Sustainability STATEMENT

Whilst deaf in one ear since the age of 15, Founder and Designer Shanna Bent, graduated from the London College of Fashion in 2012 where she extensively studied innovative and sustainable practices within fashion production and textiles development. She went on to work with The Sustainable Angle and gathered further experience at conscious Womenswear brand Beautiful Soul. In 2010, she was shortlisted as a finalist in the Whistles Sustainable Dress Design competition.

Ten years later, she is heading her own brand, Maison Bent, ensuring that all fabrics used are made from natural fibres that will eventually disintegrate back into the Earth. Fabrics are locally sourced from nearby London markets in support of other small, minority owned businesses and all samples are designed and developed within our own London based studio. Embellishments such as metal rings and old Jamaican coins are up-cycled and hand drilled into buttons.

In addition to also selling on reputable rental platforms such as My Wardrobe HQ and By Rotation, Maison Bent has become one of the first brands to offer a direct rental service on their own website. Customers can now rent a sample item for a minimum of 3 days at a fraction of the RRP. This helps to reduce production and allows an array of different people the experience Maison Bent who may not have been able to afford a full-priced item.

In 2020, we were able to raise hundreds of pounds for the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust (Now named Blue Print For All) from sales from our up-cycled, hand-made face-masks. The charity strives to encourage diversity in work places and provide high impact programmes for disadvantaged young people. They provide tangible opportunities and support that enables these young people to thrive, whilst driving systemic change in organisations and society.

Most recently, we have introduced our first item made from Apple Leather and plan on introducing more accessories from the same fabric in support of sustainable fabric development.

Maison Bent's mission is to encourage a more compassionate and responsible fashion industry. We avoid using buzz-words and prefer to be authentic in our approach in creating a more welcoming and inclusive culture. We want to see more people that we can relate to, regularly and celebrated within the realm of luxury. We want to create beautiful items that can stand the test of time to avoid ending up in landfill or being left to people who look like us to deal with.