OUR STORY
Sherbet Lemon is the brainchild of fashion designer Laylah Aroha, and namesake to her favourite lollie. Born in Ōtautahi, educated in Pōneke, and now based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Laylah launched Sherbet Lemon to address the gap in designed by women, made for women underwear, while standing for: slow, ethical, inclusive fashion, designing for all kinds of bodies.
Sherbet Lemon is for the girls who kept the Barbie clothes, ate the lollies before dinner and dressed up just because. Founded on years of sketches, experimentation, runways, early mornings & late nights. It has manifested from a growing all women team that nurtures a labour of love that celebrates all things divine & feminine, playful & provocative.
Ethics & Sustainability
At Sherbet Lemon, we’re all about transparency, sustainability, and ethical production every step of the way. In a world full of fast fashion, we believe real sustainability means creating high-quality pieces that last. Our mission is to make beautifully crafted items you’ll love for years, encouraging a shift toward mindful shopping.
MATERIAL & SOURCING
Our commitment to sustainability starts with thoughtfully chosen fabrics that are gentle on the planet and your skin. We source our materials in two main ways: for new fabrics, we prioritise locally sourced, natural fibers. No waste here though! We focus our sourcing away from only what’s new and shiny, we have a collection of deadstock fabric, laces, trims, and ribbons and always keep an eye out for op-shop rejects to reduce industry waste as well as constantly reimagining fabric use and reuse through recycling and manipulation techniques. We keep off-cuts from almost every garment, if not for use in garment fabrication then for campaign/set/show styling. This often results in pieces being completely unique, one-of-ones and impossible to mass-produce.
PRODUCTION PROCESS
At Sherbet Lemon, every piece is handmade in our Tāmaki Makaurau studio in Aotearoa. This not only means we get to obsess over every little detail, but it also lets us support our team with fair wages and create high-quality pieces that are built to last.
Our primary form of business is made to order meaning no stock clearout sales, no over production and no evil waste. Any collection that falls out of our made to order production model is curated to small quantities and release batches, often restricted due to the one-off nature of the designs. Any fabric scraps we may accumulate are used in our zero-waste collections, or repurposed into matching accessories, nothing goes to waste here! We’re always looking for new ways to keep things sustainable and mindful as we grow.
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Sherbet Lemon is committed to making clothing for everybody. We believe getting dressed should be fun, expressive and entirely your own, not something reserved for a particular size, shape or idea of who gets to be fashionable.
We’re continually working towards more inclusive sizing and designing with real bodies in mind, because everyone deserves to feel good in the clothes they wear. No exclusions, no “flattering” rules, no apologies for extra spillage .
While we currently only stock sizing from 6-14 we are in the fabrication process for developing patterns for a more extended and inclusive sizing range. In the meantime if you fall outside our commercial scope, reach out! We have the skill and dedication to make your order to your measurements at no extra cost.
Your body is never a problem!