OUR STORY | Looking to the Future
16.7.21
ALULU swimwear is known for its superior comfort and support, thoughtful design features, unique prints and considered fabrics - all of which are at the core of every new range.
Founded in Northern New South Wales, Australia, in 2018 by designer and mother of two, Gemma Freeman, the inspiration for ALULU emerged from Gemma's vision to create functional, comfortable swimwear that would enable other young women and mothers like herself to feel confident and supported by the water.
Gemma and husband Brendan were both juggling work and a young family when the essence of the brand began to take shape. The name ALULU came later, in the middle of peak hour traffic on the way to work, and it just felt right to both of them. In that moment, the missing piece of the puzzle fell into place.
OUR BRAND
ALULU was formed around a vision to create well designed, supportive swimwear women would want to be seen in. Because we understand that women want to feel beautiful and "sexy" whilst also feeling supported and comfortable.
We are known for our unique prints by Australian artists and our commitment to really listening, observing, and integrating our customers' needs and wants. As an example of this 'listening', we have incorporated Power Mesh lining into every area of our garments where customers have indicated they want extra support. We have also introduced a new underwire construction technique, preserving underwire integrity over time.
OUR COMMITMENT
ALULU has a commitment to striving towards best practices in all areas of its business. This includes caring for natural resources like water while also partnering with other companies who share similar values.
Every day, in every area of our business, we take conscious steps to reduce waste, impact a healthier planet, and create a more sustainable future.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRESS
Each year, millions of tonnes of plastics find their way into our oceans. These plastics come from diverse sources - from commercial and recreational ships and vessels, fishing and aquaculture operations to land-based sources, street litter, dumping, packaging (including plastic bags), plastic sheeting, and production waste.
ALULU is committed to minimising its footprint on the planet through its business practices and manufacturing processes. This includes avoiding excess and waste by only ordering what we need to meet our customer's requirements. Our minimal packaging is biodegradable with no toxic residues (or micro-plastics) and is also compostable.
Our team is consciously learning and growing towards a more sustainable future for the planet and its inhabitants. We believe our decisions can significantly impact future generations, from the fabrics we choose to our dying processes and the artisans we choose to work with.
CONSIDERED FABRICS
The origin of our fabrics is of the utmost importance to us, as is the fabrics ability to break down and safely return to the earth.
With this in mind, we have chosen a range of premium Italian and American swimwear textiles. Fabrics are produced using regenerated materials salvaged from our oceans. The result is a beautiful, luxury fabric made from 100% regenerated nylon and plastic that can be recycled infinitely.
For our printed fabrics, we use REPREVE®, a luxury performance fibre made from recycled plastic bottles. To guarantee the recycled content of the fabric, REPREVE® uses a tracing technology that verifies recycled content claims. The company that makes REPREVE®, Unifi, is a global textile solutions company that has recycled over 20 billion plastic bottles to date.
Most of our textured and lining fabrics are made from ECONYL®, regenerated nylon made from waste from landfills and oceans. The fabric is endlessly regenerable. Going beyond the conventional recycling process, ECONYL® uses regeneration which ensures that the new fabric is exactly the same as virgin raw nylon. Meaning the fabric has like-new qualities and can be infinitely recycled and recreated into new products.
To put the impact of ECONYL® into numbers, for every 10,000 tons of ECONYL® material made, it spares 57,100 tonnes of carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere and 70,000 barrels of crude oil from being used.
SUPPLY CHAIN
We are consciously working towards 100% end to end traceability within our supply chain.
ALULU supports culture and a climate that empowers women. We encourage diversity and ensure ethical working conditions for all.
To this end, our senior management team is all female and engages a workforce with significant cultural and religious diversity.
Our factory pays award/above award wages. It is regularly audited to ensure staff are paid correctly and environmental requirements are met.
The factory provides workers with flexible working conditions as schools in Bali have two sittings. This allows staff to pick up/drop off children in their care. Workers are paid overtime, sick leave, annual leave, pension benefits and annual bonuses.