Values and Sustainability
Values & Guiding Principles
At BIANA we are guided by our values: integrity, drive, respect and freedom in everything we do – personally and professionally. BIANA respects the laws in all countries we are present in. We honor internal policies and ensure all business operations are legitimate. We believe in partnership and collaboration based on trust and transparency. We make agreements upfront, to avoid unnecessary confusion later on. We promote kindness, safety and fair dealing and believe in protecting human rights. At BIANA we also believe that the world will be a better place if women have a stronger voice in society. Based on the above principles we have formulated guidelines, which we follow in all aspects of our activities:
We respect each other and feel everyone is entitled to her/his own opinion
We work hard but try not to overstretch expectations towards each other
We do not use child labor.
We regularly visit our factory to check the working conditions.
We handpick all materials (such as yarns) at the source, so we know how it is processed.
We are committed to delivering high quality.
We favor natural materials over synthetics.
We work with our suppliers to develop and promote sustainably sourced materials.
We pay fair prices.
We do not work with any dangerous or polluting materials.
We split our garbage and try to limit waste.
We help to improve equality for women through networking, coaching and appointing ambassadors.
We feel working together should be fun!
Natural Fibers
The use of natural fibers is a big part of our commitment to high quality and sustainability. For BIANA we hand-pick Italian yarns to make luxurious knits and tricots that flatter a woman's body and let her move with ease and elegance. For our winter collections we use blends of extra-fine merino wool, cashmere, cotton and viscose. Our summer collections are built around various viscose, silk and cotton blends. We make a conscious effort to minimize the use of synthetics.
The benefits of natural fibers over synthetics are numerous: natural fabrics are more efficient at achieving their purpose — wools and cashmeres keep us warmer in the winter while cottons, silks and viscoses breath better and keep us cooler in the summer. We use far less chemicals in the manufacturing process of natural fibers. Also, we are far less likely to develop allergies to natural fibers than to synthetics. We can build sustainable production practices for natural fibers as we ensure the replenishment of the used resources. This is hard to do with synthetics, which are mostly made of oil by-products.
While everyone is aware of the fact that wool, cotton, silk and cashmere are natural materials, interacting with our customers has made us realize that many are actually not aware of the fact that Viscose is made out of natural materials as well. The raw material for viscose is cellulose, which is broken down either mechanically or chemically, turned into viscose fluid, which is then transformed into fiber. Viscose is not a pure natural material due to the chemical processing involved in the production, but is closer to the natural than to the synthetic materials and therefore it is commonly accepted as natural.
Social Responsibility & Sustainability
At BIANA we are well aware of the impact we have on the environment and on the working conditions in the factories, from which we source materials and where our clothes are made. That is why we make sensible decisions about the origin of the materials we use and the people we work with. BIANA is not only about looking good, but also being good.
We work closely together with an artisan knitting factory Kris Fashion Industries in Lovech, Bulgaria. Lovetch is The “Florence” of the Balkan Peninsula in Europe – with its own ancient history, flourishing textile industry and even its own version of the Ponte Vecchio Bridge! We have known the factory’s owner Radina Bankova since childhood. Our collaboration with the factory is based on a commitment to support them on their journey of continuous improvement: ever elevating technology, quality and working conditions in parallel.
The factory works under EU regulations and possesses Quality Control and Environment Preservation certificates IQNet – Rina 1861. They are also distinguished for reaching high achievements according to the international standards for Corporate social responsibility by the licensing audit firm Intertek.
We visit the factory 2 to 4 times a year and can provide assurances for safe, healthy and ethical working conditions.
The town of Lovech, Bulgaria
Kris Fashion – The BIANA Manufacturer
We also pursue collaboration with yarn manufacturers, who follow sustainable practices. Most of our suppliers already have certificates for:
— Safe and Healthy working conditions
— No harmful or irritant chemicals used
We continuously look for materials, which are produced in a sustainable way – for example, one of the key yarns, selected for our SS20 collection is composed of 70% viscose LENZING ECOVERO, where for each kilogram of manufactured viscose, the corresponding amount of trees is planted to ensure sustainable replenishment of resources.
All materials used in our production are sourced from Europe – from Italian yarn manufacturers, who operate under EU regulation for employment and working conditions and produce materials corresponding to the “Oeko-Tex Standard 100” of product class 1.
Here are some of our main yarn suppliers:
Zegna Baruffa – a leader in quality and sustainability
Millefili – a leader in innovation
Edoardo Miroglio – combining creativity, quality and service
Zegna Baruffa
Of course, we are not perfect and there is always room for improvement. We cannot change the world on our own. But we can certainly try to influence the people we work with and steer the production process. In the end it is all about being sensible and taking responsibility.