At Patra, mindful consumption is at the heart of what we do, we pride ourselves on creating styles that last using the best quality natural fabrics sourced and hand selected with the utmost care. We’ve been sustainable for more than 50 years. We only work with natural fabrics and we always have.
You know that making the fashion and textile industries truly sustainable is a big challenge; ‘fast fashion’ is byword for waste. Even natural fabrics come with costs such as excessive land, water and energy use.
Choosing to invest in Patra clothes rather than spending on short-lived fashion will reduce your impact on the environment.
Synthetic fabrics like polyester, acrylic or rayon are man-made from chemicals. Most of it will still be here in 200 years’ time.
The view from now? About 500,000 tonnes of microfibres are bobbing around our oceans every year, thanks to fashion made from polyester.
Cheap but not cheerful.
Natural fabrics like cotton, silk, linen, bamboo and wool are made from animal or plant based fibres. They’ll decompose naturally and harmlessly in less than year.
So, choose timeless wardrobe essentials made of natural fabrics. Enjoy shopping with a clear conscience.
Natural fabrics last longer and age naturally, growing softer with each wash. We use them to create beautiful garments that span seasons and let you show your style.
Let’s take a closer look at each of them
We are increasing the number of our garments made from organic bamboo and cotton mixes.
Though cotton biodegrades fast, it is a thirsty plant needing lots of water to grow.
Organic cotton is a guilt-free choice. It uses no pesticides as with regular cotton, and less energy and water. Its production is kinder to the soil, the air and the people who grow it.
Organic cotton is also hypo-allergenic and kinder to you skin than regular cotton.
See our towels, all made from organic bamboo, including bath towels, hand towels and wash cloths.
Bamboo can grow 5cms in one day – whole forests can grow in a few years – and needs no fertiliser. Unlike cotton, it grows back from its original root and does not need replanting. Its amazing growth rate means bamboo absorbs more carbon dioxide and releases more oxygen than most trees. It also rebuilds eroded soil.
As bamboo is said to be one of the strongest substances in world, your towels will be durable and superb value.
We use organic bamboo to avoid stocks grown with pesticides. Be assured you will have the best skin friendly fabrics next to your skin.
See our range of soft and sustainable silk thermals
Silk is a wonderful sustainable natural fabric. Its production uses little water and it breaks down fast. Silk worms munch on the leaves of mulberry trees, which are easier to manage than monocrops such as cotton.
Like any mass-produced fabric, silk production has some impact on the environment. Our silk is sourced responsibly from regulated factories in China that use skilled, experienced employees.
Your sustainable order needs sustainable packaging.
We use as little packaging as possible, while protecting your items during delivery.
At the moment we use recyclable polythene bags with tissue paper to reduce creasing. Your order then goes into a delivery bag that you can recycle.
Our catalogues are fully recyclable and we are working towards an FSC chain accreditation.
We’ve replaced plastic hooks with thread tags. Quick win!
To cut down on fuel use, we use Royal Mail rather than courier company vans.
We provide cotton threads with our knits and advocate ‘mending instead of binning’ so that you can get the longest wear possible out of your garment and even pass it down to loved ones.
We know there is always room for improvement and we’ll keep working towards it.
