We are based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. We originate from Sabah, Malaysia.
Yes! We will discuss the size and fabric combos of existing shop designs with you through the website messenger or Instagram DMs.
Yes! We ship globally.
For Australia, it will take around 3-7 working days. As for other countries, it will take around 7-14 working days.
We accept returns with refunds, but the customer must bear the shipping costs.
Size guides and accessory dimensions will be listed in each item description.
Due to the nature of upcycled garments where a variety of fabrics are combined, meaning a mix of synthetic and natural fiber types, it requires delicate care. Hand washing or delicate wash cycle is recommended. Please try to reduce laundering to preserve garment quality and most of all to practice further sustainability in the user phase. Try spot cleaning or simply leaving it out in the sun for a few hours as the sun is a natural disinfectant. We all play a part in making the fashion industry more circular!
The end of life of the garment is very important to us. Because our garments are a mix of synthetic and natural fiber types, they are not biodegradable. Thus, we will accept your garments for free repairs (under reasonable conditions), and if beyond repair, you have the option to return them back to us for repurposing into new garments. We prefer this over having the end user dispose of the garment that will end up in the landfill. Discuss options with us, it’s fun to solve ways of diverting waste together!
We will get better with each collection, and we will be transparent with how we can continue to improve.
Mailing Bag: Our courier bags are made from D2W oxo-degradable plastic, but this can be improved on. We are looking to upgrade to bioplastic in the future when our current bags are used up. Cards and Tags: All cards and tags are made from 100% recycled paper, printed digitally (low waste and non-toxic) or vegetable-based inks in offset printing.
Currently everything except the Florréal Tote is made by me, but Alterreal hopes to continue to grow and be able to hire a local machinist in Australia for more exciting, high-quality designs. Our bags are produced in Guangzhou Hx Bag & Luggage Co., Ltd. where workers are paid legal minimum wage and work in a clean, organized, and safe working environment. However, this can be hard to assure at times because I am unable to have factory visits, thus, we will be looking into producing locally to ensure ethical working conditions.
Fabrics: Fabrics are all handpicked from discarded or secondhand materials sourced from op shops, and people around us. We also purchase small runs of deadstock fabric from other businesses when they have excess material from production. Our Florréal Tote is made from GRS Recycled Cotton fabric from Guangzhou Zhida Textile. Trims: Trim material and origins are all listed in item descriptions. We try our utmost best to source organic, biodegradable, bio-based, or recycled material trims.
Our first garment label is made from polyester; our latest two garment labels are made from 100% recycled polyester. We will continue to improve and switch to organic cotton labels when it's a financially viable solution for us.
We construct our pieces from secondhand or unwanted textile and clothing. The old garments are deconstructed, utilizing undamaged areas to sew entirely new garments.
Most of our items are completely constructed by one single person rather than a typical fast fashion assembly line process. From patternmaking to sewing the brand label onto your final Alterreal piece, endless amounts of time and love have been woven into it.
We ensure our production of new materials (trims and packaging) are at the very least of recycled contents that have been certified. In the near future, we aim to source fully biodegradable or infinitely recyclable materials.
Slow fashion is the approach we take in our design and production methods. We believe fashion should be cute but intentional. We take time in ensuring our designs are lasting and stay attractive for a long time.
