Kustom Kit

Kustom Kit Featured Products

Kustom Kit 5 Star Accreditations

Every factory that manufactures products for Kustom Kit must commit to meeting internationally recognised standards. We do not own factories and are extremely selective about who we work with. Compliance is closely monitored by a range of globally recognised bodies who make regular audits to the factories in which our clothing is manufactured.

Oeko-Tex is an independent globally standardised certification especially developed for textiles. Its primary purpose is to ensure that the chemicals used in the manufacture of textile products are in no way damaging to health.

At Kustom Kit we understand what the modern wearer demands from their clothing. We expect colours to be brighter, we want our shirts to need little or no ironing and we require our sportswear to be fully functional keeping us both warm and dry. We test every component from fabric to thread, every label, lining, button and zip so that our customers never have to compromise on comfort or performance. Oeko-Tex Standard 100 allows Kustom Kit to deliver innovate fabrics and designs with complete confidence that no harmful chemicals have been used in their manufacture. Kustom Kit demands all products achieve this certification.

The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh (the Accord) was signed on May 15th 2013. It is a five year independent, legally binding agreement between global brands, retailers and trade unions designed to build a safe and healthy Bangladeshi Garment Industry. All of our key Bangladeshi factories are screened and inspected under the ACCORD programme.

The agreement consists of six key components:

1. A five year legally binding agreement between brands and trade unions to ensure a safe working environment in the Bangladeshi garment industry

2. An independent inspection program supported by brands in which workers and trade unions are involved

3. Public disclosure of all factories, inspection reports and corrective action plans (CAP)

4. A commitment by signatory brands to ensure sufficient funds are available for remediation and to maintain sourcing relationships

5. Democratically elected health and safety committees in all factories to identify and act on health and safety risks

6. Worker empowerment through an extensive training program, complaints mechanism and right to refuse unsafe work.

The BSCI program is a voluntary system by which BSCI members work with their suppliers to be in compliance with the BSCI code of conduct.

The BSCI program consists of following principles:

1. The Rights of Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining

2. Fair remuneration

3. Occupational health and safety

4. Special protection for young workers

5. No bonded labour

6. Ethical business behaviour

7. No discrimination

8. Decent working hours

9. No child labour

10. No precarious employment

11. Protection of the environment

When it comes to factory audits, nothing beats seeing things first hand. This is why our experienced product team make regular visits to our suppliers to ensure that manufacturing is undertaken in line with our strict ethical and environmental policies. In fact, we will never work with a factory that we haven’t audited in person.

STeP is an additional factory audit which places emphasis on environmental performance and social responsibility. It is only gained by factories who achieve the highest level of sustainable production and safety ethics. The fabric used to manufacture the majority of our shirts is produced in a STeP accredited factory. We are working with our entire manufacturing base to
encourage them to take part in the STeP auditing scheme.

Made in Green is a  traceable label that applies exclusively to textiles. It communicates that the garment/fabric has not only been tested for harmful substances as certified by standard 100 but is also sustainably produced in accordance to Oeko-Tex guidelines. Labelled product is available, please contact customer services for details, MOQ’s and lead-times.

The WRAP Certification Program’s objective is to independently monitor and certify compliance with the below standards, to ensure that sewn products are being produced under lawful, humane and ethical conditions. Participating facilities voluntarily commit to ensuring that their manufacturing practices will meet these standards, and further commit to passing along, on their part, the expectation that their contractors and suppliers likewise comply with these standards.

The WRAP Accreditation consists of twelve key principles:

1. Compliance with Laws and Workplace Regulations

2. Prohibition of Forced Labor

3. Prohibition of Child Labor

4. Prohibition of Harassment or Abuse

5. Compensation and Benefits

6. Hours of Work Limitation

7. Prohibition of Discrimination

8. Health and Safety

9. Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining

10. Environmental Regulations

11. Customs Compliance

12. Facility Security

SMETA is an audit format which is a compilation of good practice in ethical audit techniques designed to help auditors conduct high quality audits that encompass all aspects of responsible business practice.

The 4 pillars of SMETA:

1. Labour Standards

2. Health and Safety

3. Business Ethics

4. The Environment

Kustom Kit Garment Care

All you need to know (and perhaps a little bit more) about preserving the look, feel, fit and wear of your Kustom Kit garment.

Kustom Kit Washing Guide

Always look for the garment care label and follow the washing instructions. Washing machines, powders and fabrics are specially manufactured to ensure that when washed at the right temperature your clothes will come out looking their best time after time.

GARMENT FIBRE PROPERTIES
Cotton | Absorbent, strong, washes well with care.
Lycra® & Elastane | High stretch recovery with good shape retention.
Polyester | Durable, easy care, good shape retention.

The wash tub symbol tells you the washing process to be used.
 Spin Cotton Cycle
 Spin Synthetic Cycle
 Spin Cotton Cycle
 Spin Synthetic Cycle

Before washing, close all zips, undo buttons and flatten out collars and cuffs. Check pockets and linings for loose or sharp objects.
 Turn garments inside out to reduce abrasion so avoiding contamination by fibres from other garments during the washing cycle.
 Always read the label for correct washing temperature.
 Do not overload the washing machine. 
Always use the correct amount of detergent depending on how dirty the garments are.
Check garments regularly for marks or stains and remove as soon as possible.

Kustom Kit Drying Guide

Always check the care label to see whether a garment can be tumble dried. When tumble drying the following is recommended:
Cotton Garments | 50-100 minutes
Cotton Polyester | 35-55 minutes
Heavy Synthetics | 45-65 minutes
Light Synthetics | 30-40 minutes
In cases where tumble drying is not appropriate, there will often be alternative drying methods suggested such as dry flat or drip dry.

 Do not tumble dry
 Dry Flat – Re-shape Whilst Damp
 Drip dry

Re-shape whilst damp, by gathering the hem in one hand, holding the shoulders in the other and pulling back into shape.
When line drying shirts or jackets, always hang from the tail.
When line drying knitted garments, always fold over the line and position pegs at the under arm.
When line drying trousers or skirts, always hang from the waist.
Do not leave clothes exposed to the sun after they have dried.
Avoid drying garments on radiators or in intense heat as this could distort the shape.

Kustom Kit Ironing Guide

The iron symbols advise the optimum temperature at which to iron. The dots represent the recommended iron temperature; the more dots the hotter the iron.
 Up to 110 (Cool)
 Up to 150° (Warm)
 Up to 200° (Hot)
Do not Iron/Steam Treatment is not recommended

Iron each garment on recommended setting as per the care label.
Do not iron directly onto a printed garment. Always iron on the reverse.
When ironing dark garments avoid “iron shine” by either pressing on the inside of the fabric or through a damp cloth. This is not applicable if using a steam iron.
Do not iron over buttons, try to press around them. If you do break one, an extra is included on the care label.

Common Wash Problems

Shrinkage | The major factors contributing to shrinkage are heat and excessive agitation. Do not wash at too high a temperature. Always wash on the most appropriate cycle and follow the care instructions.
Pilling & Bobbling | Abrasion and lack of regular washing cause fibre balls to appear on the surface of the fabric. Remove by carefully brushing or picking off.
Fading in Sunlight | Sunlight can be very harmful to fabrics and the effects are irreversible. Reduce exposure to direct sunlight wherever possible.
Colour Staining | Always wash similar colours together. Never leave damp garments together for any length of time.

Stain Removal

Most stains can be removed by soaking in cold water as long as the fabric is washable, but as with all stains, prompt attention is important.
Do not use hot water to rinse the stain as it may cause it to set.
Place the stain to be removed over an absorbent cloth or wad of kitchen paper. In order to avoid a ring, first target the area around the stain and then work towards the centre, preventing it from spreading into the fabric.
Always test the removal method on a hidden part of the garment first to ensure that it does not harm the fabric.

Alcohol (Beer & Spirits) | Rinse or soak the stain in luke warm water and then launder in heavy duty detergent as per the care label.
Ball Point Pen | Apply methylated spirit or glycerine sparingly and mop up any loose colour. Rub any remaining stain with detergent and wash as per the care label.
Blood, Gravy, Egg, Ice-cream, Chocolate | Soak the stain in cold water and salt or in warm soapy water and then wash immediately as per the care label.
Coffee & Tea | Soak up liquid with an absorbent cloth and sponge with warm water. Rinse with cold water and wash as per the care label.
Fat, Grease & Oils | Remove as much of the deposit as possible and work in neat washing up liquid with fingers. Treat with warm water and then wash immediately as per the care label.
Make-up | Do not rub the stain. Pat with talcum powder to soak up any grease and then work in neat washing up liquid with fingers before washing.
Perspiration | Sponge with weak solution of water and vinegar then rinse. Launder as per the care label.
White Wine | Rinse the stain in warm water then soak in a warm detergent solution.
Red Wine | First soak the stained area immediately in white wine or soda water to remove the colour, then launder as per the care label.
Please note the colours shown on this website can only be as accurate as your computer monitor allows and are to be used for general guidance only.

Kustom Kit Ethical Statement

Kustom Kit believes that business should be conducted with total respect for people and the environment. We adopt a rigorous selection process for garment manufacturers, ensuring only those that are totally committed to exceeding our high ethical standards become appointed suppliers. We have never purchased from a supplier that we haven’t inspected and approved personally.

We do not own our factories and choose instead to build strong working relationships with carefully selected suppliers. We employ local agents and staff based in each of our garment factories whose sole focus is to ensure total compliance of our strict ethical standards for suppliers and to test fabric and finished garments at source.

Kustom Kit Supply Chain Code of Conduct Compliance

Our products are manufactured by different supplier organisations employing thousands of people in several countries. We recognise and honour our duty to protect the workforce employed to manufacture our garments and work tirelessly with our suppliers to ensure the provision of fair wages and working hours, safe and hygienic working conditions, regular employment and no discrimination, harsh or inhumane treatment of employees.

In order to manufacture Kustom Kit garments, each appointed supplier must comply with national and other applicable laws and conform to the following
terms as a minimum requirement:

• Children must not be employed below the legal minimum age required by the law of the individual country.

• Employees are to be paid above the legal minimum wage as required by the law of the individual country.

• Working hours must not exceed those set out by local legislation. Overtime must always be voluntary and remunerated at a premium rate.

• Maternity leave must be made available to all female employees.

• Employment is freely chosen and no discrimination is practiced. There is no use of forced or involuntary labour and employees are free to leave their
  employment after reasonable notice.

• Good working conditions must prevail. The provision of adequate wash room facilities and a canteen are essential.

• Primary medical care must be provided on site.

• Correct procedure and policies should be in place to ensure employee health and safety.

• Workers’ representatives are not discriminated against and are allowed access to the workplace to carry out their representative functions.

• Ensure that their own supply chain shares our ethics and is compliant to Kustom Kit’s code of conduct.

• We do not accept outsourcing or the use of homeworkers. Failure to adhere to this condition will result in breach of contract.

• Agree to an independent audit as specified by Kustom Kit.

Factory Auditing

An ethical audit is a formal examination of the labour practices of a workplace or company. It is a verifiable process to understand, measure, report on and help improve an organisation’s social and environmental performance.

We demand that all of our garment manufacturers hold a valid audit from at least one of the following:

WRAP Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production

BSCI Business Social Compliance Initiative

SMETA Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit

As a further safeguard our garment manufacturers must agree to permit regular unannounced visits from our senior management team.

Modern Slavery

Modern slavery encompasses slavery, servitude, human trafficking and forced labour. We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity and transparency in all business dealings and to putting effective systems and controls in place to safeguard against any form of modern slavery taking place within the business or our supply chain.

Our suppliers Kustom Kit operates a supplier policy and maintains a preferred supplier list. We conduct due diligence on all suppliers before allowing them to become a preferred supplier. This due diligence includes an online search to ensure that the particular organisation has never been convicted of offences relating to modern slavery and on-site audits that include a review of working conditions. Our anti-slavery policy forms part of our working agreement with all suppliers and they are required to confirm that no part of their business operations contradicts this policy.

In addition to the above, as part of our contract with suppliers, we require that they confirm to us that:

• They adhere to our ethical policy.

• They hold at least one of the following factory audits; WRAP, SEDEX or BSCI.

• The factory makes audit reports available to Kustom Kit.

• They have taken steps to eradicate modern slavery within their business.

• They hold their own suppliers to account over modern slavery.

• They pay their employees any prevailing minimum wage applicable within their country of operations.

• They will allow UK employees to audit the factories when requested.

• We may terminate the contract at any time should any instance of modern slavery come to light.