Our Story
We've been on pause for a few years - Libertine The Label was once the well-loved Libertine Design. Now, in 2024 we are back and excited to start a new chapter.
At Libertine The Label we consciously craft clothing in beautiful natural fibres, hand-loomed, hand-dyed fabrics, unique prints, and embroidery. Designer Lissette works closely with a small, family-run factory in India to bring her NZ designer brand to life, embracing the romance of soft, floaty, boho styles with hints of masculine tailoring.
SUSTAINABILITY
We have big dreams for Libertine The Label in minimising any negative impacts of our garment production on the planet. Here's where we are at in our sustainability journey:
Natural Fibres
We use biodegradable, natural fibres as much as possible in our garments including cotton, bamboo, rayon (viscose), silk, linen and tencel.
Waste & Energy Reduction
For hand-made fabrics we only produce exactly what we need, never in excess. Leftover fabric scraps are made into scrunchies, hair ties or small jewellery bags that the local community sell. We try to reduce transportation impacts (carbon emissions) by buying stock fabric local to our manufacturer in India and by shipping our finished garments via sea freight whenever possible. We don’t use any plastic in our packaging for freight and instead garments are packed into branded cotton tote bags and then biodegradable cardboard cartons.
Water Conservation
We use eco-friendly dyes in our fabrics and where possible we hand-dye these in small batches to reduce water consumption.
Quality & Durability
We don't believe in fast-fashion. Our garments are produced with the highest quality fabrics and finishing, and when cared for properly should stay wardrobe staples for a long time. We recommend our customers always follow the care label in their Libertine The Label garment. Cold hand washing and line drying saves an enormous amount of electricity and water and will help keep our products looking as good as new (as is reasonable for their age).
"I can’t write a love song or sing, so to me this is my instrument, it's in my DNA. I find it hard to imagine doing anything else."
Libertine The Label is a rebirth of Libertine Design, which our designer Lissette Mayson put on hiatus amidst Covid and a cancer diagnosis.
Lissette started sewing at 3 years old with her Mum, and by 11 she was buying clothes from op shops (much to her mother’s initial horror), taking them home and remaking them into something cooler. In the following years she honed her humble craft with a design degree, 30 years working in garment production, buying & design. Now Lissette is an established name in NZ's fashion industry. Auckland's Ponsonby Road locals will know her as co-owner of vintage store Moral Fibre (proving to her Mum that all those years of op-shopping paid off). Her previous clothing labels Tantrum and Libertine Design had a cult following for their original prints, and she's excited to be back and sharing her love of print and fabrics with her past, present and future customers.