The story so far: Chinti and Parker was launched in October 2009 by two cousins with similar styles, tastes and dreams.  We are always on the hunt for the illusive ‘perfect T’ and feel that there is a gap in the market for great luxury basics produced by a UK brand, in an ethical way.  Our aim is to create a brand with an alternative approach to creating beautiful clothes in a respectful manner.

Chinti and Parker aims to produce versatile must-have garments that bolster your everyday wardrobe and more importantly last the test of time. Our garments age beautifully, constantly evolving into your favourite essential T-shirt or jumper.

There is nothing worse than trying to re-buy your favourite T and someone telling you ‘sorry it’s been discontinued’! Chinti and Parker will do its utmost to keep your fashion basics in stock and running throughout the year. In addition to this, we will add two new capsule collections for Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter. Watch this space….

Vogue suggested one should ‘fast-Track Chinti and Parker to wardrobe-staple status’. Since conception, the brand has had a loyal following in the press and with celebrities like Thandie Newton, Trudie Styler, Laura Bailey and Claudia Schiffer. It was first sold exclusively on-line on our website, we are now starting to sell in independent boutiques like The Cross, Trilogy and many more (pls see stockists page).

The style idea behind Chinti and Parker is one of layering; a little shirt hem shape poking out under your T, a splash of colour on your neckline, a long sleeve T under a short sleeve dress – one can never wear to much jersey!

To make the range super easy to wear and layer we have made all our cotton jerseys in three weights:
* light – fine and sheer
* mid – the perfect weight all year around for all your jersey essentials.
* heavy – more dense, ideal for dresses, skirts etc where you need more drape.

WHY?
For us 'ethical' should not be an extra, we feel it should be within the core values of each garment we produce. We believe the world of organic and fair trade will eventually become more the norm than the unexpected.

We also want to do our bit with transparency, this is with the hope that lots of little green things will add up.  As a small start up business we have faced challenges in reaching all our ethical goals, so we have made a start, and we will strive to improve our eco criteria as we grow. We are not perfect but are believers that small steps like using organic pesticide free cotton, turning off lights, recycling, turning the TV off standby etc. can make a difference. It’s about considerate living.

On each garment there is a unique checklist, on which we have ticked what we have been able to achieve during the production of that garment, ie. whether it’s Carbon Neutral, Organic fabric, Made in in the EU or has Natural Trims.

WHERE?
The majority of our garments are made within the EU. We are particularly proud to produce our children's knitwear locally, in Dorset by a clever team of women knitters.
WE FEEL IT'S IMPORTANT TO KEEP PACKAGING TO A MINIMUM. Each garment arrives beautifully packaged in an organic cotton Chinti and Parker envelope. These are made by Teddy Exports, a fair trade cooperative from the Tamil Nadu region of Southern India. We hope they can be useful within your wardrobe.

At Teddy Exports 55% of the 500 workers are women and a number come from disadvantaged backgrounds. The organization provides sustainable employment and good pay to all workers. Profits from the business are used to fund a primary and junior school for local children (including those with special needs) with free transportation, uniforms, books, food and a clinic providing medical services for free to employees.
made of

MATERIALS:
Our jersey (all except our grey marl) is 100% organic cotton, certified by  GOTS.

 The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is the worldwide leading textile processing standard for organic fibres, including ecological and social criteria, backed up by independent certification of the entire textile supply chain.

The aim of the standard is to define world-wide recognised requirements that ensure organic status of textiles, from harvesting of the raw materials, through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing up to labelling in order to provide a credible assurance to the end consumer.
Textile processors and manufacturers are enabled to export their organic fabrics and garments with one certification accepted in all major markets.

Why organic? Conventionally grown cottons requires the use of enormous amounts of pesticides, which is not only bad for the environment, but presents some serious health risks for the workers and the wildlife around it. Besides helping the environment, there are other benefits such as better working environments for those farm workers who would ordinarily be exposed to some of the most harmful pesticides in the world. Consumers benefit too, some suggest that organic cotton products are softer and easier on your skin.

Our cashmere is Italy's finest Loro Piana yarn. We are eagerly awaiting availability of organic certified cashmere. As soon as it is on the market, we would of course, like to move in such a direction.

CARBON NEUTRAL:
We decided to make Chinti and Parker 'carbon neutral'. The Chinti and Parker team tried to source everything locally but commercially this was not always viable so this was the next best alternative.

Carbon is the most significant green house gas. The prime cause of global warming is these green house gases which trap heat in the atmosphere. Scientific consensus is that climate change is an inevitable consequence - extreme weather conditions that will cause severe harm to social, economic and environmental systems. We are beginning to see this now.

The future
This is only the start ... We intend for the production of Chinti and Parker garments to be an evolving process.  As new technologies and manufacturing opportunities emerge, we will of course take full advantage of these.