CoutureToYourDoor

Summary

CoutureToYourDoor is part of the WearMyWardrobeOut collective… a collective of fully circular, sustainable and zero waste fashion services.

History

CoutureToYourDoor is part of the WearMyWardrobeOut collective… a collective of fully circular, sustainable and zero waste fashion services. The collective’s mission is to transform discarded textiles and remnants into one-of-a-kind fully customisable couture garments designed by founder Maria Loria, made in the UK and delivered straight to the customer’s door, worldwide.

“Our POV is derived from the glory days of the 90’s Catwalk era, where we saw fashion transformed into one-of-a-kind visions from Galliano, McQueen and many more,,. We believe that everyone deserves to feel incredible in visionary garments. We also believe that all textiles deserve a second chance. We’ve mixed couture with up-cycling, draping and the art of manipulating and re-engineering textiles into contemporary pieces that are accessible through renting, RTW, made to order and our refashioning services… We have an obligation to enable alternative ways of consuming fashion and hold accountable the brands that continue to over produce ‘trend’ items on mass and then dump their unwanted stock in landfill. There is a balance to be had between luxury and fast fashion, we intend to lead the way towards this balance,” founder and creative director Maria Loria explains on her official website. 

With the base garments designed and made in-house by founder Maria Loria in her UK-based atelier, the team believes that everyone should have access to statement garments that fit beautifully. Astride, the belief that every textile deserves a second chance. The team therefore sources Limited Edition vintage and pre-loved prints in all sizes and re-engineers them into garments, resulting in one-of-a-kind apparel. ‘We offer full pallet garments and multi pallet contrast garments. Whether your style is minimalist or maximalist, we can make anything that your heart desires,’ is their motto.

CoutureToYourDoor specialises in upcycling, repairing and restoring vintage, discarded and unwanted textiles. This includes large pieces of fabric and smaller remnants. Their approach involves the re-engineering, manipulation and optimisation of textiles that are already in existence… a complex mix of precision, perseverance and re-imagination. We have spent our lives seeing the beauty within discarded and unwanted textiles. The process begins by cleaning and restoring the fabric back to good as new. Removing stains, repairing faults, and removing any plastic or metal attached to the fabric from its original form.

The remaining fabric is measured, draped and manipulated to exhaust the possibilities of how the entire piece can be utilised in the design process. Once a base design has been established, we then consider the wearability, weight and structure of the fabric before making a final design decision. Finally, the team assesses the lifecycle of the design and how easily it can be deconstructed and reused, consider the process involved at the next up-cycle stage and end of life recycle stage before generating the sample design to add to their collection. Remnants and textile scraps are patch-worked into smaller items, are used to create unique pockets, bows and contrast plastic free and sequin free finishes. Moreover, all sample designs are rented out at WearMyWardrobeOut to ensure all Toiles are circular.

“We believe that slowing down fashion is essential for the survival of our planet. We don’t want there to be any barriers to having a staple garment made. We believe that if a Customer gets exactly what they’re looking for that they are more likely to rewear over and over the same garment. With this in mind, Customers can provide their own material and have this delivered straight to our Atelier door,” per the official website.

As a zero waste and circular brand, the collective uses unwanted, second seller and donated textiles and textiles that are already in existence, creating an opportunity to repurpose textiles so that the need for new textiles will eventually be reduced. They source source everything from the UK and create everything in the UK. ‘We are a diverse, equitable and inclusive brand in all areas of our people, the communities that we engage in and with the collaborations that we do with creatives, models, makeup artists, photographers and students,’ is a statement on their official website. The collective also offers people the opportunity to learn vital sewing and creative skills across the UK through creative paid for internships, placements and collaborations.

CoutureToYourDoor also has a textile vault. ‘We seek out and handpick quintessential vintage prints and vintage reworked prints to create statement garments… Each print has been copy-written by the original vintage owner and is not permitted to be reproduced, making the print even more rare. For vintage prints, we typically find between 2-4 yards of each print. Limited Edition Prints are one-of-a-kind, once a print is gone it won’t be restocked, so you had better be quick!’ Though the team selects textiles that consist of the structure and weight needed to give a tailored finish to each garment, customers can also provide their own textile and have this sent directly to the Atelier for their garment to be created in the exact pallet they desire. Still in doubt? CoutureToYourDoor offers a lifetime repair guarantee in the UK.

A prime illustration of slow fashion, CoutureToMyDoor challenges the long-term buying behaviours of people in the UK, driven by social peer pressure, which contributes to increased consumer debt and it contributes to the reduction of fashion wastage by recycling and up-cycling where possible end of life, pre-loved fast fashion and vintage items. “We’ve made a promise to love our planet and we intend to keep it,” team CoutureToMyDoor.

Vision

The collective also addresses the three pillars of positive fashion i.e. Environment, People and Community & Craftsmanship.

Mission Statement

‘Our mission at CoutureToYourDoor is to turn discarded textiles and remnants into one-of-a-kind fully customisable Couture garments. Designed by Maria Loria, customised by you, made in the UK and delivered straight to you door, globally.’

Key Team

Founder and Creative Director Maria Loria

Products and Services

A collective of fully circular, sustainable and zero waste fashion services

References

1. Official social media account of CoutureAtYourDoor Instagram
2. The Back Story WearMyWardrobeOut
3. Zero Waste Policy of CoutureAtYourDoor Official Website
4. Modern Fashion: Maria Loria of WearMyWardrobeOut On The 5 Things You Need To Lead a Successful Fashion Brand Today Medium
5. Institute of positive fashion Official Website
6. WearMyWardrobeOut WearMyWardrobeOut
7. Providing your own material Official Website
8. LinkedIn Profile of Maria Loria LinkedIn
9. Lifetime Repair Guarantee for UK Orders Official Website
10. LookBooks WearMyWardrobeOut