Writing by IRA ARZ, Photo by Dim Gunger
FEBRUARY 9 2022
Give the gift of stories, not stuff. We’ve narrowed down your search below with this list of eco-friendly products to gift your partners and loved ones. Whether you’re searching for green brands or simply on the lookout for inspirations on fashionable ideas on what to give, have a browse through some of our top picks of brands that are not only good for you but also for the planet.
Thinking Mu
Image via Thinking Mu
WHO:
Sustainable casual clothing and everyday wear founded in Barcelona in 2008.
MATERIALS:
Thinking Mu highlights their approach to organic farming fondly, with most of their t-shirts and organic cotton products certified by GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), and each product has information about their specific certifications available on the product page. Aside from organic cotton, they also highlight their use of sustainable materials such as biosynthetic EcoVero, Tencel, and organic hemp. Their organic cotton materials are stated on their website to be using 70% less water and reduces carbon footprint by 22%. The also uses recycled polyester that are upcycled out of recovered waste, as well as organic wool that are obtained with the protection of animal welfare.
INSIGHTS:
They work together with tracing company Bcome to provide their garments with a transparency tag with a QR code to access the story and impacts of each product. They claim to provide transparency on materials, place of production, water footprint, carbon footprint, toxicity footprint, waste footprint, packaging, and animal welfare. Although not all of the specified information and product story is easily accessible on their website, nevertheless, Thinking Mu is committed to sustainability and they are aligned to keeping transparency records about their products.
Elvis & Kresse
Image via Elvis & Kresse
WHO:
Luxury lifestyle accessories.
MATERIALS:
Elvis & Kresse have been rescuing raw materials, transforming them into luxury lifestyle accessories, and donating 50% of profits back to charities. Their weekend bag is handmade from genuine decommissioned firehose and the lining is made from material rescued from Burberry’s Yorkshire workshop and military-grade parachute silk. Most of their products are marked vegan, aside from some exterior that uses rescued Burberry leather.
INSIGHTS:
Founded in 2005, Elvis and Kresse learned that London’s damaged decommissioned hoses were heading to landfills and decided to rescue the materials to create something out of it. Kresse fell in love with Duraline hoses when she saw them piled up on a rooftop at a fire station in Croydon, awaiting an imminent and undignified death in a landfill. The partners started their range with belts and grew to a wider range of products. None of London’s fire-hose has ended up in landfills for over a decade now, with over 300 tonnes of material reclaimed. Since 2017, the Burberry Foundation partnered with Elvis & Kresse to tackle leather waste to save 120 tonnes of leather off-cuts from Burberry and turn them into new luxury lifestyle items, all can be found in Elvis & Kresse’s online shop.
“Sometimes it is easier to define something by looking at its opposite. If materials, pace or processes can’t be maintained in the long-term given what we know to be true about climate change and biodiversity loss then they are unsustainable. If it is indefensible it is unsustainable. If it will make the world worse for other people’s grandchildren it is unsustainable. Sustainability isn’t a side dish, or an optional extra, it is literally life or death for civilisation. All of this applies to fashion as it does to any other industry.” – Kresse
Rapanui
Image via Rapanui
WHO:
Clothing and fabric manufacturer based in Isle of Wight selling casual clothes for adventurers.
MATERIALS:
Named after Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, Rapanui uses eco-friendly materials that include organic cotton certified by Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), along with PFC-free water-resistant coating on their Jackets. The shop consists of organic cotton t-shirts and water-repellent jackets, as well as outdoor essentials such as pants and socks all in bold colours, available for both men and women.
INSIGHTS:
Although Good On You gave Rapanui their highest rating of ‘Great’, their labour rating along with animal rating still stands as Good and not perfect due to their use of wool and the fact that it’s unclear whether they ensure a living wage is given out to their supply chain. They do however produce their items in a renewable energy-powered factory in order to reduce their climate impact. The bold colours seen in their product line are the result of their use of non-toxic inks which 97% of the water are then recovered to dye products. The brand also produces unique ways to save their waste by mixing their unused fabrics with water to produce paper notebooks, stickers and packaging printed with soy sauce [1].
Solios Watches
Image via Solios Watches
WHO:
Minimal Design (customisable) Solar Powered Watches founded in 2018.
MATERIALS:
Solios Watches highlights their stylist watches on their use of recycled stainless steel, eco vegan leather, and handmade eco-friendly packaging. The product line features their innovative solar design to create a positive impact on the planet. Their key materials are Eco silicone-based leather, created to be non-toxic and is free of PU, PVC, phthalates, heavy metals, solvents, and toxic by-products. They also use cork inlay to create vegan leather straps in order to avoid using traditional rubber found in leather straps. Lastly, their watch cases are made out of certified recycled stainless steel.
INSIGHTS:
Solios aims to prove that it is possible to reconcile design, elegance, and sustainability. No compromise here: each timepiece features carefully curated materials, ethical processes, and, most and foremost, timeless and minimalist aesthetics. The watches are showcased elegantly on their website, they even have a segment for Valentine’s Day Gifts to customise each watch by their variety of strap options, and an option to have it engraved. Gift-giving aside, they also have a Rainforest Trust limited edition watch that gives back 10% of revenues to the foundation. Each watch sold will result in approximately 10 acres of rainforest being restored.
In less than two years, Solios has become in 2020 the first (and still the only) watch brand to obtain B Corp certification. With this achievement, they aim to continue to work hard to retain this title and are in the process of confirming our carbon neutrality with a third-party agency whilst in the process of opening their very first store near Montreal in the spring of 2022.
Asket
Image via Asket
WHO:
Luxury menswear brand specialising in essential wardrobe basics.
MATERIALS:
Asket specialises in wardrobe basic essentials including t-shirts, trousers, and sweatshirts. Their range of wardrobe choices vary from their use of organic cotton, recycled cashmere, recycled wool, traceable merino, and recycled synthetics, each material is classified in their material matrix charge under categories, A, B, C, D, E, with the latter being the most harmful, and A being the most preferred. Asked have banned the use of virgin cashmere, conventional leather, mulesed wool, animal hair, fur, feather, angora, and any leather from exotic animals.
INSIGHTS:
The brand seems to be fast-paced ahead in being highly sustainable and aiming to create their majority of collection with materials that has a low impact on the planet. Their model minimises overproduction and allows accountability towards their supply chain by not hoping on every ‘end of season sales’ opportunity that just encourage shoppers to spend without thinking.
Further Reading:
1. Live Frankly [Internet]. 2022. Available from: https://livefrankly.co.uk/directory/rapanui-clothing/
