Our philosophy

The idea for Read The Label started in 2018 when our founder, Anna Wennhall, was on the hunt for the world's best bed linens. Along the way, Anna realized that it’s not just the length of cotton fibers, thread count, or weaving technique that define the world’s best bed linens – it’s about so much more.

When Anna began searching for producers in the textile industry, she was appalled. She read about how the cotton industry – one of the world's dirtiest industries – uses more pesticides than any other crop in the world. Furthermore, she learned that 270,000 Indian cotton farmers have committed suicide over the past 15 years, a number that is impossible to comprehend. Our most vulnerable communities and valuable ecosystems are paying the price for our massive, cheap consumption.

But how come that the industry pushes people to go so far as to choose to take their own lives, and how come the continual release of so many dangerous chemicals by the cotton industry? One of the answers is the lack of transparency in the textile industry. Many companies don’t know where their products are made, by whom, or in what way. As many as 93% of the world's clothing companies don’t know where their cotton comes from, and 76% don’t know where the fabric was woven, knitted, or dyed. Unfortunately, the statistics are no better in the home textile sector.


Anna decided to do what she could to create and drive positive change in the textile industry. This was the starting point for Read The Label. She listened to and learned from people in the supply chains, from cotton pickers in the fields to textile agents and producers. Eventually, Anna found a cooperative of organic cotton growers in Telangana, India, who collaborated with a family-owned company in Kolkata. She had found the right partners. Read The Label was launched with the vision of creating the finest quality products made with respect and care for people and the environment.

Five years later, Anna's path crossed with our co-founder, Amanda. Amanda shared Anna's vision of contributing to a more conscious and sustainable textile industry. They clicked, and now we are on a shared journey. With the vision of making products that truly make a difference, for real. Together with our partners in India, we manufacture products that we love, and we hope you will love them too. Our promise is to always offer full transparency and show the entire production chain – from cotton seed to doorstep. For if we are not aware, how can we bring about change?

Our respect for humans and the planet affects the way we design and produce. Each product is manufactured according to the highest ethical and environmental standards from start to finish. All of our producers are Fairtrade certified, which is the only certification with a clear goal to combat poverty and strengthen people's influence and ability to act. Our products are made by adults, who are fairly paid and treated with respect. Working conditions are safe and we prohibit child labor and all forms of discrimination. The Fairtrade premium also goes to social, economic and environmental initiatives. For example, to invest in children's education, health care and in agriculture.

With full transparency, we provide the full story behind every product. We track our bedding from seed to sheet, so you get all the information along the way. We want to help both us at Read The Label and you as an individual to understand the effects of our decisions and start doing better. By opening the doors to our factories, you can read about how our producers commit to exceptional craftsmanship, ethical practice and the finest materials.