Our Promise - Sustainability & Transparency

  • Offering sustainable and ethical products that don’t compromise on design or quality.

  • Being transparent about where products are made and sources.

  • Avoiding the use of plastic across all our products and operation.

  • Endeavouring to reduce waste, looking for creative ways to reuse off-cuts.

  • Designing quality products to last, no throwaway fashion.

  • Creating supplier loyalty through mutually beneficial goals.

We seek to get as close as possible to the original source of our products. Knowing that everything we produce has an impact on the world, we take responsibility and work to limit that impact. Fair trade is our duty—we consistently use natural, ethically produced materials and support sustainable practices.

The simplest and best way for us to live sustainably is to reduce our consumption. That’s why our products are consciously designed with quality and longevity in mind. By lasting for years to come, Original Source and Supply items stand against throw-away fashion.

We are transparent about who makes our products and how. We proudly maintain strong ethical practices within everything we do - adhering to Sri Lanka rules and regulations, paying EPF and ETF for our staff, maintaining employment and salaries even during the most challenging times since 2016, ensuring that the livelihoods and dignity of the people we work with are never compromised.

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Current Collection

ACTIVITY BOOKS, POSTCARDS, GREETING CARDS & HAND TAGS

Our Activity Books, Postcards, and Greeting Cards, along with our Hand Tags, are produced right here in our office in Rajagiriya, who we share our office space with. If you ever visit us, we'd love to give you a quick tour and show you where the magic happens!

We're conscious of minimising our environmental footprint, which is why we diligently collect all off-cuts and waste from the printing process and ensure it's sent for recycling. We even have a wonderful collaboration with a local paper recycling plant, where we sometimes repurpose waste from the printer (and our own little scraps!) to create our own hang tags. It's a small way we can close the loop and give materials a new life.

You'll also notice that our Greeting Cards and their accompanying envelopes are held together with a simple paper band instead of unnecessary plastic packaging. It's a small detail, but we believe these thoughtful choices add up to a more sustainable approach.

ACTIVITY BOOKS, POSTCARDS, GREETING CARDS & HAND TAGS Explore Collection

BUCKET HATS

Just like our Hangbags, we prioritise mindful sourcing for our Bucket Hats, obtaining fabrics in small quantities from local vendors. This approach allows us to support our community whilst keeping sustainability at the forefront of our material choices. We're always exploring new colours and qualities to bring you unique options.

The nature of our sourcing means that the colours and patterns of our Bucket Hats may vary slightly, making each one a truly individual piece.

Designed with longevity in mind, our Bucket Hats feature a clean, fully-bound finish on the inside. This attention to detail ensures they are made to last, reducing the need for frequent replacements and minimising waste.

Each Bucket Hat is skilfully stitched by our talented seamstress team in the south, working from their homes. By partnering with them directly, we ensure ethical production and fair compensation for their valuable work and skills.

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HANGBAGS

We prioritise mindful sourcing by obtaining the fabrics for our Hangbags in small quantities from local vendors. This approach allows us to support our community and reduces the environmental impact associated with long-distance transportation. We're always exploring new colours and qualities, keeping sustainability at the forefront of our material choices.

The unique nature of our sourcing means that colours may vary slightly from piece to piece, and we believe this individuality is part of what makes each Hangbag special and one-of-a-kind.

Designed with longevity in mind, the Hangbags feature a clean, fully bagged-out finish (no visible seams) and reinforced straps to ensure they last as long as possible, reducing the need for frequent replacements and minimising waste.

Each Hangbag is skillfully stitched by Hemanthi at her home in Colombo. Her expertise has been invaluable since we launched the Hangbag in 2020, and it's thanks to her dedication and collaboration through many trials that we perfected the design. By partnering directly with Hemanthi, we ensure ethical production and fair compensation for her works and skills.

HANGBAGS Explore Collection

POSTERS

Our digitally printed items are produced in Colombo using high-quality paper. We believe in making sustainable choices at every step, which is why the packaging is thoughtfully considered.

In addition, the sturdy cardboard tubes are made from recycled materials. The fabric covers on the ends of these tubes are cleverly crafted from leftover scraps from our other productions. It's our way of minimising waste and making the most of every piece of material.

We're committed to the full lifecycle of our products. So, if you ever find yourself with an old poster tube that you no longer need, please don't hesitate to get in touch with us! We'd be happy to take it back so it can be reused for another valued customer.

POSTERS Explore Collection

POUCHES

We prioritise mindful sourcing for our Pouches, obtaining fabrics in small quantities from local vendors. This approach allows us to support our community. We're always on the lookout for new colours and high-quality materials.

Each of our Pouches is carefully stitched in a small workshop in Colombo by our skilled seamstresses, Minu and Pramitha. By working with this small, dedicated team, we know andcan share exactly who has stitched each of our pouches.

Inside you'll find that the seams are bound for neatness and a high quality finish. It's about increasing the longevity of your Pouch, reducing the need for frequent replacements and contributing to a more sustainable approach to owning accessories.

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TOP & SHORTS/SKIRTS

Our sets are crafted with high-quality linen sourced in small quantities from a local vendor in Pettah market. By choosing to buy in this way, we not only support local businesses but also minimise the risk of overstock.

The unique nature of this sourcing means that our fabric finds are often one-of-a-kind – once they're gone, they're truly gone!

These sets are skillfully stitched by a team of talented seamstresses working from their homes in the south. These women previously worked in garment factories in Koggala that were shut down during the economic crisis. By enabling them to work from home, we provide them with the flexibility to manage their time around housework and childcare, fostering a better work-life balance. We were also pleased to donate sewing machines to support their independent work.

We believe in creating garments that last. All the seams in our sets are finished with a French seam. This technique provides a clean and tidy finish and extends the durability of the garments. By investing in  high-quality construction, we aim to create pieces that you'll cherish for years to come, reducing the need for frequent replacements and contributing to a more sustainable approach to fashion

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ZERO WASTE HEADBANDS & SCRUNCHIES

Embracing our zero-waste ethos, these unique headbands and scrunchies are crafted from discarded fabrics sourced both in Colombo and from the off-cuts of our own productions. The relatively small pattern pieces allow us to creatively utilise even the smallest pieces of fabric that might otherwise go to waste. This resourceful approach has resulted in hundreds of different designs over the years, and often, we only have one of each truly special piece! Each one is lovingly stitched by our skilled seamstress team in the south.

ZERO WASTE HEADBANDS & SCRUNCHIES Explore Collection

ZERO WASTE PURSES

Our Zero Waste Purses are a testament to our commitment to minimising waste. Both the corduroy outer fabric and the linings are sourced from excess productions. The small size of these purses makes them the perfect way to utilise even the smallest fabric off-cuts.

The zips are carefully sourced from local vendors, often rescued excess from the fashion industry that would typically be used for fly zips on trousers and jeans. 

Each Zero Waste Purse is stitched by our skilled seamstress team in the south, working from their homes. Due to the nature of the up-cycled fabrics, we have a huge selection of colours , and often, we we'll never be able to get exactly the same shade again!

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ZERO WASTE TOTE BAGS

Our Zero Waste Tote Bags began as a creative solution to give purpose to the collection of fabrics we had accumulated over the years – remnants from past productions or materials that, for one reason or another, hadn't found their initial use.

The result was a fun and diverse selection of bags, each boasting unique fabrics and colours, meaning there's something for everyone. For us, creating these totes has been a delightful journey, a way to revisit and celebrate fabrics we've cherished for years!

We continue this zero-waste ethos by utilising extra fabrics from our current productions, as well as sourcing cut pieces from local vendors. This ensures that we stay true to the zero-waste nature of these bags, giving new life to materials that might otherwise be discarded.

Due to the limited availability of these unique fabrics, we often can't make large quantities of our Zero Waste Tote Bags. This means that once they're gone, they're truly gone, making each one a unique and sustainable find!

Each bag is skillfully stitched by Hemanthi at her home in Colombo. By partnering directly with Hemanthi, we ensure ethical production and fair compensation for her work and skills.

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Meet the Seamstresses

Hemanthi

Hemanthi

Nini

Nini

Dilu

Dilu

Ramya

Ramya

Chathuri

Chathuri

Minu

Minu

Pramitha

Pramitha

Watch me interview Shamali in my best attempts at Sinhala! We talk about how long she has worked with OSAS, where she learnt to sew and what her favourite thing to listen to whilst sewing is. We even have a little chat about favourite foods.

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Previous Products and Collaborations

BLOCK PRINTED FABRIC

Jaipur had been at the top of my wish list for years. When I finally got there in September 2016, I was blown away by the fabrics. Their beauty and intricacy is a result of hundreds of years of quality craftsmanship as exemplified by Block Print House. The Chippa family have generations of experience and expertise as Deepak explains in this video.

  • Printing, washing and dyeing – Block Print House – Read more about them and the block printing process here.
  • Cotton, for the latest collection we have decided to use organic cotton as it makes it more traceable.
  • Fabric Mill – By happy coincidence our block printers and canvas bag factory share a mill in Tamil Nadu, South India. We can’t wait to visit them!
BLOCK PRINTED FABRIC

COASTERS AND MAGNETS

These are digitally printed in Colombo near our office and then hand-cut nearby. The cork for the coasters is also cut by hand, before being stamped and carefully pasted onto each tile. We are currently working on finding the exact source of the cork. The magnets are stuck on by Upali and his wife in their home.

COASTERS AND MAGNETS

COLOURING PACKS

Our book covers are recycled and we’re currently looking to source suitable recycled paper in Sri Lanka. Each colouring book comes in a mini tote bag, made from zero waste fabrics. We use the smallest pieces for these and have hundreds of different prints and colours. It’s rare to find more than three the same.

We have donated more than 100 of our colouring books to children’s charities in Sri Lanka – read more about it here. With our donations we also give a detailed lesson plan for English language teaching, using our colouring book as a tool. If you’re interested in getting a copy of the lesson plan, message us here.

COLOURING PACKS

ROBES

We buy fabrics in small quantities for these and make maximum four pieces in each print. Fabrics are either factory excess or rejects and sometimes zero waste.

There are now two seamstresses making these. Renuka has been making them in her shop in Galle since we launched them. Recently, Hemanthi has also started making them from her home too, for orders in Colombo.
We rarely have more than one or two of each style of robes made up and in stock, so a lot of the time they are made to order.

All the seams are finished with a French seam, meaning the raw edges are tucked in, leaving a clean and tidy finish. We decided to use a French seam to make our robes to the highest quality and to last as long as possible.

ROBES

SHIRT MANUFACTURER

Mullaithivu Training Development Centre, Sri Lanka

This factory offers training, jobs, transport and lunch to women living in post-war Mullaitivu. “It is considered as the poorest district in the country with mediocre development in all areas as compared to other districts.”

SHIRT MANUFACTURER

TOTES AND WASH BAGS

Sterling Fabrics, Karur, Tamil Nadu

These are made in a small family-run factory in Karur, India. They export for the European market and have a strong reputation for quality. We have worked with them from the start. They allow us to use their excess fabrics and trims from their productions for our items. This means that zip colours will vary on our wash bags and the fabric base colours may change. We’ve called this a “flexible approach to design”.

TOTES AND WASH BAGS

TRAVEL BAGS

Fabrics are either factory excess or rejects and sometimes zero waste. They are sourced directly from printers, high street retailers or excess fabric markets.

Shamali has been making these in her small shop on the outskirts of Colombo since we started in 2016.

Upali is in charge of delivering fabrics and picking up the bags. His keen eye for details means he is now also in charge of quality control. They’re in good hands.

TRAVEL BAGS