Most of Aarrelabel's products are made at our own factory in Northern Portugal and with partners located nearby. Our pantyhose and socks are made in Italy, caps in Estonia and knitwear accessories in Finland.
Who owns Aarrelabel trademark and what is your own factory?
Aarrelabel is a clothing brand from Finland, founded in 2011. In 2016, with the change of ownership, Aarrelabel gained not only high-quality design but also its own production. The new owners, Keski-Vähälä's sisters Marko, Riikka and Laura, own not only the Aarre brand but also the sewing factory Black Moda Portugal Lda, located in Northern Portugal, where the clothes are designed, cut and sewn.
All materials and jerseys come from partners in the vicinity of the sewing factory, whom the Keski-Vähälä family has known for decades and between whom a deep trust and a culture of openness have arisen.
Where are the Aarre products made?
Aarrelabel garments are produced mostly in our own factory, Black Moda Portugal, Lda and in the partners nearby it. Also our woven items have been made in our own factory since 2024.
Our knitwear are produced by Elmate, Lda. The Dot –collections and our bath articles are produced by Somani, Lda.
The only product that is produced outside of Portugal is our hosiery, which is produced in Italy.
Under which conditions are Aarre clothes produced?
Portugal is an EU country not classified as a risk country. In Portugal, the labor market is regulated by law, and authorities monitor compliance with these laws. Portugal has also ratified the fundamental conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO). According to ILO principles, all member states are obligated to eliminate forced labor, child labor, and discrimination, and to ensure freedom of association. In recent years, the ILO's main goal has been the global realization of decent work.
The responsibility for our factory's workers, procurements, and products lies with our Finnish CEO, the middle sibling, Riikka Oliveira. She ensures that suppliers and partners adhere to ecological and ethical values.
Is our production certified?
Our own sewing company is OEKO-TEX® certified. This means that our products are free of pesticides, heavy metals or formaldehyde residues that are harmful to our health In addition, the REACH Regulation (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals), which applies in the European Union and came into force in 2007, places greater responsibility on industry when it comes to the risks that chemicals can pose to the environment or health.
Our joint partners also have OEKO-TEX® certified production and all our suppliers have signed Aarrelabel's Supplier Code of Conduct, which includes social responsibility and environmental requirements for our suppliers. The implementation of the Supplier Code of Conduct is monitored with annual supplier surveys, and the monitoring is reported in the responsibility reports published annually.
We are committed to ensuring that everyone who works in Aarrelabel’s productions is paid a living wage. We monitor this through annual supplier surveys and report on its results in an annual sustainability report.
In raw material procurement, we prefer GOTS-certified cotton and BCI cotton, and these certification schemes are part of supply chain control, such as control of social conditions and the environmental impact of production. In addition, we visit our Portuguese suppliers every year to monitor the implementation of the Code of Conduct.
All of our organic cotton is GOTS and BCI certified. From 2019 onwards our organic cotton is also GMO free and the products made in our factory are vegan. Our partners have Oeko-Tex certified production.
