Deb Bee of Bee & Sons, founded her company in 2020. A former Harvey Nichols and Harrods Marketing Director, Deb has become a leader in sustainable knitwear. The brand uses 100% natural fibres, often recycled, ensuring every item is part of a circular lifecycle. Deb's passion for keeping clothes out of landfill is at the heart of her brand's ethos.
What was the inspiration behind Bee & Sons?
Two things – one was, I started knitting again during lockdown. I’d learned as a child but never managed more than a baby cardigan or two. A friend from Harrods asked me to knit her a cardigan that she had a photo of, no pattern – so making it up as I went along. To be honest, I wouldn’t usually have the time or patience. Another friend saw it and liked it so I made more and more. Then my very good friend who worked in knitwear in Milan said – why don’t you…
The other - I used to be a fashion editor on a magazine and one of the first articles I wrote was about recycled wool. I’d studied the environmental impact of textile waste in A’level geography and knew the importance of recycling. I interviewed a man in Yorkshire about how he colour-sorted old sweaters, shredded them then turned them into fluff to spin into new yarn. During lockdown, I tried to find him to source yarn because it seemed to me to be a no brainer – sadly his yarn recycling business had disappeared. It’s cheaper to buy new yarn from China than re-spin old jumpers in the UK. So recycling has died out. And all those old jumpers that we take to charity shops are mainly going into landfill. I thought – let’s prove it’s possible to make a circular business – because if I can do it – anyone can.
What challenges have you faced in sourcing recycled materials, especially during Bee & Sons' early days?
My first port of call was Italy where they still make recycled yarn. I found some recycled Cashmere from a supplier in Prato. Prato is the historic garment industry of Italy and has been recycling yarn for centuries. While I tested the best way to knit with recycled yarn, I created a range of natural fibre cardigans. Once we’d got our heads around recycled yarn (the best ways to knit it on a machine – bearing in mind that there’s a lot of tension involved so the yarn needs to be strong) we added a cashmere collection to Bee&Sons. I felt I had to prove that recycled cashmere was just as good as virgin cashmere – the end game - before I embarked on becoming properly circular.
Can you explain how Bee & Sons embraces circular fashion?
We have two collections – one is made of recycled yarn – the other is made of natural yarn. Both collections are 100% natural and can be recycled at the end of their lives. We ask our customers to send back their garments when they are full of holes – then we can turn them into fluff and respin them into fresh yarn. We design with recycling in mind. Hence we use no synthetic fibres at all – our threads and labels are 100% cotton – our buttons are secondhand and natural, our packaging is all NOISSUE – so no plastic at all. I have collected all the natural fibre waste from the factory where my sweaters are knitted, and this year we are experimenting with the waste to create our own yarn. I’m so excited to have connected with some of the old guys up north who used to recycle. They still have all the skills. They also have a lot of sass – being from the north – and they think I’m a total ditz. But they’re fabulous and we’re a committed team. Watch this space.
In your opinion, how can consumers make a bigger impact when it comes to sustainable fashion?
Stop buying shit. And by shit I mean – stop buying polyester (full stop), stop buying fast fashion that’s not designed to last (because they want you to buy more), stop buying things you don’t need (because they more you buy the more they’ll make.) Buy recycled, buy pure fibres that can be recycled, rent (I rented for a wedding last year – I mean how great is that? I wore a Vampires Wife dress for £85 and it was EPIC), borrow, mend, swap, camp out in charity stores, learn to sew and knit and make your own. And tell everyone you know not to buy Shein because it’s evil.
What role do small, local manufacturers play in your brand’s sustainability efforts?
I work with an amazing factory called Corah Textiles in Mansfield. They make all my sweaters. I pop in any time. I know them. I trust them. It’s great to be able to be friends with your manufacturers rather than working with people the other side of the world. How can a brand, hand-on-heart, say that they know their supply chain is fair, if they don’t see them at work.
How do you foresee the fashion industry evolving towards sustainability over the next decade?
Two things need to happen:
1. The government needs to tax fast fashion brands and ban plastics and polyester. Without legislation nothing will happen. Corporate greed wins out every time over environmental issues. Every brand needs a roadmap to being environmentally responsible. Sustainability, circular business and responsible supply chain should be on every brand roadmap. But these issues are not taken seriously because it costs money to act responsibly.
2. As consumers we need to arm ourselves with the facts – and stop buying shit. If we vote with our feet, they will have to sit up and take notice.
What advice would you give to emerging designers who want to incorporate sustainability from the start?
You need to start from the end and work backwards. When your garment is at the end of its life – where will it go – can it start again? Once you have found a fibre that can be recycled – you have the start of a circular business. Then, discover what you can do with that fibre. The idea that you can create ‘anything’ in any colour and in any fabric is so old-fashioned. We need to only work with recyclable fibres – we need to put limits on ourselves.
Today’s consumers want authenticity above style. Gen Z would rather hang out in Oxfam than high fashion. We’ve a lot to learn from that attitude.
How do you ensure transparency in your supply chain, particularly when sourcing recycled yarns?
I do my best. I know my knitters. I’ve visited the factories where my yarn is spun. I’ve watched the whole recycling process in Prato. (you can watch the Prato film here https://beeandsons.com) There will always be people who want to con you. There will always be loop holes. I heard about a factory in China that was supplying fabric made from recycled plastic bottles. The fabric became so popular that the supplier couldn’t get enough bottles, so he set up a factory next door making plastic bottles. 🙄 By the way, fabric made from recycled bottles cannot be recycled. So that’s not circular. And recycled polyester sheds more microplastics than virgin polyester – so don’t go down that path either.
What role do your customers play in supporting Bee & Sons' sustainability efforts?
I do a weekly newsletter which attracts a lot of support – I get so many messages from customers saying how much they enjoy them. We promote other brands in our newsletters – brands we think are doing a fab job.
What legacy do you hope Bee & Sons will leave for future generations in the realm of sustainable fashion?
Bee&Sons is very small, an annoying buzzy insect irritating people into action and proving it’s all possible. If we, as a tiny brand, can change the way textile waste is treated and get people into buying recycled – I’ll be delighted.🐝
A massive thank you to Deb for taking time out of her busy schedule to chat to me. Make sure you check out the Bee&Sons website. You can also follow the brand on Instagram.
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