Our Responsibility

Petite Femme was founded on the slow fashion principles of intentional design, quality workmanship and ethical labour. To us, “slow” means taking the time to consider the choices we make, knowing that every decision has an impact on our communities and ecosystems. The following core values underpin every aspect of our business, from design to manufacturing and pricing.

Intentional design

Every Petite Femme garment begins as an intentional design informed by the unique needs of the woman under 5’5”. Our garments are meticulously tailored to fit petite proportions and our materials are chosen with careful consideration for comfort, durability and circularity. Learn more about our materials. 

Quality over quantity

Our approach is slow and considered, prioritising quality, versatility and longevity above all. Adhering to the notion of less is more, we release capsule collections of trans-seasonal designs only a few times a year. Each collection is a thoughtful curation of timeless essentials produced in small quantities to minimise waste.

Ethical manufacturing

We believe a garment worker’s livelihood is not negotiable which is why we only partner with socially responsible manufacturers who invest in the wellbeing and prosperity of their employees. Learn more about our manufacturers.

Transparency

We choose to disclose our pricing structure, sourcing and production so that you can make an informed choice when investing in our products. In doing so, we hold ourselves accountable for every stage of our garments’ life-cycle. We invite you to re-calibrate your perceived value of clothing by learning more about the true cost of fashion.

Conscious consumerism

As a purpose-led business, we believe it is our responsibility to encourage and provide avenues for our customers to engage in conscious consumerism. We’ve partnered with innovative platforms that enable our customers to reduce their carbon footprint, give back to the global community, and participate in a circular economy. Learn more about our partnerships.

Our journey

At Petite Femme, sustainability is an ongoing practice of awareness and purposeful action. We are continually reflecting on our impact and processes to recognise opportunities where we can cultivate greater transparency, sustainability and circularity. Below are the goals we are working towards over the next three years.

Sustainable Trims

We're committed to replacing our non-renewable trims with sustainable alternatives made from recycled or renewable materials that don't compromise on quality or durability. This includes threads, zippers, ribbons and shoulder pads.

Supply Chain Mapping

We are working to map out our supply chains to ensure that our fabrics and trims are made with minimal environmental impact and that the people working within our supply chains are provided with safe and fair working conditions. 

Ethical Certification

We’re working with our manufacturing partners to obtain the SA8000 Standard, a globally recognised and auditable third-party certification that verifies an organisation’s adherence to the highest ethical standards based on International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.

Local Manufacturing

At this time, Australian manufacturers do not have the capabilities to produce the high-end finish that we require for our garments. In an effort to reduce our carbon footprint and support the Australian garment industry, we are working towards establishing our own in-house studio.

Closing the Loop

As part of our commitment to facilitate a circular economy, our goal is to implement repair services, up-cycling and take-back programs to extend the life of our products beyond the point of sale.