Australian sisters, Siobhan and Nuala Denniss, are the owners of an ethical garment manufacturing business in Bali, Indonesia. I spoke to Siobhan at her factory in Denpasar. Siobhan talks about how they began their business, and their mission to serve small and emerging designers. Their clients are based in Australia, North America and Europe.  

In this episode:

• Why Bali is a good location for garment manufacturing, particularly for Australian designers.
• Issues that designers face in production, such as quality control and minimum order quantities.
• Siobhan and Nuala’s production workshops - designed to provide practical education about the process of manufacturing. Details on their website: www.siobhanandnuala.com
• Why specification sheets and technical packs are important.
• The process of toiling, sampling and producing a fashion garment.
• Different clients and types of garments they manufacture - from childrenswear to formalwear.
• How fabric impacts the production cost.
• Siobhan’s motivation to look after her workers and their families, with ethical working conditions and providing a living wage.
• Sustainable strategies employed in their factory to reduce energy use and waste.