Metta is an Australian natural fiber womenswear label, thoughtfully based within the historic Docklands Cotton Mills, built in 1875. Once a bustling cotton spinning factory owned by Bradford Cotton, the Mills were reimagined in the early 2000s as a creative hub for designers and small businesses. Today, we feel privileged to call this inspiring riverside space in Footscray, along the Maribyrnong River, our home.
At Metta, every garment is designed with care and purpose. We focus on creating timeless, trans-seasonal pieces that are easy to wear and crafted exclusively from natural fibres such as OEKO-TEX certified linen and organic cotton. These fabrics are not only kind to the environment but also a joy to touch and a pleasure to wear every day.
With decades of experience in clothing and textiles, our vision has always been to create beautiful, versatile clothing that lasts season after season. Most of our collection can be styled seamlessly for day or night, summer or winter, encouraging a more thoughtful wardrobe that works harder, layers beautifully, and travels effortlessly.
Behind the Clothing
At Metta, we choose to work only with small-batch manufacturers locally in Melbourne, as well as in Lithuania and India, because we believe in thoughtful making rather than mass production.
Our OEKO-TEX certified linen garments are woven, cut, and sewn in Lithuania, close to the European linen belt that stretches across France, Belgium, and Italy. By sourcing and producing near where the fibre naturally grows, we support a tradition of craftsmanship that honours both the environment and the people who create our fabrics.
Our design process begins right here in Melbourne, where we collaborate with a trusted team of specialists to bring each garment from concept through to final sample. Around a third of our collection is proudly made locally, with a family-run manufacturer whose business we support and nurture.
We also work with small-scale partners in India, where our organic cotton and hand-loomed silks are grown, woven, and transformed into beautiful textiles. These artisans specialise in hand screen printing, weaving, and lace knitting. Once the garments arrive in Melbourne, we complete the dyeing process locally using eco-friendly dyes and recycled water at one of the last remaining dye houses just 10 minutes from our studio.
Sustainability is woven into every stage of what we do. In Lithuania, our partners collaborate with a co-op that redistributes fabric offcuts to women’s groups, who repurpose them into sellable goods. Here in Melbourne, we gather our own offcuts and transform them into napkins, coasters, tea towels, bags, and other useful pieces. We repair imperfect garments so they can still be loved and worn, keeping them out of landfill. Locally we collect all of our off-cuts and either repurpose them into something new, offer fabric scrap packs for your projects or send whatever can't be used to After, a local textile recycling facility in Melbourne.
We use cotton thread in all our garments, which allows us to garment dye and gives you the freedom to refresh your pieces over time if they fade or stain. We encourage everyone to learn simple repair and darning techniques - small acts that extend the life of a garment and give it new character.
When the time eventually comes to part with your Metta piece, we hope you will pass it on to a friend or donate it to a local second-hand store. And if it has reached the end of its wearable life, you can rest assured it is fully compostable (just snip off the buttons to reuse).
Our goal is to create clothing that lasts and evolves with you, while remaining kind to the earth. If you’d like to know more about our process, we’d love to hear from you at info@mettamelbourne.com.au