- Jessica Duncan - Freelance Writer - Canada
#LILYSILK Canada: Is Lily Silk A Good Company?
Growing up, I imagined that the richest people I could think of dressed in silk from head to toe. I thought they wore silk robes, slept in silk beds, and dawned silk jackets when they left their homes. I figured I could only ever dream of owning something as luxurious as silk, let alone more than one silk item.
Then I discovered Lily Silk.
I no longer have to compromise my belief in financial minimalism, slow fashion, or workplace ethics to indulge in an amazing quality silk product.
Lily Silk: Their Beginnings
Lily Silk is a company that prioritizes offering amazing luxury silk pieces at an affordable price. According to their website, the idea for Lily Silk was conceived by Lily Lin in January of 2010. Lin had worked in France’s silk industry for over a decade and had watched first-hand as retailers raked in huge profits for silk garments while customers paid premium prices and silk workers lived in relative poverty. Lin envisioned a world where the quality of silk could be offered at an affordable price, directly benefiting the life of the worker who made the silk. Lin sought to do this by pairing Chinese Silk weavers with Western silk enthusiasts.
High Quality Fabric and Service
Lily Silk offers some of the most high-quality fabric and services on the market. Most of the time when Westerners think of the phrase “ships from China” they think of long shipping fees, wait times, and cheap products. It’s the opposite with Lily Silk. Lily Silk puts their customers first every time with their determination to find skin-friendly and high-quality silk products. They only use Grade 6A silk, known as the “Queen of Fibres” from China, which is also coincidentally the producer of the world’s finest silk and Grade A Cashmere, known as the “Jewel of Fabric” from goats in Inner Mongolia.
Lily Silk: Working Towards A Zero Waste Lifestyle
Oftentimes, some individuals who want to follow slow fashion principles struggle because they feel like they’re limited to shopping at thrift stores for the rest of their lives when nothing could be further from the truth! When you invest in high quality pieces made to last and stay away from the fast trends of the moment, you’re updating your closet with necessary pieces and slowing the beast that is human clothing consumption and production.
Lily Silk is relentlessly committed to quality and perfection. “Designed to last” is a motto they stick through in all their product lines. This motto is backed by an impressive team and resume. According to their website:
● Their Bedding Production Division is led by a team of Master Silk Weavers, with a combined experience of over 40 years of experience in Silk Sheet production. ● Their Sleepwear Production Division is supervised by our Master Tailors, with over 30 years of experience working with Silk. These Tailors complete all Silk product customizations by hand. ● An extensive team of Quality Assurance (QA) experts inspect all their products at every step of the production process to ensure that our silk products are manufactured to the highest of standards. ● Their “bestselling products" are certified to Oeko-Tex Standard 100.
With their impressive quality control and commitment to quality, Lily Silk ensures their pieces will last. Considering they make bedding products, silk sleepwear, women’s clothing, baby silk bedding, silk-related beauty accessories, and their infamous silk pillowcases, Lily Silk offers a range of products that can help you work towards a zero waste lifestyle (one of their core brand tenants).
Lily Silk: Connecting the Worker to the Wearer
Not only can buyers feel excited by the prospect that a business they support is helping them work towards a financially minimal and zero-waste friendly lifestyle, they can also rest easy knowing the garment worker making their clothing is getting the best wages, hours, and care possible. Recent decades have shown us the perils of the fast fashion industry on garment workers (mainly women) in the Global South, where many companies (Zara, Urban Outfitters, and more) outsource their labour for cheaper costs; this keeps money lining the pockets of the corporate elite and costs relatively low for customers (compared to clothing made in North America). In comparison, Lily Silk’s has believed in worker welfare from day one. Their main objective is to connect the garment worker with the garment wearer, offering full transparency of the workers conditions so customers know that those who made their clothes are working safely. Their website lists worker welfare as a core belief and notes that they get fair wages and benefits and reasonable working hours, all without sacrificing product quality or price. Though we cannot personally verify the welfare of their workers, it sends a message that they list it as a core company principle, when most companies barely take time to acknowledge their garment workers at all.
Charity at Its Core
Consumers will also be happy to hear that Lily Silk makes charity an active part of their business model. They focus on giving back to China, and try their best to help rural areas the most. They run a” Free Lunch for Children'' and support the “China Song Ching Ling Foundation- 'Loving Dictionary' Donation Project.” For every purchase made, Lily Silk will donate $1 USD to one of these organizations or others that are dedicated specifically to youth welfare. They also welcome charitable suggestions, so if you have a charity you’d like them to consider, contact them at charity@lilysilk.com.
Fashionable Slow Fashion: Styles We Love
Not only are these products high quality silk and wallet-friendly, their designs are elegant, effortless, and timeless, contributing to your capsule wardrobe easily. Here are a few items we recommend that won’t irritate your skin, will keep you cool, won’t absorb moisture, and can be tailored directly to you! Slow Fashion doesn’t have to be boring or second hand - and these pieces from Lily Silk prove it!
Basic Concealed Placket Silk Shirt
19 Momme Terse Envelope Silk Pillowcase
Final Thoughts
Finally, there’s also a few things on their website they don’t make apparent, though we at Simply Simple feel these take the cake on amazing company service and values!
Firstly, for a small fee, they will create a custom piece just for you. If you see a design you like but it’s not offered in the colour you want, you can request a different type of colour, or even silk, as long as it’s something they stock. Further, if you have a body that cannot wear ready to wear clothes (whether that be because you’re differently abled, live in a bigger body, etc.) you can send them your measurements and they’ll make a garment in your size (in only approx. 10 business days).
Additionally, they also sew using French seams (where the raw edges are enclosed), rather than the fast fashion serged seams which can irritate sensitive skin. This adds that extra touch, creating a garment incredibly comfortable and beautiful even when inside out.
And lastly, as far as pricing goes: what you see is what you get. The price you see at checkout is all that you pay. There are no hidden shipping or delivery hidden fees. They ship incredibly fast with most orders arriving within 3 business days.
Ready to get shopping?
#LilySilk #FinancialMinimalism #SlowFashion #CapsuleWardrobe #WorkplaceEthics