Thought is an ethical clothing line based in the UK that uses organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, recycled polyester and sometimes wool. They proudly support slow fashion, so naturally, their pieces are designed and made to last. We love their emphasis on natural fabrics and they have been a key brand in our shop for over five years.

More than just a name, we do everything with thought. Our mantra is “Wear me, love me, mend me, pass me on.”

Our story starts with friends David and John in the heat of Australia in 1995. And their desire to wear natural, cool clothing.

The first clothing was simple – a capsule collection of men’s shirts and beachwear made of sustainable ramie and hemp. The duo’s honest, down-to-earth personalities and sustainable sourcing was refreshing.In 2002 John took the fledgling brand to the UK. He opened pop-up shops on London’s famous Portobello Road and at Camden Lock market. With countless phone calls and hard work, a flurry of independent boutiques soon stocked the growing collection.

By 2005 we had our first website, our own office, and a warehouse. And natural growth soon meant a womenswear collection. Plus, a bigger, just as down-to-earth team – including Rachel. Rachel has always had a wanderlust and a tenacious desire to work in the fashion industry. Her first experience was with a small Australian fashion brand. She did anything and everything she could to learn what it took to be part of a happy, successful business.In 2008, Rachel started developing our collections further; pushing their creative edge. She now heads up the group of incredible people here. People we’re proud to call our design team. They share the same vision: that contemporary fashion and sustainability go hand-in-hand. And each season, the team craft thoughtful, contemporary pieces for men and women. Pieces that are effortless to wear and sustainably made. Pieces designed to be love-forever classics.

Today you’ll find our collection in over 1,000 shops all over the world. We’re proud of who we are, what we do and how we do it. As ever, hard work, determination and luck have helped us innovate. And to evolve as a brand as well as industry innovators.We’re still a small business; with around 30 of us working at our offices in North London. We all work together as a team to help build and grow a very exciting future.In 2017 we changed our name from Braintree Clothing to Thought. It was a natural move to reflect how we’ve grown and evolved – and to capture the essence of everything we do.

Our Thoughtful Way

Creating Thoughtful Clothing alone isn’t enough. We value doing the right thing and want to feel good about everything we touch. That means we work ethically. From the fabrics we use, to how we design and make and deliver our garments. We think about every impact our business has. And it’s with the greater aim of minimising our environmental footprint. 

We’re also proud supporters of slow fashion, which is why we design clothing intended to last. We hope the contemporary, easy-to-wear pieces will become your favourites.The clothes we love wearing most will last longer with good care. Which is why we created our mantra. “Wear me, love me, mend me, pass me on.” It’s a reminder to look after what we own. Feel free to make this motto yours, too.

Force of Nature Fabrics 

Naturally grown bamboo, cotton, wool and hemp are special. They’re not only free from harmful pesticides and chemicals, they’re often softer, stronger. And they’re always far kinder to the environment. (Amazing, right?) That’s why we only use these fabrics to craft our clothing. And we only ever get them from responsible sources. 

We proudly embrace the spirit of innovation. And as we expand our collections, we also look to grow the range of sustainable fabrics we use. Two recent additions are tencel and modal. We love these for their sustainability credentials and how good they feel to wear. We’ll keep looking for more new fabrics. And when we find them, you’ll be the first to know.

Thoughtful Supply

Once we’ve sourced our sustainable fabrics, what happens next? Lots! And with that in mind, we’re quick to make sure that uncompromising kindness and respect is at the core of our business. The people and partners we work with are important. So we enlist a Code of Conduct and other policies that put them first. 

Sustainability

Where and how we source our yarns matters to us. And we’re really proud to only ever use sustainable ones, including organic cotton, bamboo and hemp. It’s also important to us that we manufacture our sustainable clothing in one place so there’s no unnecessary shipping of this or that.

Like darning, mending denim, or turning old jumpers into woolly hats. We partner with companies like Traid to help us learn and share skills. 

As well as partnering with Traid, we also support Smart Works and In Kind. Smart Works is an incredible charity. They provide support to aspiring out of work women, through interview training and head-to-toe dressing.In Kind Direct redistributes products from companies to charities, social enterprises and not-for-profit organisations. We regularly send them clothing, which gets passed on to those in need.