We have developed a Materials Index detailing fabrics, trims and packaging for our design, development and production teams. Its purpose is to educate about the benefits and drawbacks of the materials we use.

We have shared the index here so you can see what we have learned. If you are a customer, it might help you to make more informed choices when buying clothes, regardless of whether they are from RUBY or elsewhere. And if you are a fellow designer, you can use what we have learned when making decisions about what to put into production.

We currently source materials from suppliers and mills across the globe, such as China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Mongolia, India, Italy, Turkey, Spain, and The Netherlands. We also use wholesale agents who are based in New Zealand but source from these places.

We define Better Practice Materials as ones that are produced in a way that minimises or mitigates the potential negative impacts of production. Some examples of this are fabrics that are:

- Recycled
- Regenerative
- Rapidly renewable
- Able to be recycled, repurposed or composted
- Dyed or treated using safe chemicals
- Organic
- Made from by-product materials
- Traceable back to the farm or raw material
- Produced keeping water & chemicals in a closed-loop, ensuring they are not polluting local ecosystems
- Produced using renewable energy, or using energy efficient processes
- Certified or audited by programmes that uphold safety, human rights and animal welfare values

Materials that we consider to be Better Practice are prioritised. In the "Improving Our Best Loved Fabrics" section below, you can see some examples of the work we have done to shift our commonly-used fabrics to be Better Practice.

- We have converted at least 90% of our conventional cotton (fabrics containing 98-100% cotton) to organic cotton, where we also have full supply chain visibility to the raw material region.
So far, we have converted all of our Mirella fabric, and our cotton gingham, poplin and voile fabrics to organic cotton.

- The acetate component of our ‘Firebird Crepe’ and ‘Weirder Satin’ fabrics are now made using Naia™ fibres and we have visibility of the supply chain. See more about this in the Materials Index.

- We have converted some of our popular, ready-made stock fabrics to traceable and recycled sources. For example, our Miami Crinkle and Cascade Crush polyester fabric.

- At least 90% of our 100% linen and 50%+ linen blends are now sourced directly from mills that hold a certification for the manufacturing of raw flax material in Europe. We have transparency of this supply chain to the regions where the raw material is grown.

- We have switched our 55% linen 45% viscose fabric to be milled using the above European farmed linen, blended with ECOVERO™ fibres instead of conventional viscose.

- We now use a 55% recycled polyester 45% viscose fabric for our jacket and coat linings. We have used this lining in 75% of Winter 2023 blazers and coats. The fabric dyeing and printing mill holds a certification to show no harmful chemicals are used in their facility.

In addition to our Best Practice definition and prioritisation, we have identified 5 classifications we want to highlight about the manufacturing of our materials and garments. On our website, we note when a product is manufactured in this way. If you only want to buy pieces that are Made in Aotearoa, or use Organic materials for example, you can filter your search by that classification tag.

By-product Material
Made in Aotearoa
Organic Material
Recycled Material
Zero Production Waste

For more information on our classifications, click here.

As a member of Mindful Fashion New Zealand, we take part in the “Certifications & Standards” webinars they run in conjunction with Lenzing, Textile Exchange, Control Union, GOTS and Oeko-Tex to help us understand the complexities of Fabric Certifications.

Thousands of chemicals are used in the textile industry to process, dye and finish materials. Some of these chemicals have been linked to negative health impacts, and toxic pollution in our rivers and oceans. Our suppliers are required to sign and adhere to our RUBY supplier manual, which includes a list of restricted substances. We prioritise mills that hold certifications proving that they do not use these substances in their facilities.

Below is our list of restricted substances:

- Alkylphenol (APs) including Nonylphenol, Octylphenol & Ethoxylates (APEs)
- Azo dyes
- Chlorinated solvents
- Chlorobenzenes
- Chlorophenols
- Chromium
- Formaldehyde
- Heavy metals including cadmium, lead, nickel and mercury
- Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS) & Perfluorochemicals (PFCS)
- Phthalates
- Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs)

More detail on individual substances can be found in our glossary.

There may come a time when your garment is no longer fit for wear. In our Materials Index, we outline what happens at the end of life of each of the fibre types listed, so you can make informed decisions when buying something.

We are aware that some of these processes are likely not available to you in your own homes. This is why we will take our RUBY and Liam garments back (just drop into our IRL stores or send it back to RUBY online) and, depending on what the fabric type is, we will send it to one of our partners such as Upparel to be processed into something else of value.

For more information about what happens at the end of life of our pieces, take a look at the Waste section of our Toolbox.