Returns and Exchanges, and Why Ours Work the Way They Do

Why the policy is what it is

Most clothing you buy online was made months ago in forecast quantities and is sitting in a warehouse. When you send it back, it returns to a shelf and waits for the next person. The return costs the company shipping and handling, and that is all.

Nothing we sell works that way. Your piece is cut and sewn after you order it, in someone's home or in a small workshop they own, and a botanical colourway spends five to seven days in the dye before a seam is sewn. There is no shelf. The garment exists because you asked for it.

We could solve this by holding inventory, forecasting demand, and accepting that whatever does not sell gets discounted and eventually destroyed. That is the standard model and it is exactly the thing we built this brand to avoid. The returns policy is a consequence of that choice rather than a separate decision.

Sale and discounted pieces

Anything bought on sale, or with a discount code of 25% or more, is final sale. A code under 25%, like our standing 20% code, keeps the normal 10-day exchange. We would rather say that in plain words on a page you can find than in small print at checkout.

The reason is the same one as above, only sharper. A deeply discounted piece is already sold at a margin that assumes it will not come back, and on a made-to-order model there is no stock rotation to absorb it. If we accepted returns on deeply discounted orders we would have to stop discounting, and we would rather keep the occasional sale than remove it to protect a policy.

This does not affect your rights if something is faulty. A damaged or defective piece is put right whether you paid full price or not. Final sale means no returns for change of mind or fit. It has never meant you are stuck with something broken.

What we do instead

If we cannot let you send it back easily, the obligation shifts to us to make sure you get it right the first time. That is not a slogan, it is the actual job.

• We answer sizing emails properly. Send your measurements to support@myrahpenaloza.com with the piece you are considering and we will tell you honestly whether it will work, including when the answer is no. A real person reads it.
• We publish the measurements that matter. Our guide to whether one size will fit you gives the three measurements that decide fit, and which silhouettes forgive what.
• We exchange for size when it is not right. Within 10 days of delivery, on an unworn, unwashed, unaltered piece with its tags still on, the value comes back to you as store credit and you put it towards the size that works.
• We offer custom sizing on selected styles. Since the garment is being cut after your order anyway, cutting it to your numbers is often a smaller change than people expect.
• We tell you what the fabric will actually do. Linen creases. Botanical dye varies between runs. Our linen is stonewashed before cutting, so it will not shrink into a different size after the first wash.

Damaged, defective, or wrong

Separate, and straightforward. If a piece arrives damaged, faulty, or is not what you ordered, email us within 10 days of delivery with a photograph. We will replace it or make it right, and we cover the return shipping. You will not be argued with, this has nothing to do with the change-of-mind policy above, and it applies to sale pieces exactly as it does to full-price ones.

Frequently asked questions

Can I return an item if I change my mind?

Not for a cash refund. Each piece is made by hand to order by a specific person in Bali rather than pulled from warehouse stock, so a returned garment cannot go back to a shelf that does not exist. What we can do is exchange it. Within 10 days of delivery, on a piece that is unworn, unwashed, unaltered and still tagged, we will issue store credit you can put towards another size or another piece. Return shipping is yours unless the piece arrived damaged or incorrect. Damaged or defective items are handled separately, within 10 days of delivery.

Are sale items final sale?

Yes. Anything bought on sale, or with a discount code of 25% or more, is final sale and is not eligible for return or exchange. Codes under 25% keep the normal 10-day exchange. This does not affect faulty goods: a damaged or defective piece is put right whether you paid full price or a discounted price. Final sale means no returns for change of mind or fit, not that you are left with something broken.

What if my piece arrives damaged or faulty?

Email support@myrahpenaloza.com within 10 days of delivery with a photograph, and we will replace it or put it right. This is entirely separate from the change-of-mind policy, applies equally to sale and full-price items, we cover the return shipping, and you will not be argued with.

What if it does not fit?

Contact us before you order rather than after. Send your measurements and the piece you are considering and we will tell you honestly whether it will work. We also offer custom sizing on selected styles, and our sizing guide sets out the three measurements that actually decide fit. If a piece has already arrived and the fit is wrong, email us within 10 days of delivery. As long as it is unworn, unwashed, unaltered and still tagged, we will exchange it and issue store credit towards the size that is right.

Why do you not offer cash refunds when other brands do?

Because other brands hold inventory. Their returned item goes back to a shelf and waits for the next customer, and whatever never sells is eventually discounted and destroyed. We make nothing until someone orders it, which removes overproduction entirely, and the trade-off is that there is no shelf for a returned piece to go back to. So we exchange rather than refund, and the value stays with you as store credit. The policy is a consequence of the production model rather than a separate choice.

Can I exchange a piece for a different size?

Yes, and it is the request we handle most often. Write to us within 10 days of delivery and, as long as the piece is unworn, unwashed, unaltered and still has its tags attached, we will exchange it. The value comes back to you as store credit rather than cash, and you put it towards the size that is right. Sale pieces, custom pieces cut to your own measurements, anything bought with store credit and anything already exchanged once are final sale. Return shipping is yours unless the piece arrived damaged or incorrect, in which case we cover it. We would still rather answer your sizing questions in detail before you order, and custom sizing exists on selected styles, but if the size is wrong when it reaches you, write to us and we will sort it out.

With love from Bali,
Myrah