We strive to make sure the brands and groups we work with are genuinely committed to their ethical credentials and are doing what they say they're doing.

At times, we can rely on independent standards and external certification, (The Fairtrade Mark is a well-known one). However, current accreditation doesn't cover all the areas, (for example, there's no official logo for something made with recycled materials, or for those making a positive contribution to the local community), so that's when our due diligence really comes into play.

When we started out, one of the first things we did was try and define what ethical fashion actually means, seeing as this was going to be our initial focus. We spoke to individuals from across the globe and we weren't surprised to find that the term means different things to different people.

We found some people were passionate about organic cotton, whilst others had spent decades looking into natural dyeing. Strict vegetarians and vegans told us they would never buy leather, whilst others were more concerned about how the leather was tanned. Sweatshops were obviously a definite 'no' and Fair Trade was usually high on people's list. We spoke to hemp aficionados and those from the “think global, act local” school of thought. Others believed it was all about being a social enterprise or giving money to charity, or shipping by sea not air...

So, we set about researching supply chains; looking at all the effects on planet and people along the way; from raw material to finished product and beyond. We didn't find anyone out there doing it perfectly and ticking ALL the boxes. (Some areas are mutually exclusive; it's rather difficult to be fair trade, supporting the developing world, whilst being locally sourced in the UK!) However, we did find some visionary brands that are making a real difference.

For our selection process, we use an ethical matrix developed by an independent ethical consultant. This helps us review each brand and product across the full supply chain covering environmental impact, fair trade and labour standards. They have to be working in at least one key area (see below) but we also look at the amount of good a label is doing overall (we wouldn't work with a company who use environmentally friendly dyes for example, if the rest of the supply chain is far from transparent.).

We'll tell you the ethical story behind each product, so you can decide for yourself what you think of it. And we link to authorities, experts and institutions, so if you don't want to take our word for it, you can question others in the know.

And yes, at the end of the day we trust them. Some of them have been doing ethical fashion for an awful lot longer than us after all.

We aim to work with our brands and suppliers, to share best practice and learning, so that we can all become as ethical as possible in all aspects of our business.

And by producing our own ranges we're really starting to walk the talk. We're working with a variety of experts to make sure Ascension really does do what it says on the tin.

We've put together a page on all of the most important ethical hooks within our matrix so that you can learn more (knowledge is power as they say!).

Read about the key ethical hooks that we look for in the brands we work with:

Fair Trade
Organic Clothing & Textiles
Alternative Fibres
Environmental Impact
Labour Standards
Recycled
Made in the UK
Charitable Projects
Leather & Animal Products

If you have any questions about our selection process, how we work, or anything else for that matter, please get in touch.