Social Responsibility

Trelise Cooper makes beautiful garments with heart and integrity. We believe in being ethical, sustainable and kind in everything we do. Those values are at the core of the Trelise Cooper Group and reflected in our products as well as our people. We make well-designed clothing that is made to last and designed with a timeless aesthetic so it can be handed down to future generations. We’re proud of our business and how it enables us to support our talented team and give back to our community.

Our company is led by designer and founder Trelise Cooper, who is passionate about creating gorgeous designs that are beloved by women around the globe. Trelise has been a designer for over 30 years and has formed strong relationships with the artisans, beaders, manufacturers and suppliers who help us create our unique, hand-worked garments.

Here in New Zealand we have 50 staff in our head office and another 50 in our Flagship retail boutiques. As a company we directly and indirectly employ hundreds of New Zealanders through our independent retailers, our own business, and our associated New Zealand suppliers. As a New Zealand Designer brand we believe we are the largest employer of New Zealanders in this industry.

We are deeply committed to strong ethical standards and social responsibility, and choose to align ourselves with those who share our values. We are unwavering in our commitment to support the economic and social wellbeing of our skilled workers and their communities. With that in mind we have developed an Ethical Code of Conduct that covers key issues of fair living wages, child labour, hours of work, justice, safety and diversity. All of our suppliers and manufacturers are required to work within the Code.

We currently work with manufacturers and fabric suppliers in New Zealand, South Korea, India, China, Spain, Turkey, Italy and France. With that in mind we spend 40% of our garment production budget in New Zealand and 60% of our production budget is spent offshore.

Trelise and our production team regularly pay personal visits to the factories where our garments are manufactured. Over the years they have formed great relationships and participated in morning prayer, staff education programmes, and shared meals.

We value everyone who supports and contributes to the Trelise Cooper Group and we are strongly committed to making positive changes to our supply chain. We are continuously evolving and improving our practices to protect our environment and our people. We acknowledge that sustainability is an ongoing process and we are always learning and open to positive change.

We go forward every day with kindness, gratitude and respect for ourselves, our environment, and our world. Together we can make a difference.