Our Moral Fibre

When treated and crafted correctly, wool ticks a lot of boxes: Renewable, wrinkly-resistant, naturally breathable, body temperature regulating to UV resistant.

Witchery is a proud supporter of the Australian wool industry and local merino wool production. As a result, we’re taking a proactive approach to source non-mulesed or ceased-mulesed wool.

Used in our figure-flattering jeans to staple jersey tees, cotton is the most largely produced natural fibre in the world.

There is good reason for that: Cotton is naturally breathable fabric; it wicks moisture away from the body, provides protection against heat in summer, cold in winter and is a great hypoallergenic fibre with excellent durability.

Better Cotton Initiative:

Despite being one of the globe’s most favoured renewable textiles, the mass production of cotton can be detrimental to land, waterways and the farmers that grow it.

Witchery partners with Better Cotton to improve cotton farming globally. By buying cotton products from Witchery, you’re supporting the Better Cotton farmers who care for the environment and respect workers’ rights and wellbeing.

Better Cotton is sourced via a chain of custody model called mass balance. This means that Better Cotton is not physically traceable to end products, however, Better Cotton farmers benefit from the demand for Better Cotton in equivalent volumes to those we ‘source’.

We are committed to sourcing 100% of our cotton as ‘more responsible cotton’ by 2025. ‘More responsible cotton’ includes Better Cotton, organic cotton, recycled cotton and Australian cotton.

Currently, 60% of our cotton products support responsible farming practices, the 2025 target is 100%.

By 2025, 100% of our cotton will be responsibly sourced from traceable origins.*

Strong, durable and malleable, if cared for carefully, leather has the potential to last a lifetime. A key fabric in our shoes and bags selection, the natural grain of leather means each piece is inherently unique.

We will continue to work closely with suppliers to ensure we source the best quality cow, sheep and goat hide leathers that adhere to our Code of Conduct and Animal Welfare Policy.

Part natural, part man-made, wood based or cellulose fibres such as viscose, lyocell, TENCEL™ and rayon are innovative and high-performance fibres that offer versatility across many designs.

Beginning their life cycle as a tree or wood-based plant before facing chemical processing, producing these fibres naturally pose some risk to the world’s forests and woodlands. Trees play an integral role in cleaning the world’s air and act as a home to many of the world’s birds and animals, so it’s important that those ecosystems are preserved. We’re working to ensure the Viscose we use doesn’t come from ancient or endangered forests.

Viscose:

One of Witchery’s favourite materials, viscose is lightweight, absorbent, breathable and drapes beautifully, making it a perfect choice for our soft blouses to summer dresses. A fabric manufactured from plant-based materials such as trees and bamboo, viscose is part of the rayon family.

Canopy:

Due to the rise of popularity in cellulose fibres that are derived from natural wood sources, 150+ million trees are threatened by logging annually, some of these ancient or endangered forests. Considered one of the last frontiers of forest protection, not-for-profit organisation Canopy works with companies large and small in policy development, through implementation to supply chain innovation. As a CanopyStyle partner with not-for-profit Canopy, Witchery is committed to ensuring cellulose-based fabrics (like viscose) used in our garments are not made from wood sources that contribute to the deforestation of the world’s ancient and endangered forests.

As of July 2021, 57% of Witchery’s man-made cellulose was responsibly sourced, our 2025 target is 100%.

Lyocell:

Soft, breathable, lightweight and comfortable, Lyocell has an extremely smooth soft surface that drapes beautifully. Also known for its versatility and strength when both wet and dry, Lyocell is a man-made fibre made from dissolving wood pulp in a nontoxic solvent. The final fabric is commonly sold under the brand name TENCEL™, which is made by the company Lenzing AG.

TENCEL™ Lyocell:

By using Lenzing fabrics like TENCEL™ Lyocell, Witchery ensures fibres are derived from sustainable wood sources – natural forests and sustainably managed plantations, as wood and pulp used by the Lenzing Group is harvested from certified and controlled sources.

All TENCEL™ Lyocell fibres are made with an environmentally responsible closed-loop production process. This means wood pulp is transformed into cellulosic fibres with high resource efficiency and low ecological impact. This solvent-spinning process recycles processed water and reuses the chemical solvent at a recovery rate of more than 99%.

Read More about Lenzing’s innovative and sustainable business practices.

Polyester is a fashion favourite. From a design perspective, it provides a silky texture, excellent colour fastness and perfect pleats. It’s perfect for our customers’ busy lifestyle given that it’s incredibly durable, has an easy-to-care nature, being wrinkle and shrinkage-resistant, moisture-wicking and fast drying.

A synthetic petroleum-based fibre, virgin polyester is derived from non-renewable fossil fuels. There is increasing awareness and concerns for virgin polyester’s negative environmental impacts.

Witchery is committed to phasing out virgin polyester from our collections, with the goal to exclusively work with high quality recycled polyester.

By limiting the use of virgin materials, recycled polyester reduces reliance on petroleum as a raw material for fashion fibres and keeps existing materials in use.

We are breaking up with virgin polyester:

By 2025, our goal is for 100% of our polyester to be sourced from recycled material inputs.

Perhaps both the brains and the brawn of fabrics, linen is one of fashion’s oldest fibres, made from the flax plant. There is a reason why it has stuck around: desirable antibacterial properties, strength and durability for an extended life, moisture absorbency and it only gets better (more comfortable) with age.

A fibre crop that requires little to no irrigation, does not deplete soil health and captures carbon as it grows. Traditionally, every part of the flax plant can be used to create a product of one type or another, so nothing of the plant goes to waste.

French Linen:

French Linen is one of our most luxurious fabric qualities and is becoming a significant part of our linen offering. Our pure linen yarn is sourced from the Normandy region of France, where the dry, sunny conditions are perfrect for harvest and cultivation. Harvested flax stalks are left to dry in the field for several weeks, a process which enhances the beauty of the linen fibre. This process is particularly important when developing a unique raw flax colour. This allows us to deliver a different shade of flax each season. With every wash, linen becomes softer and its natural beauty is enhanced.

Few fabrics evoke a sense of true luxury like silk.

A fine, strong and soft fibre, which feels smooth and lightweight on the body, keeping you warm in winter and cool in summer. The illustrious fabric is considered as a high-quality investment fabrication that provides longevity in wear.

A natural fibre, silk is produced by spinning the long threads which make up the inner cocoon of a silkworm.

We’re in a long term partnership with the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.

The White Shirt Campaign began in 2000, in the effort to raise vital funds – through Witchery white shirt sales, and awareness for ovarian cancer research, so an early detection test can be developed.

Creating the perfect white shirt was the ideal representation of how Witchery could support and raise funds for the OCRF, to empower women to look and feel confident through wearing the iconic white shirt.

The Witchery white shirt symbolises the lab coat worn by the ovarian cancer researchers dedicating their lives to researching new and better treatments to improve outcomes for those diagnosed now, as well as developing an early detection test for future generations.

In the last 20 years, deaths from ovarian cancer have increased by 57%, yet there have been no recent breakthroughs in research or treatment methods.

Approximately 1,815 Australian women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year – over 70% of these women will already be in the late stages. Only 49% of these women will survive more than five years.

Currently, there is no early detection test available.

The OCRF is Australia’s leading independent body dedicated to ovarian cancer research. Their vision is for every woman, everywhere, to be free from the threat of ovarian cancer.

Until recently, Witchery’s contribution had enabled the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation to be the single largest funder of ovarian cancer research in Australia. Our $15 million donation to the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation is something we are very proud of.

Learn more about the OCRF and our most recent White Shirt campaign.

White Shirt Campaign

Witchery supports Fitted for Work, an organisation helping women in Australia experiencing disadvantage secure sustainable employment.

What is Fitted for Work? Harmonising social responsibility with fashion circularity, Fitted for Work is an innovative Australian organisation who – like Witchery – consider empowering women at the core of what they do. Their mission is to help women experiencing disadvantage gain economic independence through finding a secure job and maintaining sustainable employment.

Fitted for Work provides many goods and services, including suitable clothing for job interviews and beyond. Fitted for Work believes that when a woman is fitted for work, she is fitted for life.

In March 2020, we launched our inaugural Your Clothes At Work campaign, encouraging our community to bring quality pre-loved Witchery items to selected stores, to be donated to Fitted for Work.

Witchery will continue to support Fitted for Work by donating samples on an ongoing basis, which are donated to women experiencing disadvantage to help them secure sustainable employment.

Learn about how you can donate pre-loved clothing to Fitted for Work.

Witchery supports Future Women, an online community that helps women to connect, learn and lead.

Future Women was founded by journalist and magazine editor Helen McCabe in 2018. Today they interact with tens of thousands of women and offer a range of activities to help women connect, learn and lead.

Future Women fills the gap between magazines and event companies offering daily interactions on our core topics covering leadership, equality, business and culture.

For International Women’s Day 2022, Future Women and Witchery will collaborate, for the third year in a row, to celebrate Australia’s First Nations women.

Join the movement and start your free trial today.

Something borrowed. Everyday fashion, for hire – every day.

In 2021, we partnered with fashion rental service GlamCorner to help empower women to expand their wardrobes without sending unwanted clothing and accessories into landfill. Having shared over 500 tonnes of clothing and counting, their goal is to tackle Australia’s mounting textile waste problem.

Have an event coming up? Tired of your everyday wardrobe? Looking to try out a new trend? We’ve teamed up with GlamCorner to offer a fashion rental service via a one-time rental or membership basis. It’s a new wardrobe, on demand – without spending a fortune.

We’re supporting circular fashion, one Witchery rental at a time.

Learn more about GlamCorner and rent your next piece now.