At SILUE, our clothes are made to last. When new, you’ll find them slightly stiff due to the wax residue in the garment, after time and washes they will become softer and sit more casually on the body. 

Our garments are hand made, coupled with the fact our fabric is repurposed, there may be slight imperfections in our clothing – small wax stains and other tiny marks – these all are part of the character of the garment.

All our garments are dyed by hand by our lead artisan dyer, Kona. Kona has over twenty-five years experience in handling natural fabrics and perfecting pigment combinations. This knowledge was passed down from his late uncle who he apprenticed for in Cote d’ivoire. 

We source our fabric from factories that have cast off fabric due to technical misprints. We boil the fabric to remove all trace of the original designs before it begins its new life with our batik process. This is also the case for our plain blacks. The one fabric which is not repurposed is our raw plains, for which we use deadstock fabric, also locally sourced – “deadstock” meaning surplus to factory requirements. Working this way, we aim to reduce the environmental impact of our production. 

If, after many years of wear, a hem goes astray or a button comes loose, we encourage you to repair your clothes. Instead of throwing a piece away, with a just small amount of effort you can greatly extend the lifetime of a garment. 

Care info 

All of our clothes are machine washable, but we do recommend you avoid using harsh detergents. Please use detergents that are advertised as “gentle” – these will prolong the life and preserve the colour quality of your garment. We recommend washing at a maximum of 30 degrees – but preferably, use a simple cold wash. For the very first wash, we recommend washing batik garments on their own as there may be some wax residue. From then on it is safe to wash with other clothing. Line dry and keep out of direct sunlight, especially for darker colours. Under no circumstances should you use bleach on any of our garments. Your piece will become softer and more characterful over time.