FAQ
STSC's Frequently Asked Questions
Due to the current complications being felt by the industry, STSC's Mills have now increased their MOQ & timeframes which will impact STSC. Please be patient, plan your orders, and understand that as a small business who offer small MOQs for the benefit of designers, we operate as a wholesaler and not a shop therefore please manage your expectation accordingly. The business of selling small MOQ sustainable textiles is very difficult but worth the investment in care and kindness.
- Most Mills now require a minimum of 300 metre MOQ (can be a combination of textiles if from the same Mill).
- CircStretch is 1000-3000m MOQ.
- Hand woven is 30 metres MOQ.
- Peace Silk is 45, 70 and 75m.
Timeframes for fabric orders approx. 21-90 days depending on availability.
Timeframes for swatches may be up to 1 month depending on availability.
- Made to Orders and cut textiles are non-refundable.
- Freight costs have increased considerably. We are told freight costs will increase again 1/11/21
- Timelines for freight are extended and updates after 5-7 days. Read more FAQs below.
Do you offer consultations?
Yes, STSC offers appointments in our Sydney Showroom or Online via Microsoft teams.
Do you offer sampling?
Yes, STSC offers various options for sampling. Sampling fabrics can be ordered greige or if dyed (receive lab dip tests) or printed (receive strike offs) to your design requirements.
Most sampling costs are based on 100+m price plus a $340 AUD set up fee. CircStretch is 1000+m to receive 10kg sampling. Request further info on CircStretch.
The STSC Sydney showroom only holds minimal sampling stock. Sampling fabrics may need to be sent from India.
How do I ensure that your fabrics are certified or accredited?
All textiles are STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certified, plus either GOTS Organic Certified or LENZING™.
Others are C2C™ Certified, Fair Trade Organic. Our dyes and inks are derived from natural plant materials or are AZO Free, C2C™ Certified, or Bluesign certified. Plus SA8000 Standard.
Each of our fabric mills have specific certification documents which will be made available after your bulk purchase or upon request.
We work with our Mills to ensure that these documents are relevant and up to date.
Do you develop bespoke fabrics?
Yes, STSC assists customers in developing their own fabrics at a start cost of $400.
If you would like us to develop a fabric that is not in our existing collection and/or to develop a similar fabric but bespoke to your needs eg a different gsm, blend of fibre types etc.
This may include one or more textiles, we will have to ascertain after seeing your PO Request. We will work with our existing mills or bring in a new mill where necessary to develop this fabric. It usually takes a minimum of three months or more to go through this process, depending on the fibre types, blends, availability.
Please enquire for more details.
Do you have stock colours of any of your fabrics?
Yes, STSC has stock colours of Modal Plain, Modal Twill, Tencel Satin, Tencel Slub, and Tencel Flax.
Our mills use the standard Pantone TCX colours. If you don't have this specific range then find the closest "regular" Pantone and we will provide lab dip tests plus view Pantone Match's for our stock colours on our Fabric Dyeing Page under AZO Free dyes.
Do you have specific care instructions for your fabrics?
To maintain the longevity of our fabrics, dyes and prints we recommend cold hand wash using eco liquid detergent, dry on the line or flat in shade. Dry white fabrics in the sun.
Do not wring. Do not bleach.
Wash colours separately.
Can be ironed on cool iron.
Why do you have Print And Dye Set up fees?
STSC have set up fees in place to ensure staff are paid to liaise with printing and dyeing mills to bring your design to life. This set fee includes print profiles, lab dip colour testing, strike offs and set up for printing and dyeing bulk fabric. This set up fee is also inclusive of staff time to liaise with the printing and dyeing mills to bring your design to life.
$340 AUD for print of dye set up.
Why do you have Cut Fees?
STSC adds Cut Fees to smaller fabric orders as there are additional labour costs associated with specifically measuring out your required meterage of fabric.
Fabric orders under 100+ Metres have an additional 30% cut fee added on top of the fabric order.
15 metre sampling lengths of Silk have an additional $100 AUD cut fee on top of the 15 metre fabric order. This is because the fabric is woven in 45 metre rolls and cutting limits the mill's quantity of bulk sales.
Why do you charge bank fees.
Banking fees are to send payment for your textiles to the mills overseas. We use international service WISE who charge approx $5-$10 depending on the amount. This way we can transfer quickly and efficiently and its usually less than competitors.
Why is freight for order invoiced once quoted?
Freight is dependent on the total weight of the fabric, therefore when your fabric is ready the mill can accurately quote the cost of freight.
What are your shipping costs and processes?
Shipping costs vary from country to country, you may also need to pay taxes specific to your country.
STSC work with an Indian Courier Service Company who strive to find the fastest and most cost effective way to ship your fabrics directly to your factory or to us STSC Australia for local distribution.
For customers in Australia we attempt to bundle fabric orders together and distribute locally to minimise our carbon foot print while minimising international freight costs. By splitting the cost accordingly between all customer orders in the bundled package.
What are your lead times?
Greige/ White Swatches and Sampling
2-4 weeks
Bulk Order Greige/ White
1-2 months
Print/ Dye Sampling
4-6 weeks
Bulk Order Print/ Dye
2-3 months
How long will my order take to arrive?
International:
For international swatch orders STSC uses Australia Post.
Domestic:
For domestic swatch orders STSC uses Sendle.
Metro areas should receive parcels in 2-6 business days.
Regional areas should receive parcels in 4-8 business days.
Do you offer refunds or returns?
STSC DO NOT offer refunds or exchanges once fabric has been cut, if it is "made to order" (unless the Mill is unable to deliver).
In the case that there is a non Industry Standard irregularity in the textiles STSC will work with the client to find the best outcome to suit the circumstance. Industry standards operate from 5% of faults. In addition many of our Mills work on the 4 Point System.
All fabrics to be returned should be in the same condition as received (never cut). It should be returned with trackable delivery to be eligible for exchange.
Why do I have to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) if my sampling or bulk fabric order is sent directly to me or my factory?
STSC have NDA’s in place to ensure that sensitive and confidential business information is kept between STSC and the clients we work with. We also trust that our designers and manufacturers will honour our inventions and designs and will not work directly with our mills or visa versa.
How do I get in touch?
For fabric enquires/ orders please follow the Order Process and fill in our order form.
You can also email us at contact@sustainabletextiles.club
Why do you only set Invoice prices for 24 hours.
Our Mills invoice us for fabrics in INR, USD AND EURO depending on which Mill therefore due to fluctuating currency exchange rates, an Invoice price can only be set for 24 hours. If not paid in that time the currency conversion may change (up or down) if paid after this timeframe as a result of currency changes which may impact the final Invoice.