Our Story & Approach
Ecosophy is a sustainable homeware brand with a focus on bedding, towels and other textile products. Our name combines eco (from the Greek oikos, meaning ‘household’) and sophy (from sophia, meaning ‘wisdom’). This dual meaning of 'ecological wisdom' and 'household wisdom' reflects our goal, which is to help our customers make ecologically wise choices when decorating their homes.
Our product range is focused on textiles as they represent concrete and symbolic links between our homes and the wider world. Just as a piece of fabric is woven together, textiles symbolise the inter-wovenness of our globalised world, connecting us to farmers, weavers, and communities of wildlife on the land and in the soil. The textile industry is one of the largest in the world and its potential to affect the world in both a positive and a negative way is huge. We want to harness the positive side of this potential and show how responsible textile production can create not only beautiful homes, but also a more beautiful world.
NATURE-INSPIRED DESIGNS
Our designs are inspired by nature and informed by the principles of biophilia, which is the theory that humans are happier when surrounded by natural materials due to our evolutionary heritage. We therefore use natural fibres only and plant-based dyes where possible, and choose muted colours and subtle patterns for our designs. In doing so, we hope to create products that bring the health and therapeutic benefits of nature into the home.
SUSTAINABLE FABRICS
We use sustainably produced fibres, most of which are organic, and either natural or low-impact dyes.
With the exception of our bed and table linen, which is too large for a hand loom, all of our fabrics are woven by hand and many make use of other artisanal skills. We use hand production where possible as it is carbon neutral, supports rural livelihoods and adds an individual character to each product.
ETHICAL PROCESSES
Our producers include cooperatives, social enterprises and fair trade factories. The larger ones are certified and the smaller ones tend to be supported by NGOs.
We visit our suppliers and spend time with them so that we understand how, where and by whom our collections are made. We then communicate this to our customers so that you gain some insight into the people and processes behind our products.
Ecosophy was founded in 2016 by Kate Anderson, who has an academic background in anthropology and sustainable development, and a life-long interest in interior design. Inspired by artistic traditions around the world that use decoration as a tool for expressing relationships to society and the cosmos, Kate decided to explore how decor could be used to create positive connections between our homes and the wider world. To do so, she set off on a journey through South Asia, where she visited farmers and artisans who were pioneering sustainable forms of textile production. Partnerships with these groups soon followed and Ecosophy was officially born.
Photo: Kate with some of the women who weave our organic cotton towels.