Oddbird Co. was established in late 2015 Ceren Alkaç-Lee (pronounced Jeren), a Turkish native, wife and mother to 5 who now resides in Los Angeles.
Oddbird was born from Ceren’s deep desire to showcase and share the traditional handcrafted textiles of her homeland of Turkey while creating sustainable alternatives to the most used and loved items for the home and body.
In the year 2000 most fashion companies were producing only 2 collections per year, however, by 2011 most brands switched to 5 collections, with global fast fashion brands like Zara and H&M producing between 12 and 24 collections in just one year!*
In 2016, our first full year of business, The ‘fast-fashion’ industry in the USA alone was responsible for over 16 million tons of textile waste, with consumers opting for cheaper items, made in inadequate working conditions and designed to be ‘disposable’ or ‘temporary’. (Seasonless and timless transitional classic color palattes here for the long haul)
Aware that, like her, there was a growing community striving to shop consciously to lessen their environmental impact through thier consumer habits, Ceren began sourcing 100% natural fibres, handwoven in her homeland, to create multi-functional homewares that would stand the test of time and serve a myriad of purposes, so we could not only buy less and use more, but we could also shop small-batch.
She wanted to be even a small part of the movement to offer the conscious consumer a better alternative, but to also be a brand that offered the craftsman an ethical partner.
Working with family weavers who have practiced their craft for generations, Oddbird’s goal is not only to support artisan in their craft so that they are able to keep the tradition alive, but to ensure they are thriving both at work and in their personal lives. For this reason, Oddbird has always and will continue to pay our artisans above industry standards. Our dream is that as we grow, we’re able to take our artisans with us, so our success is their success.
We are incredibly proud to be a sustainably-made brand with a major focus on creating products that are made in small batches and require a craftsman’s touch to guarantee a really special product. Where our products stand out from other Turkish homewares is in the use of 100-year-old looms that require trained artisans, unlike many brands who buy solely machine-made textiles from Turkey for their products.
Our products are made from 100% natural, mostly raw, unprocessed fibers, or recycled fibres, not only to ensure the lifespan of the textile but also to ensure that if our pieces should ever meet a landfill, they are biodegradable.
Our garments are mostly handwoven, finished with reinforced seams, designed to only get better with use and wear. We design each product with multi-functionality in mind, making sure that our customers are getting the most out of a single item. And with the proper care and love for your Oddbird pieces, our customer’s won’t need to replace their most loved items for many years. We also offer complimentary lifetime repairs on all of our pieces to ensure their longevity. (see policies page for details)
We are proud to be a brand contributing to the growing conversation of sustainability and ethics in fashion and are honored to be able to serve customers looking for something of quality and integrity when purchasing even the most elemental of pieces for their home and body.
*source: Business Insider, https://bit.ly/3obGfVm
