Our Journey
2023 - Launched retro range 'Sustainable Plaad'
2020 - Designed and developed our 'Sustainable Sanctuary' range launched in 2021
2019 – Added new colours to our Kakadu range 'Sustainable Kakadu Dreaming'
2018 – Sustainable Living Fabrics - 50 years in Fabric
2018 – Added new colours to our Cord range 'Sustainable Cord Aviary'
2018 – Launched new range 'Sustainable Derwent'
2017 – Launched new range 'Sustainable Houndstooth'
2017 – Added new colours to our Classics range 'Sustainable Classics 2'
2016 – Added new colours to our Superthor range 'Sustainable Superthor Opera'
2016 – Added new colours to 'Sustainable Chelsea MIX'
2016 – Added new colours to 'Sustainable Imprint'
2016 – Launched new colours to 'Sustainable Ecotone'
2016 – Participated in Melbourne Indesign 2016
2016 – Launched new colours 'Sustainable Coastline Flow'
2015 – Launched new ranges 'Sustainable 'Tekneko', 'Director' and 'Coastline Form'
2015 – Participated in Sydney Indesign 2015
2015 – Launched new colours 'Sustainable Renegade Harvest'
2015 – Launched Social Media Accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Linkedin
2014 – Consolidated all existing ranges and added additional colours where required
2014 – Launched new website.
2014 – SLF was audited and our GECA License was renewed.
2014 – Launched new colours ‘Sustainable Renegade Brights'
2014 – Launched new range ‘Sustainable Operator'
2013 – Moved to a larger premises in Mulgrave in Victoria.
2013 – SLF was audited by NCOS and achieved our Low Carbon Certification.
2012 – SLF was audited and our GECA License was renewed.
2012 – Liz Miles and Alistair Fulton took over Sustainable Living Fabrics (SLF) having recognised the potential and the individuality of locally made, sustainable fabrics.
2010 – SLF was the first company and entire product range to be certified carbon neutral under the Carbon Neutral Program which is underpinned by NCOS (National Carbon Offset Standard) developed by the Australian Government.
2010 - SLF was announced as a finalist in the FMA Product Excellence Awards.
2009 - Sustainable Living Fabrics began the transition of our yarns for the weaving of our desgns exclusively by Geelong Textiles.
2009 - Voluntary Carbon Market Association.
2008 - Attended the first meeting of the UN Caring for Climate Business Leaders Platform in Geneva.
2008 - Awarded a Victorian Premier's Design Mark for its fabric Sustainable Ecostyle.
2008 – Winner of the United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day Lincolne Scott Triple Bottom Line Award for the second consecutive year.
2008 – Winner of the Monash World Environment Day Business Sustainability Award.
2008 - Endorsed the United Nations CEO Water Mandate and the United Nations Caring for Climate Statement.
2008 – SLF committed to United Nations Global Compact. We released our first Sustainability Report to the Global Initiative GR3 guidelines.
2007 – Winner of the United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day Lincolne Scott Triple Bottom Line Award.
2007 – SLF was the first contract manufacturing company and wholesaler to have every product certified carbon neutral under the Australian Government Greenhouse Friendly Initiative.
2007 – Winner of the 2007 Premier’s Sustainability Small Business Excellence Award.
2006 – Greenfleet. SLF became the first carbon neutral textile company offsetting 25% more CO2 equivalent emissions than attributed to the production of every product and every support activity. It planted 30,000 trees through Greenfleet as carbon offset and to support the Murray Darling Rescue Halt the Salt Program.
2006 – SLF established the innovative LEAP wool buying program.
2006 - SLF were a finalist in the Banksia Awards 2006 Eco Innovation Category for its Green Living Collection and “World leadership in environmental textiles."
2006 - The first company to become carbon neutral and have every fabric carbon neutral from cradle to grave.
2005 - Became a member of the Green Building Council of Australia.
2005 - On the 20th May 2005 Sustainable was added to Living Fabrics Pty Ltd, (first established in 1968), when our entire range of stock fabrics was licensed to carry the Good Environmental Choice Ecolabel, reflecting the end of a challenging journey under the Australian Ecolabel program (AELA) from fibre production to finished product. The first company to offer fabrics with this label and the only company to offer its entire range of fabrics as certified environmentally preferable.
In the begining -
Living Fabrics – A Legacy of Textile Innovation Since 1968
Founded in 1968 by Gordon Howell, Living Fabrics began as a modest weaving mill located in Silverwater, Sydney. Equipped with eight second-hand shuttle looms from Huddersfield, England, and a sectional warping machine, the company initially sourced its yarn externally and outsourced fabric finishing. Despite these humble beginnings, the vision was anything but ordinary.
Gordon Howell, a highly skilled textile designer trained in Huddersfield, brought deep technical knowledge and design acumen to the venture. He was instrumental in developing high-quality Leno weave wool fabrics, an innovation that would soon gain serious traction in the commercial and architectural textile space.
Pioneering Commercial Textiles
Living Fabrics secured its first major contract supplying 100% wool Leno weave curtain fabric for the AMP Building at Circular Quay, Sydney. These fabrics were not just visually appealing—they were supported by detailed technical specifications concerning heat and shade control and low flammability, aligning perfectly with the priorities of architects and safety authorities.
This success was quickly followed by another landmark project the upholstery fabric for the Sydney Opera House. One rule the New South Wales Government laid down for the Sydney Opera House was that no synthetic or imitation materials were to be used in furnishings. Special Living Fabrics Superthor colours Magenta, Vermillion and Warm Charcoal of the finest pure wool featured on the seats in the Concert Hall, Drama Theatre and Cinema - Chamber Music Hall, further cementing the company's reputation for performance textiles that met stringent demands.
Over the following years, Living Fabrics evolved into a dominant force in Australia’s commercial textile market, supplying curtain, screen, and upholstery fabrics to major clients such as:
• Parliament House, Canberra
• Qantas and Ansett Airlines
• Vicrail
• Major commercial developments across Australia
Our reputation extended beyond Australian shores, with exports to the USA, Canada, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Despite fierce international competition, our bespoke, performance-driven approach positioned us as specialists, not generalists—a key differentiator in a crowded global market.
Vertically Integrated Excellence
As the business grew, so too did the challenges—especially in sourcing raw materials and securing reliable finishing partners. To address this, Living Fabrics undertook a major expansion by purchasing a former knitting yarn factory in Goulburn, NSW.
This new facility allowed the company to become fully vertically integrated—processing raw wool into both woollen and worsted yarns, dyeing them (either pre- or post-weaving), and finishing the fabric in-house. The yarn and finished goods were transported between Goulburn and the upgraded Silverwater mill, which had been modernised with state-of-the-art Dornier weaving machines.
The Goulburn plant employed around 50 people and was pivotal in enabling the production of small-batch, high-performance textiles tailored to customer specifications.
A Unique Australian Manufacturer
At a time when most textile wholesalers were reliant on mass-market imports, Living Fabrics stood apart. We designed, manufactured, and marketed our products directly to the commercial market, giving us unmatched insight into the technical and regulatory standards required for modern architecture and infrastructure. Our focus was never on mass production—but rather precision, performance, and partnership. That is what made Living Fabrics not just a manufacturer, but a trusted name in commercial textiles both in Australia and abroad.