I hope by now it is crystal clear that, at Nura, we are a Proud Australian Made and Owned Company.
Whether you have purchased a product through our website or visited us at one of the local Sydney markets you would have seen our Australian Made swing tags proudly attached to each garment. It’s amazing how powerful and reassuring the simple Aussie Made logo is for consumers.
Prior to the swing tags being visible on our product, quite a few people used to ask me whether we were genuinely Australian Made or we just used this as a selling point.
I completely understand the confusion and sometimes the lack of trust from buyers these days. With buzzwords like Ethical, Sustainable, Transparent, Ethically Sourced, Eco, Green, Organic, Biodegradable, Recyclable and Restored, it is hard to keep up with what they all mean. One thing that I have found many consumers want to know, is not just the buzzword you use with your branding, but the true story behind it – there is no longer a trust or interest in just the words we use, but their meaning…how is it ethical? Have you actually been to the factory? Do you know the names of the people who make your garments? What dyes do you use? Where is your fibre from? How much do these actually cost? etc.
Australian Made or Australian Designed are no different….people still want to know more, which I think is fantastic, because it holds companies accountable and allows for full transparency and honesty.
So in full transparency of Nura, we were certified on June 30 2017 to officially use the Australian Made logo on our clothing. Once the Australian Made logo appears on a product it means that the company has officially been licensed by the Australian Made Campaign Limited (AMCL) to use the logo on all registered products and they have paid a licensee fee (renewed annually). We have registered our products as ‘Boutique Baby Clothing Collection’, but if we suddenly started making baby toys as well we would have to notify the AMCL to seek approval to use the logo on these products before we could legally say they are Australian Made, as the manufacturing process of toys would be different to our clothing.
One thing that I do still have to explain every now and then is what the term Australian Made actually means in terms of our product…people assume Australian Made means every single part of our garment is from Australia i.e. our cotton has been grown, sourced and printed in Australia, this isn’t correct*. When applying for a license there are 6 different classifications you can apply for, each having their own set of criteria (you can read about them in depth here). For “Australian Made” or “Made in Australia”, the overarching description is ‘the product has undergone its last substantial transformation in Australia’. Goods are substantially transformed in a country if … as a result of one or more processes undertaken in that country, the goods are fundamentally different in identity, nature or essential character from all of their ingredients or components that were imported into that country.
For us, our high quality cotton is sourced via an Australian Company called Sericin Silk in Perth and all our dealings are within Australia, but the yarn comes from China and is digitally printed using South Korean dyes in China. Therefore our fabric is imported.
From here is when our product is ‘substantially transformed’ as it goes through numerous processes and hands in Australia to then become our special Nura pieces. All our pieces are designed, cut, sewn, studded, buttoned and pressed in Marrickville, Sydney. Every cost associated with our garments from beginning to end (fabric inclusive) is paid to Australians in Australian companies who earn an Australian wage (thus the reason for the higher price point in our product, as well as the fact that we design and print our very own fabric designs rather than buying somebody else’s designs).
This probably has not been the most entertaining bit of writing you have ever read, but I thought it was worth sharing the basic overview of what it means to carry the valuable Australian Made Logo 🙂
I will post another blog later outlining our entire manufacturing and sourcing process to ensure our transparency and story behind our product is 100% real and honest for you.
I had some wonderful responses when I raised the question about Australian Made versus offshore on Instagram, I would love to know your thoughts about your association to the Aussie Made logo and what it means to you and your buying habits…feel free to comment below if you have time.
You can read much more about the full Australian Made Campaign here if you are interested.
As always, please feel free to contact me at anytime about anything through our contact page
Love Nura xoxox
*although one day I aim to digitally print 100% Australian Cotton on home soil, the price point to have this done is just too high as a brand new business at the moment.
** except when posted to a customer after they are purchased