Olli Ella is not just a cute brand that sells adorable baby products, clothing and homewares but is a socially conscious business that cares about the world in more than one way.

Sisters and founders Chloe and Olivia Brookman have considered every aspect of their business, thinking about how they can be eco-friendly, transform the lives of their creators and care for their customers’ needs.

The constantly growing business is a multi-million-dollar enterprise that works with artisans worldwide to create environmentally friendly products and give fair work to the people producing them.

Integrity in business

What makes Olli Ella different is the compassion and awareness carved into the company’s ethos. As socially conscious business owners, Chloe and Olivia are determined to create a company that allows the women they employ to create from home and support their wider community.

Recently Olli Ella has received global recognition as a B-Corp Certified Business. To receive this honour acknowledges their hard work and duty towards every aspect of their business.

The certification process involves a detailed evaluation of every aspect of the company’s operations and accountability. Therefore, Olli Ella has proved itself as a brand that supports its workers and customers and the broader community and global environment.

The company invests in the supplier’s products and the individuals, the artisans involved in creating the beautiful creations they sell. This makes it a transgenerational investment in the success of local communities.

There is a solid commitment to fair trade practices with unwavering attention to craftsmanship and the celebration of skilled artisans who are now an essential part of the Olli Ella story. Every manufacturing decision is consciously made considering ethical supply, fair trade, and minimal environmental impact.

The business has been growing rapidly and now has eCommerce stores in Australia, Britain, the US and Europe and currently has relationships with more than 1,200 stores in 44 countries, including Harrods.

Who is Olli Ella?

Olli Ella was officially established in 2014, but the sisters’ dreams of an ethical business began in childhood.

Chloe and Olivia aspired to build a popular global lifestyle and homewares brand that supplied whimsical children’s toys, apparel and home décor, with a hope that their products could become heirlooms.

Olli Ella is unique and inspiring because of the uncompromising and socially conscious foundation the sisters set for themselves. They launched the brand with an environmental and socially conscious vision to supply and create family-friendly products that were sustainable, mindful and ethically produced while also keeping their suppliers and customers in mind.

Baskets from Vietnam 

The socially conscious business supports makers from all over the world, including India since 2013, France since 2020 and China since 2016. However, it all began with artisans from Vietnam in the Thai Binh, Ninh Binh and Chong Mai Districts.

All woven baskets and products are handmade by Vietnamese artisans who have the additional flexibility of being able to work from home while they craft the products. Producing in this way helps local workers have a stable job in their area and stay at home to look after their families.

The raw materials are delivered to their homes so they can be woven onto frames constructed at the Olli Ella factory. They are then collected, dried further in the sun or finished with water-based paints, before undergoing final quality checks and trimmed, tagged and packed for distribution.

All production areas in Vietnam have over 50 per cent female staff, with the Chong Mai district leading with over 78 per cent. By giving jobs to women, they can support families and keep them close together.

The rattan products help local workers experience employment security while supporting the local communities. Workers in the factory take responsibility for making frames, packing and loading the goods.

Sisters Chloe and Olivia Brookman understand the need for consistent work for suppliers and factory employees and are committed to purchasing monthly orders, developing products and building stronger relationships with their suppliers.

The process is constantly refined with training adding new skills to the team’s creative talents, ensuring quality control and offering a chance for their knowledge to expand and evolve.

A supplier that has been cooperating with Olli Ella for several years highlights the positivity in the support they have given them.

“Olli Ella products are always beautiful, making a lot of inspiration in our work as well as a great feeling to cooperate with professional members in Olli Ella. Besides, thanks to Olli Ella products, we are able to create many jobs for artisans in our country.”

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