Katharine Hamnett

Dec 16, 2020

Katharine E. Hamnett CBE is an English premium designer brand that offers sustainable and luxury clothing designed to last and made from organic fabrics and other eco-friendly materials.

She launched her brand in 1979 with a range of eclectic designs for women. She holds sustainability and ethical production to the utmost importance.

Her collections are seductive, timeless, and attracted fans such as Mick Jagger, Liz Taylor, Princess Diana, Boy George, and Madonna. Katharine Hamnet's style is instantly recognizable across the world.

She gradually introduced new sustainable materials in her collections and moved out of the mainstream industry to concentrate on campaigning, political activism, and collaborating with charities.

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Sustainability Rating: 7/10

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Category: Clothing, accessories

For: Women, men, children

Type: Basics, dresses, loungewear, knitwear, outerwear

Style: Casual, classic

Quality: Medium

Price: $$

Sizes: 2XS-2XL, 0-12 (US), 4-16 (UK), 32-44 (EU), 4-16 (AU)

Fabrics: Cotton, linen, viscose, polyester, nylon, spandex, wool, silk, down

100% Organic: No

100% Vegan: No

Ethical & Fair: Yes

Recycling: Yes

Producing country: Italy

Certifications: GOTS, GRS, FSC

Sustainability Practices

Katharine Hamnett aims to design and manufacture garments sustainably to avoid causing harm to people and the natural world since 1989.

She creates clothes ethically and as environmentally as possible, preserving traditional skills.

The designer makes all design decisions to lower the environmental impact of her fashion products.

Katharine Hamnett uses a large proportion of sustainable materials such as organic cotton and linen, as well as recycled synthetic fabrics such as recycled polyester and regenerated nylon.

Her organic fabrics are GOTS certified, a leading, widely recognized certification standard that guarantees sustainable processes, environmentally friendly, and socially responsible conditions.

The brand also uses a high amount of semi-synthetic regenerated fibers such as viscose made from renewable materials, wood pulp from FSC certified sustainable forests.

The Katharine Hamnett London collection is ethically made in the EU, supporting local manufacturing in Italy and preserving traditional skills.

The collection is manufactured by Filanda Productions based in Veneto, on a site that was home to a silk farm and spinning mill for over 70 years.

Katharine Hamnett is also a member of the Fair Wear Foundation since 2018. The brand supports garment workers' rights to safe, dignified, and fairly paid employment and making fashion fair for everyone.

Katharine Hamnett has a Code of Conduct that supports the International Labour Organisation Conventions and the Fair Wear Foundation Code of Labour Practices.

She carefully selects her suppliers for their sustainability standards and monitors their progress through auditing and reporting, also assessed and verified by the Fair Wear Foundation annually.

Katharine Hamnett doesn't use any exotic animal skin, or hair, fur, angora. But she uses wool, silk, and down feathers to manufacture many of her clothing pieces.

These animal-derived materials are cruel and unethical. They also harm the environment by producing greenhouse gases and wastes. More sustainable alternatives exist.

Sustainability Goals

Katharine Hamnett doesn't show any measurement of its water usage, pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, or waste across the supply chain. She doesn't have any clear sustainability goals, science-based targets, or timeline to improve in the future either.