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Corporate Social Responsibility

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT

updated 01.07.2019


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 


Emma Willis Ltd believes in sourcing all materials as close to home as possible, not only to keep craftsmanship alive but also for the care of the environment and reducing energy consumption and global warming.  Therefore since Emma Willis was founded 30 years ago we have always made in England.


Emma Willis shirting cottons are spun, woven and finished in a small mill called Alumo in the Swiss Mountains, washed in the abundant mountain water as part of the vital finishing process for cottons. Emma Willis Linens are also produced in areas of abundant natural water in Northern France and The Netherlands.  


The company uses as little packaging as possible when finishing the shirts.  For all bespoke shirts only tissue paper is used to pack the shirt, no plastic clips or collar bands and for the ready to wear shirts, they recycle all of the packaging by removing any plastic from the shirt needed to keep them presentable and are sent back to our Gloucester Factory to reuse on new shirts.  This just leaves the cardboard and one sheet of tissue in the shirts, which can be easily recycled by First mile, a recycling company in London which Emma Willis has used for 20 years. 


Shirts, boxer shorts and nightwear made skilfully, using the finer quality cottons and linens will last for years, worn by Emma Willis customers until they literally fall apart.  They are enhanced by age, feeling softer and softer over the years, so the very opposite of fast, disposable fashion, another factor that is part of Emma Willis’ whole philosophy to create a product that both her customers and the business are comfortable are bringing not taking away from our precious worlds.  Emma Willis also offers a ‘re-collar and re-cuff’ service which extends the life of the shirt.

 

COMPANY ETHOS 


Emma Willis MBE, DL trained at the Slade School of Art in London before starting her business in 1989, visiting customers in London and when recession hit the UK, New York and Paris to measure and take orders for bespoke shirts.  Her shirts were made in a small highly skilled shirt making workroom in South East London she found, with one cutter and five seamstresses, which she and another shirt maker took over when the little factory was having trouble achieving enough orders to keep it going.  This introduced Emma to the craftsmanship of traditional Jermyn Street shirt making and the skill and passion of the cutters and seamstresses keeping it alive. 


In 1999 she opened the Jermyn Street Shop and came across the perfect sized shop in the perfect bespoke small section of Jermyn Street.  Emma designed the shop with friend Penelope Chilvers and employed traditional, skilled artisans from Wiltshire to build a shop with a rounded shop front, bespoke cabinetry for shirt shelves, oak staircase, stone floors and bought antique furniture and fine art for the interiors.  She felt the beauty and craftsmanship of bespoke shirts must be reflected the fabric of the shop and wanted to create a welcoming, elegant, essentially English drawing room look, with fresh flowers and music. 


Twenty years later the shop is thriving and has become an integral part of bespoke Jermyn Street, attracting customers from all over the world with a growing, loyal clientele who know they can trust the make, fabric and service and enjoy the friendly but traditional environment of the small shop. 


All the shirts, nightwear and boxer shorts are hand cut and sewn in the larger Factory Emma started in 2010 in Gloucester, housed in an 18th century townhouse for a spacious, homely, light filled working environment where so much hand cutting, sewing, sock weaving and embroidery needs strong, natural light. 


MADE IN ENGLAND 


Emma’s passion for high quality British manufacturing, making the most of the commercial and economic value of the Made in Great Britain label and creating employment drive her business.  Her aim is to continue to grow the Gloucester Factory whilst maintaining all the traditional methods of shirt making and hand cutting, employing and training local, young people, to become a world famous British name known for quality, service, reliability, honesty and compassionate employment. 

Emma also works with GEM and GARAS in Gloucester to help support vulnerable people through employment and employs two highly skilled Syrian refugees.  She was awarded an Exemplary Employer Award by GEM in 2018.


AWARDS


Emma was awarded an MBE in Her Majesty The Queen’s New Years Honours list for entrepreneurship, is a Deputy Lieutenant of Gloucestershire, is an honorary fellow of Gloucester University for her active role supporting their Fashion Degree students and received a Points of Light Award in 2019 from the Prime Minister for ‘outstanding volunteers who are making a real difference in their communities.’


CHARITY STYLE FOR SOLDIERS 


In 2008, deeply moved by a documentary interviewing young injured servicemen rehabilitating at the Military Hospital Headley Court, Emma decided to use her shirt making as thanks for their service and great sacrifice and began visiting every two months for ten years, measuring the injured servicemen and women for free bespoke shirts.  This developed into Style for Soldiers, a charity providing complementary smart clothing, bespoke regimental walking sticks and reunion parties, the Christmas party at the HAC being the largest reunion for injured service personnel in the country, attended by the patients she met at Headley Court over the years, over 750 in total, and their partners or wives, all dressed in their Emma Willis shirts and suits given to the charity by M & S and shoes donated by Russell and Bromley.  The Former Prince of Wales was the guest of honour at the 2016 Christmas reunion party and spoke of the importance of wearing smart, well fitting clothing provided by Style for Soldiers, helping with confidence for interview, new jobs and lives, after life changing injuries serving the country. 


CONDE NAST INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP


Emma met Conde Nast’s Chairman Johnathan Newhouse in 2015 to discuss how they could promote sewing in the fashion colleges and fashion business as this is the vital skill needed to keep our clothes industry alive and Emma expressed the need to shine the light on seamstresses not just cutters in the fashion world.  Together they set up The Conde Nast Emma Willis Sewing Scholarship, sponsored by Conde Nast, awarding a five year, £10,000 per annum earning and learning place at Emma’s Factory, given to a deserving young local person not able to go to University of facing some sort of life challenge. 


This has been highly successful and Emma’s head seamstress and supervisor Kath Muir, who has over 30 years of sewing experience, teaches new arrivals, even with no sewing experience at all, with inestimable skill, wisdom and patience, creating talented employees who become a valuable part of the sewing team and company.


EMMA WILLIS SEWING SCHOOL 


As a DL of Gloucestershire Emma was introduced to the Muslim community in Gloucester at a Queen’s Voluntary Awards ceremony and was inspired to set up complimentary sewing classes in Gloucester, a multi cultural city which has historically welcomed refugees from all over the world including recent from Syria and Afghanistan.  Emma met a local lady Aysha Randera who was extremely well connected in the area and together they set up sewing classes in the Emma Willis Factory, the company giving free sewing training by Kath Muir. The new, larger venue for the classes will be on in the Gloucester Friendship Cafe in 2019. 


LOCAL COMMUNITY 


Emma, her husband Richard and local friends have raised over £200,000 for the Friendship Cafe and City Farm, meeting places with many activities as well as the sewing for people seeking company from any religion or cultural background in the heart of Gloucester and Emma Willis Ltd donated a much needed £50,000 4 x 4 vehicle for transport in 2018, which they kindly advertise on the van, ‘Donated by Emma Willis Ltd’ and organised a ceremony of thanks.


EMPLOYMENT 


Emma Willis employs 27, and we pay over and above living wage.  Pay rises are given every year over and above the UK average. Emma Willis is committed to promoting equal opportunities in employment.

 

Carbon Disclosure Project report

It is estimated that our Global Carbon footprint is : 

English Workrooms

Bearland House is an elegant 18th Century townhouse in the centre of historic Gloucester and home to the Emma Willis Factory. Here their luxury shirts, boxer shorts, pyjamas, dressing gowns and walking socks are made using traditional methods of cutting and sewing, making to the highest standards.

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