"BREATHE" FABRIC BRACELET by BANDS OF COURAGE

$17.00 $34.00

BREATHE

"We breathe thanks to Nature's lungs, the trees and the seas"

Bands of Courage

Breathing is the first and last thing we do in our lives, we do it every 10 seconds throughout our lives, and as an activity it burns up more energy than anything else we do. 

We need oxygen to breathe and for that we rely on the trees and the seas, Nature's two lungs which recycle the Carbon Dioxide we exhale when we breathe.

Our every breath is a reminder of Nature, its trees and seas, on whom we rely for life. Our response has been to wage war on her, with almost half the trees and half the Phytoplankton in the seas now gone, we've halved Nature's lung capacity!

Size & Fitting

The organic fabric band measures 33cm / 13 inches in length. To fit to size, the length can be trimmed with scissors. Always cut at an angle to minimise fraying of the cotton.

Worn on the wrist or ankles, it is double tied at the back to hold the band in place. The band can be sown onto clothes or onto soft furnishings or used as a decoration. 

 

The Fabric and Yarns 

The processes for making the yarns and dyes for our Bands of Courage date back over a thousand years using authentic processes and ingredients which are not just natural, but highly medicinal.

The fabrics and yarns are certified organic cotton used in the manufacture of clothing and our bands begin as greige or unfinished fabric which pass through 5 stages before recycling:-

  1. De-sizing, washing the greige cloth with natural mineral-rich water and sea salts to remove sizing, gums and oils.
  1. Bleaching, using direct sunlight, and a combination of natural grass and animal manure.
  1. Mordanting, to make colours bright, they are impregnated with mordants such as myraballam, rhubarb leaves, oils, minerals, alum, iron (no heavy metal mordants are used). 
  1. Dyeing, using rich herbs to dye the fabric by immersing the plants themselves directly into the dye bath - the dyes are listed below.
  1. Finishing, by sprinkling the fabric with water and aloe-vera and stretched using hand-rolls; and, finally . . .
  1. Recycling all the solid and liquid wastes, which are used for farming, water the fields and manure.

The dyes used are:-

Haritaki - natural green in colour, it is only grown in parts of the Himalayas and is known as the King of the Herbs. It is a highly potent herb for treating many serious diseases;

Turmeric - a yellow dye, also called 'Indian saffron', it comes from the ginger family and is great for skin complaints;

Indigo - a blue dye from the leaves of the Indigo tincoria, and cures gout amongst other things!

Madder - a red dye known as the 'king of dyes' as it contains alizarin, it is also used as a treatment for pain;

Pomegranate - an ocher-yellow dye which improves colourfastness and as a medicinal herb is great for the heart!

Onion - is used to produce dye colours in shades of orange, yellow, rust and brown, and it's especially good for treating serious skin diseases like Leprosy.

Hand Embroidered Finishes

There are two hand embroidered finished used to create the inscriptions on our fabric bands are Japanese Glass Beads;

Every band is lovingly made by hand with each bead individually sown into the fabric creating unique little differences so no two bands are exactly the same.

 

Shipping Information

New Zealand Orders

  • Shipping with: We use gosweetspot.com for all New Zealand orders, usually with NZ Post as the courier.
  • Delivery Time: Expect your order within 2-4 working days, depending on your area. Rural addresses might face delays, so if your order hasn’t arrived within 5 days, do let us know.

Shipping Cost:

  • Free Shipping for orders over $150 NZ-wide
  • Metro - $10
  • Rural - $15

Rural and metro shipping is based on your post code and decided by NZ Post.

International Orders

  • Int’l Shipping: We do ship internationally, but you need to reach out to us first. Use our contact form for info and rates.
  • Customs and Duties: If you’re ordering from outside New Zealand, you might have to pay customs or duties. These charges are your responsibility and not included in our shipping rates.

Specifics to Keep in Mind:

  • Oversized Items: We can't ship big items like plants and cushions to the South Island due to shipping costs and restrictions.
  • No PO Boxes: We need a physical address, as we’re unable to deliver to PO BOX addresses.

Delivery Tips:

  • Delivery Instructions: Feel free to add specific delivery instructions, or maybe have it sent to your workplace where someone can sign for it.
  • Safety First: We suggest not to instruct the courier to leave your parcel unattended.

Preorder Items:

  • Shipping Together: Got a preorder item in your order? We'll wait for it and ship your whole order together.
  • If you’d like your in-stock items delivered first, please checkout your pre-order items separately.

Notifications and Tracking:

  • Stay Updated: Once shipped, we’ll email you the tracking number. Check your junk or spam box just in case.
  • Your Role: Keep an eye on your parcel's journey, but if there’s an issue, we’re here to help.

Order Processing Time:

  • When We Ship: Orders placed on weekends or public holidays are shipped the next working day.

Failed Delivery Attempts:

  • Return Costs: If an order comes back to us because delivery didn't succeed, we can’t cover those shipping costs. Sending it again will be at your expense.

Returns & Refunds

Not Happy with Your Purchase?

  • Returns/Exchanges: You’ve got 14 days from when your order arrives to return or exchange, as long as everything’s still in new condition with tags on.
  • Starting a Return: Email us at hello@gatheredcollab.co.nz, and we’ll guide you on what to do next.
  • For Sale Items: These are final sales and can’t be returned or exchanged.

Costs and Timeframes:

  • Postage Costs: Original shipping fees aren’t refundable, and you’ll need to cover the return postage unless the item's faulty.
  • Late Returns: Sorry, but we can’t accept returns or exchanges after 14 days.
  • Using Track and Trace: We recommend sending your return with a tracking option, as we’re not responsible for lost returns.

Need Help or Have Questions?

Order Enquiries

If you have any questions regarding your order before we hand it over to the courier, please reach out to us at hello@gatheredcollab.co.nz or fill out this contact form.

Shipping Enquiries

If you’d like to track your delivery or have courier-related questions, please reach out directly to NZ Post.