How we plan to remain truly Canadian - An update from the Local Laundry gang

Hey YOU! Yes... you! The one reading our blog. Thank you for stopping by and staying up to date with everything that is Local Laundry. It's because of you, and the support of our amazing community, that we can make our dream of running a Canadian made, owned and operated t-shirt company a reality!

Photo courtesy of Lindsay Greenwood Photography

With that being said, we think it's so important to remain transparent, open and honest with you and the rest of our community. After everything you've done for us, it's the very least we can do. 

The past four years have been absolutely incredible. We’ve learned a tremendous amount along the way; about building community, building a business, and perhaps the most surprising, the environmental impact the textile industry has. The more we learn, the more we understand that we need to take action in improving our products, and our approach to business. So here's the part we've been dreading... We understand that no one likes to see prices increase -- neither do we! However, if we want to continue building a sustainable business model that’s focused on building community and producing quality products in an environmentally responsible way, a price increase is inevitable. 

Let's break it down for you a little bit further. The nitty-gritty and a few reasons that attribute to our price increase:

1. We’re exploring new ways to increase the environmental stewardship of our business, including new organic cotton and bamboo materials. These new materials are better for the environment than traditional or synthetic fibres! This means better quality garments that last longer! The second you try on one of our new organic cotton sweaters, you'll get it. Trust us! Extreme comfort to the max.
   
   
   
2. The rising cost of Canadian labour (which we see as a good thing) has attributed to a price increase in our raw materials. All of our manufacturing partners pay their workers a livable wage with competitive benefits! We believe it's extremely important to support our people and our extended community just as they are supporting us.
   
   
3.  We’re working on sourcing additional sustainable and compostable packaging to decrease our environmental footprint. (We <3 NEATure!) This is driven by increased pressure, globally, for companies to increase their environmental efforts. We feel a responsibility to follow in the footsteps of other great companies, such as Fiasco Gelato, Patagonia, etc. As progressive as we’ve strived to be, our customers are starting to demand even more.
   
   
4. Your voice matters so we listened. We'll always listen to you, we promise! Strong feedback from our community shows that you value and support our pledge to Canadian manufacturing and that you are willing to go on this journey with us to ensure we continue to establish ourselves as a premium, high quality, environmentally responsible product that is worth paying more for. We're doing this for you!
   
   
5. When conducting market research, we recognize that many of our competitors have entered the market at a similar price point that are not made in Canada, do not share the vision of building community, and are not committed to increasing environmental stewardship. We want to ensure that we are priced appropriately in the market in order to ensure our customers understand the quality of the product they are purchasing. Like we said, we value you and strongly believe that you deserve the best, highest quality product out there. The better the quality, the less often you have to buy! A long-term investment if we do say so ourselves. 

We knew you'd understand! :) Prices increase November 1st, so we recommend getting your Christmas shopping early this year! If you have any questions at all, feedback, comments, ANYTHING, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the team to discuss! Keep it local, friends. 

~ The Local Laundry Gang, Connor, Dustin, Kathleen and Briare.