Garment Care

Care and consideration are at the heart of what we do. As outlined in our cycles of use, we want to fully equip you to extend the life of your garment for as long as possible. Each product page includes additional care instructions and we’ve created a universal Care Guide that details each fabric and our recommendations on how to clean, maintain and store your garments. Caring for your garments properly can drastically reduce the environmental impact of your clothing. Simply holding onto your clothes for longer than 9 months will reduce your environmental impact by 20-30% and knowing how to properly wash and clean your clothes will reduce your water and energy usage, and ensure your garments live a long and healthy life.

Here are our recommendations on how to extend the life of your Coreprêt pieces.

Fabric Care
Appropriately caring for your garment is an important step towards reducing our impact upon the environment. Each garment may vary, requiring different levels of care and attention, but as a general rule, we recommend always using cold water temperatures, eco-friendly detergent and avoid tumble drying where possible. Some fabrics are hard wearing and have natural properties that reduce their need to be cleaned frequently, these can include denim (minimal washing required due it’s tight weave) and wool. Refer to each products Fabric Tab to get a deeper insight into what your garment is composed of and the specific recommended care. 

Wool 

Wool is a very unique fibre, it has the ability to moderate body heat, draw moisture away from the body, is highly durable and can be used across knitwear and ready-to-wear. Wool is also 100% biodegradable and infinitely recyclable, which does make it a bit of a super fibre. Depending on the garment, we normally recommend dry cleaning only - but we do encourage spot cleaning with gentle detergent on any outerwear garments such as jackets and pants. Given wool’s unique properties, it does not need frequent washing, consider brushing the surface to remove any residual dirt. Do not bleach (ever) and avoid harsh chemicals. Line dry in shade and low iron on reverse. Finally you can naturally freshen up your woolen garments by hanging it in a well ventilated space out of direct sunlight to avoid over washing and excess water use. 

Wool is however a protein and therefore can be susceptible to unwanted damage by pests aka clothes moths and silverfish. To avoid this unfortunate damage consider storing your garments in either sealed plastic boxes, vacuum sealed bags or fabric bags (ensure a tight weave though). Make sure you always clean your garments before storing – this helps prevent odours, stains and build-up of dirt. Fold, rather than hang, this will help garments retain their shape while in storage. Check on your garments every now and then and make sure no moisture has appeared or any insects have crept inside. We like to also use cedar balls or lavender oil as a natural deterrent to clothes moths. 

Cellulose [Cotton, Linen, Tencel]

Cellulose garments are one of the easiest fabrics to take care of. Hard wearing, breathable and unlike synthetic fibres (polyester and nylon) cellulose fabrics do not bind to oil, so stains are easier to remove. In general, depending on the garment, we recommend a gentle cold wash with eco-friendly detergent. Do not bleach and avoid harsh chemicals (always) and line dry in shade, do not tumble dry as this may shrink your garment. Invest in delicates bags and put anything with a soft hand in these to reduce any friction damage in the machine. Some of our outerwear cellulose garments are recommended for dry cleaning (The Classic Trench), often due to the size of the garment and if there are multiple trims involved. Always refer to the care label or the product page for more detailed information.

Silk and Silk blends

Silk is a surprisingly hard wearing fabric, depending on the weave (satin can get snagged very easily and we try to avoid this) however as it is a special composition for the most part we recommend dry clean only, as this reduces the risk of damage. If, however, you have experience and feel confident in washing silk you can try spot cleaning with a gentle detergent and cold hand wash. 

Like wool, silk is a protein and therefore can be susceptible to unwanted damage by pests aka clothes moths and silverfish. To avoid this unfortunate damage consider storing your garments in either sealed plastic boxes, vacuum sealed bags or fabric bags (ensure a tight weave though). Make sure you always clean your garments before storing – this helps prevent odours, stains and build-up of dirt. If hanging, consider buying cedar wood hangers and bag them up in your wardrobe when not in use.  Check on your garments every now and then and make sure no moisture has appeared or any insects have crept inside. We like to also use cedar balls or lavender oil as a natural deterrent to clothes moths.

Hemp/Silk
Due to the nature of this fabrication we recommend gentle machine wash on cold or hand wash. It is dry-cleanable, but please seek eco-friendly providers where possible such as Laundry Box, a Melbourne based, chemical free dry cleaner. Do not bleach and avoid harsh chemicals. Line dry in shade and low iron on reverse.

Jersey
Due to the delicate nature of our jerseys (knitwear), please ensure if machine washing that you use a delicates bag. We recommend a delicate wash cycle or hand wash on cold, do not bleach and avoid harsh chemicals. To maintain shape, dry flat in shade and medium iron on reverse.

Unknown Deadstock Fabrics

We often work with unconventional materials that have been sourced from textile waste. Often, we do not know the exact fibre composition, but through some educated testing we can ascertain whether a fabric is natural or synthetic. From here, we will make recommendations on care, which will be individualized to the garment. 

Synthetics 

Synthetic fibres, often polyester, nylon, elastane or acrylic, are derived from fossil fuels - they are plastic. We prefer to not use synthetic fibres, we have no interest in supporting the ongoing use of fossil fuels and clothing made from plastic will never break down, it will exist for 100’s of years to come. We respect the use of recycled polyester in some instances, especially when designing for mechanical recycling, however the waste streams needed to manage this process do not readily exist in the world. Occasionally we cannot avoid a small percentage of a synthetic blend which has been added to a material for stretch or material durability (often nylon is mixed with wool) but overall, we use very little synthetic material in our production.

Mend
We encourage you to mend small damages before considering a replacement. It can be a meditative practice or a chance to learn a new skill, however we do welcome any garment back into the studio if the repairs are out of your skillset. When you buy with Coreprêt, we offer a complimentary repair program for the life of your garment. Email us at info@corepret.com for an assessment of the damage and helpful hints.

Please note: We repair by hand, so a return timeframe will be provided upon visual assessment.

Take Back Scheme
When designing your garment, we’ve taken extra interest in the circularity of the product. If you have any pieces you no longer want, please send your Coreprêt garment back to us and we will continue its useful life by either; deconstructing and harvesting parts for new product, repair and resale, or use it as helpful feedback on performance to fuel further research. Please email info@corepret.com to kick-start this process.

Questions
As always if you have any questions about our care information or need some advice on your garment, please email us at info@corepret.com and refer to your garments product page for more specific care instructions via the Fabric Tab.