Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Responsible. James Tailoring was founded on the idea of bringing together the very best in responsible sewing products to clothing designers and makers who have often experienced the challenges of sustainability within the textile industry. With this in mind, the founder Richard Mendham set about curating a range of essential sewing products that were responsible and sustainable. Richard’s background in the textile industry from the 90s has given James Tailoring a wealth of experience and knowledge of the clothing trade. Richard saw first hand the widespread irresponsibility of the textile industry and the race to profiteering over responsibility, but now welcomes the growing consumer desire for significant change in the fashion industry. Richard’s latest achievement has been in bringing to the UK market for the very first time an ecological, sustainable, plastic-free elastic. This responsible and sustainable Eco-game changer will hopefully see the decline in the use of plastic/polyesters used in the garment industry and support the growing personal and commercial designers and makers. Made of natural rubber and certified cotton. Available in different widths. Washable, environmentally friendly and biodegradable. Tested against heat and chlorine. Conforms to EU safety standards and has a longer lifespan than conventional polyester elastics. James Tailoring is committed to minimising our environmental impact as much as possible. As such we endeavour to source all our products from sustainable, renewable, responsible suppliers, such as from salvaged stocks and manufacturers who share our values. Our Corozo buttons are 100% sustainable nuts and come from the rain forests of Ecuador where they are collected naturally from the forest floor. After they are collected and laid out to dry for three months they are brought to England where they are turned and finished into buttons. We think that this is an excellent alternative to plastic and directly supports the rain-forests of South America. Our elastic is certified organic and plastic-free, unlike conventional polyester elastic which degrades over time and can harm the environment, especially the oceans. This higher quality elastic was recently designed in Germany and is being manufactured by a small family in Austria this is a game-changer for our Ecosystem and a significant move away from mass-produced polyesters. The natural rubber is sourced from ethical and sustainable plantations in Malaysia. The natural cotton is responsibly produced and GOT certificated from Turkey. Our vintage range of buttons come from a variety of sources, such as liquidated stocks and excess production runs. Some of our Italian designer buttons are as old as twenty years but we think they are perfect for the sewing and tailoring sector and might play a part in reducing excess production. Our polyester sewing threads by Gutermann are made from recycled plastic bottles. 1000m of sewing thread can be produced from just one recycled rPet plastic bottle. As part of our environmental and community commitment, we work with local art charities and schools donating textile materials that they can make use of. If you would like to help us in this you can donate your unwanted textiles and we will ensure they can be reused by those that need your support. To make a donation please do get in touch. So, it is with great pleasure that we invite you to discover what we have to offer. We sincerely hope that you will love what you find and come back again and again.