Founded on the principles that clothing should be produced in a way that embraces people and causes as little harm to the environment as possible, Dorsu was established to set an example within the Cambodian and global garment industry.
As a manufacturing brand, we have the unique capacity to control the conditions under which our clothing is made and prioritise openness and honesty about what we do, and why we do it.
Contrary to the conventional design approach, where brands are disconnected from the factories that produce their clothing, we design and produce onsite at Dorsu. This allows us to conceptualise, sample, test and adjust our garments in real-time before sending them out to the world.
Our design process is founded on three principles; ease of wear, longevity of quality, intelligent use of resources. We do not design and produce large seasonal collections but instead release small batches consisting of 3-4 intentional pieces designed to be worn with one another across seasons.
Our products are meticulously designed for everyday wear, focusing on quality above all else.
Our versatile designs are carefully crafted in soft, breathable cotton jersey.
We choose to produce using remnants from Cambodia’s ubiquitous garment industry and source with two goals: to fall in love with colour and feel, and to prioritise longevity of quality.
Remnant fabric (also known as "deadstock" or "surplus") is unused and unwanted leftover rolls of cloth in its original condition.
As a result of Cambodia’s pervasive garment manufacturing industry and issues that occur along the fashion industry’s incredibly complex supply chain, vast amounts of fabric are deemed unusable by brands on a daily basis. This waste arises due to incorrect or oversupply of cloth, last minute changes in production schedules and the ever-increasing need for brands to be immediately responsive and adaptive to fast fashion trends.
When sourcing factory remnants, we’re not privy to the origin or composition of fabrics. Consequently, we burn-test materials to ensure it has very little or no synthetic fibres then pre-wash new fabric, testing for colour fastness and shrinkage.
We combine an appreciation for design with a progressive business model- controlling our entire design and production process onsite in our production studio. Through running a safe, fair and supportive garment production space, we offer workers an alternative- to learn and grow in an environment that supports them as individuals and as skilled workers.
Cambodia is one of the largest producers of clothing globally, employing over 700,000 workers and accounting for approximately 80% of the country’s total export revenue. Garment workers are subject to harsh and often dangerous working conditions, with long working hours, low pay and unsafe transport to and from factories.
Providing an alternative enables workers to seek better conditions, demand the protection of their rights and pave the way for large-scale industry change.
Over 95% of all factories in the Cambodian garment industry are held by foreign owners. We're proud to be one of the few locally-owned and privately-held garment manufacturers in the country, with a management team that is also 80% Khmer and 80% women. We also envision a future where our 20-30 team members are able to participate as equity shareholders, and hope to incorporate this into our business model by 2025.
Dorsu is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion as we carry out our mission. As such, we are not affiliated with any religious, political organization, advocacy or special interest group.
To learn more about our leadership team, please visit our Leadership page.
