Recently the sales and marketing team took part in some product training with Laura Parrott from Mantis World. Laura walked us through everything, from the company’s humble beginnings to the meaning behind the different types of cotton farming.

She also presented all the brands key styles and explained where they are sourced and how to get more information on the product supply chain. Every product from Mantis World has a QR code on its wash label that you can scan with your smart phone to find out more about the product.

We make a conscious effort here at Prestige to keep up to date with the brands that we supply, so we can pass on the correct and relevant information to our customers. Which in turn helps them to make the best purchasing decisions.

We asked some of the members from Team Prestige about what they learned during the training:

We also asked Laura a few questions about Mantis World and their views for sustainability and the future, here's what she had to say.

What do you think the future holds for the industry in terms of sustainability?

Whilst the industry is certainly showing a desire to change, mostly driven by increased profitability in "going green", those of us who have been in the fight for a cleaner industry can see we have a long way to go. Cutting through the noise and giving consumers the facts need to be front and centre of how brands talk about their sustainability journeys because confidence in the claims made is still generally quite low. When one claim is found to be dishonest, it damages the integrity of us all. The industry needs to face this head on and give customers the clarity they deserve. Our impact calculator allows consumers to scan a QR code conveniently placed on our care labels, and they can easily access the data on the impact of their garment as well as look into the supply chain. It does beg the question, if we can do this, why isn't everyone?

What major changes you have seen, regarding sustainability in the past few years? 

The demand for organic and environmentally preferred fibres has increased dramatically in recent years, with brands within our industry and beyond snapping up raw material globally. This is a good thing in theory, but the supply has not been able to keep up with the demand. This has resulted in price increases across the entire supply chain, impacting the customer who ultimately ends up paying the price.

What sustainability means to you as a brand?

Sustainability is such a broad term, and one that we feel is increasingly losing its true meaning. It is worth asking how sustainable it is to create huge collections, using enormous amounts of natural resources and raw materials. How sustainable is it to manufacture huge amounts of colours, when the majority of decorators and customers are only looking for the core shades? Organic or not, over-manufacturing and overconsumption is an enormous issue in our industry, and one that we feel has not been fully appreciated yet. For us, the fight for climate justice is closely linked to the fight for social justice and workers' rights, and the fight against gender-based violence towards women and girls. It's about seeing first-hand how environmental issues around the world affect the lives of those within the supply chain, and doing what we can, using our platform and our seat at the table, to protect their livelihoods. Without doing this, the textile industry faces some real threats to its very existence, and true sustainability is to take this into account and leave the empty slogans at the door.