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free shipping + returns in australia | use code bestees for 15% off any 2 tees
our mission is to make a tee which has a positive impact on every body it touches.
beginning with a good seed and a fair price paid to cotton farmers, and ending with you, our #bongirls.
our goal is to ensure that a bon tee not only does no harm, but tips the scales to do some genuine good.
organic, non-GMO and fairtrade. brought to life with environmental and social benefits :
that lovely new bon tee in your wardrobe started life as a little organic, non-gmo, fairly traded seed, nurtured to life on a farm in india. alongside protecting and supporting farmers, workers and their communities, fairtrade encourages and empowers farmers to protect the natural environment - and they're doing a pretty good job of it...
the experienced hands of the farmer grew your little cotton seed into lovely fluffy cotton without the use of harmful chemicals. growing organically like this has several benefits.
environmentally, it supports biodiversity and healthy eco-systems, improving the quality of soil it's grown in. it also avoids causing long term pollution of water and soil, and, vital for the communities living in the area, doesn't demand too much water to grow. nice job little seed!
social benefits include...
your fully grown lovely soft fluffy cotton is hand picked ready to be spun and woven
thankfully it's organic, so pickers were not exposed to extreme amounts of toxic chemicals whilst picking (when cotton is not grown organically, all the chemicals used to support it's growth stay in the cotton, passing on toxicity to pickers, spinners, weavers, sewers, packers & wearers)
it took time, effort and money for the farmer to transform your little cotton seed into beautiful organic cotton, and fairtrade ensures the farmer is paid a fair price for the effort (which is often not the case for non fair trade cotton)
in addition, fairtrade pay a premium which farmers and their workers collectively decide where to invest. either improving their farming practices, or in areas such as health and education for the community. it's very cool and you can read more about it at fairtrade here
growing organically is not only safe and beneficial socially and environmentally, but also produces a smoother, softer and better quality cotton fabric. this fabric is expertly crafted into the bon tee you're wearing now, at our factory in melbourne, abmt.
bon tees are then ethically made at occ in australia, an ethically accredited factory using fabric which is not only gots certified, but also australian certified organic for all processes from spinning to weaving through the dye process
we also partner with occ to make some of our styles in bangladesh. this was a big decision for us given the rana plaza disaster in bangladesh in 2013.
after much contemplation and investigation we have decided to trial some tees made in bangladesh. the factory we work with is committed to fair working conditions and is a member of the fairwear foundation.
the fairwear foundation is committed to creating a world where the garment industry supports workers in realising their rights to safe, dignified and properly paid employment. the factory we work with offers childcare on site and is monitored daily with reps on the ground in bangladesh ensuring fair conditions are adhered to vehemently and permanently.
we were worried about working with a factory in bangladesh, but the fact is, through the manufacturing sector, 20 million people have been lifted out of poverty there in the last 20 years. without doubt there are factories who are not kind and fair to their employees and we do not engage with these people or places and we hope that over time, through the support of the fairwear foundation these factories will either cease to exist or adapt to a fair way of working.
whilst we support and enjoy all the benefits of making in australia, we are proud to test the waters in bangladesh and play some small part in helping the community there.
we love tees because they're basically unf*ckupable. you can wear them with pretty much anything and they look good and feel comfortable (read more about that here).
a key part of unf*ckupability is simplicity. in our over-saturated with imagery, ideas and information lives, simplicity is the true luxury.
when we launched in 2016 we painstakingly designed four styles to cover all bodies and bases and they really worked.
we've returned to this capsule of basics - four t shirt styles covering all bodies and all bases. tweaked a little based on your feedback, and with the addition of limited edition prints throughout the year.
and we say to you, when you're staring at your wardrobe and seeing nothing to wear, with 12 things to do before getting out the door in less than 2 minutes : keep it simple.
put on the skirt, pants, shorts or jeans which you always feel good in. your tee will look good with anything.
we all have our own style, but a failsafe formula we work with is
1. populate your wardrobe with few simple quality items, but all of which fit you perfectly
2. make sure everything you buy works with what you already own
3. don't rush your big purchases. the perfectly fitting item will find you in good time
4. make your uniform a simple base of t'shirt + jeans/shorts/skirts/pants, and add one cool, nice, statement item
and if you have 10 mins before you go to sleep, check out these styling ideas here, here and here
i=change is an amazing initiative, created to funnel donations from businesses like ours into a selection of charities doing particularly good things.
every time you purchase a new bon tee we donate $1 to charity through i=change. 100% of that dollar goes to the charity, and you get to choose which of our three projects benefits from your purchase. you can read more about i=change and our projects here.
it's a good reminder of the power of small actions. so today, and everyday, we say do one, small good thing for womankind.
bonjour bongirl, thanks for spending time with us x
