Ethical Clothing Australia (ECA) is very pleased to announce the recent accreditation of two Melbournian labels: mattt, a range of bags designed and handmade by Matthew Thomson and Cameron & James, a menswear label by Cameron James Dixon.
For Simon Mc Rae, National Manager of Ethical Clothing Australia, these accreditations confirm the growing awareness of new designers for ethically based fashion. “We’re encouraged that young designers are keen to make their production process ethical and transparent. Ethical Clothing Australia supports mattt and Cameron & James and their ethical approach to making things.”
Cameron & James and mattt will be with Ethical Clothing Australia at Fair@Square, from the 30th of November to the 2nd of December at Federation Square in Melbourne. People will have the opportunity to see Matthew making bags with his portable studio and meet Cameron to discover his label.
Mattt
“I am very proud to be fully compliant and accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia, as I believe the production process is just as important as the products created”, Matthew Thomson says.
Each and every item is personally made by Matthew at mattt HQ - his studio and retail space in the Nicholas Building in Melbourne CBD. This includes designing, digitally printing fabric, cutting and sewing. “Making everything myself,” Matthew adds, “means that I can guarantee the quality of everything produced, and if something isn't quite right I know exactly why that might be.”
Matthew first made bags for himself while he was studying Mechanical Engineering in early 2000. After transferring to Industrial Design, he further developed the range and started making them for friends and family. The range has since expanded to include shoulderbags, backpacks and other products such as iPad sleeves.
In addition to enjoying the process of making the bags, maintaining hands-on production allows Matthew to constantly develop and refine product designs and also offer customised and one-off bags.
New fabric designs are added to the range frequently, created in collaboration with fellow designers and - for the most part - printed digitally in-house.
Cameron & James
“When I learnt about ECA and what they did, I knew I wanted my label to be part of” Cameron says.
Cameron James Dixon had developed his label with a sustainable approach, from the organic fabric he uses to the local and ethical production he went for. “I first contacted ECA back in March and I’m really glad I’m now fully accredited. When I explain to people that everything is organic and made here in Melbourne, they’re always very positive about it.”
Cameron James Dixon started to develop his label in October 2010, after his Diploma of Applied Fashion Design & Technology at RMIT University and his certificate 4 in Business Management at Swinburne University. Two years after, he officially launched Cameron & James.
Cameron & James is a high quality and exclusive label based in Melbourne. The design is fashion forward, with simple tailoring and careful fabric consideration.
