off all the materials, picking up the stock, dropping in for questions and changes, and most importantly building a relationship with them. Whilst I can't share their details or showcase their spaces (for privacy and respect) I can tell you that I pay a piece-by-piece rate for items made, at which they determine the price based on the time taken to complete each piece. 

 

Sustainable choices: In an industry where words and phrases such as sustainable, eco and environmentally friendly are misused and thrown around without any backing, I am weary of the labels I choose to attach to my brand. I've chosen to use the label 'sustainable' to capture the variety of choices that make my brand friendlier to the environment. Here are a few of those choices:

Number 1, we're a small brand (hoping to stay that way forever), producing under 50 quantities per style, with little to no excess stock thanks to consistently selling out! As a brand, we do not contribute to the number one fashion industry polluter - excess stock in landfill.

Number 2, we choose to use all natural fibre fabrics, and dead-stock fabrics where possible. Minus the thread (polyester, unfortunately, is far stronger than cotton thread), and invisible zippers (when used), our garments are 100% natural fibre and will break down at the end of its life.  

Number 3, the order cutting is either done in house, or by our cutters, to which we request all leftover fabric scraps that can't be kept and made into our scrunchies or coasters, are collected and kept aside so that I can send them to a fabric recycling and repurposing facility! 

 

True price points: Another unfortunate normality in the fashion industry is holding sales. Whilst I believe customer incentive discounts can be useful when used correctly, sales are widely abused to make a quick buck and offload excess stock; an issue which should be addressed at the beginning, not an afterthought and reaction. Here at Chops, we hold a strict NO SALES policy. I might offer a customer incentive discount here and there when I feel it's appropriate, but I do not and will not hold a sale. Why? Because my pieces are priced true to cost, and I don't believe or want to perpetuate this idea that a garment loses its value after it's been sitting on a shelf for a few months. If I believed in a certain style enough one year ago to bring it to life and produce it, then i'll believe in it for a long time to come. All our items are priced based on the cost of things like material, trims, labour, labels, packaging, profit, etc and reflect the TRUE cost of ethically and sustainably made pieces. We are incomparable to any fast fashion or larger clothing brands prices. Small-scale, fair, local, and thoughtful is what you're paying for. We don't over-produce, and we definitely don't design on trend, therefore there is no space for holding sales in this business!