Alyssa Schneider is a 17-year old VCE student living in Melbourne who recently launched her own affordable, sustainable & ethical silk intimates line called House of Blyss.
Commenting on her March launch, Alyssa said, “I created this because for many years I have been concerned about the fast fashion industry and its damaging effects on the environment. Whilst I have found a love for vintage and second-hand clothes, intimates are the one area that you cannot buy second hand. I discovered that sustainable brands of intimates were very expensive for young women and due to this began to sew my own.
“Through experimentation of different designs and encouragement from friends, I decided to launch my own range of 100 per cent dead stock silk intimates. I sew all garments myself, source my silk locally in Melbourne (ex-designer stock), use local biodegradable packaging and sew to order to reduce waste. I have already had a fantastic response with several items selling out. I also created the website myself and took all the photos.”
The foundation of House of Blyss is to stay local and “slow” according to Alyssa who sews all the garments in her Melbourne home. She has ensured all parts of her business are environmentally conscious – using recycled tissue paper and compostable postage bags for shipping. All garments are made to order thereby reducing waste. The garments range between $25 to $65 and are all limited edition due to being deadstock. Several products sold out immediately upon launch, she said. Alyssa hopes that more people start to think about the environmental impacts of their clothing purchases and support “slow” fashion local businesses more.
Keen to get the word out about her “unique, sustainable business”, Alyssa said her school, Woodleigh School, has also been very supportive.
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