Wess

Women clothing, to compose a capsule wardrobe. They ship anywhere in the European Union. Marine Vicenzotti and Rebecca Parienti started Wess in 2017, originally as an online store for ethical, sustainable and vegan clothing, creating capsule wardrobe. At the end of 2018, they decided to stop reselling other brands and create their own. “It made sense because we really wanted to push minimalism consumption via the concept of capsule wardrobes developing our idea of 5 pieces that can be mix and matched to create 30 different outfits as well as our fashion basics line with co-designed fashion staples. The whole idea behind the concept of selling capsule wardrobes came when we started to change our personal way of consuming fashion and realise that one of the main problem in the fashion industry is overconsumption. We wanted to show women that you don’t need to have overloaded wardrobes to feel good and be stylish”, says Rebecca. “I was working in the fashion industry at the time and when Marine and I decided to launch Wess, we wanted to use this fashion experience to help other women. Back then, we were both living in London as flatmates and discussing ethical fashion quite often. The project of Wess appeared quite quickly to be honest. Marine is a born entrepreneur and what I was personally imagining as a side hobby for us was a viable company for her. One day at the pub between 2 gin and tonics we decided to create Wess. We wanted to use all this energy, skills that we had learnt somewhere else to work toward something that we believed in and to help other women take the leap toward ethical fashion”.

“During the year, at no particular moment, we also launch fashion basics that we all need in our wardrobe (the crisp white shirt, the day to night dress, the so-chic breton top …). For these fashion basics we ask our community to vote on every aspects for few month and then avail the product in a preorder campaign. When the pre-orders are done we produce the item in an ethical, sustainable and vegan way. That is what we did with our first product: the reversible breton jumper, it we were very happy with the results”. They also add personal advice on clothes sent (for example, what to wear with them or how to personalize it), so when someone buy it, there is more chance for her to cherish it and wear it as much as possible. Always in order to fight against overconsumption.

For now they only use organic cotton, labeled GOTS, produced by various partners in India with whom they have been collaborating for years. The production of clothes is made in India by a cooperative of women from the slums of Mumbai, who can work with a real salary and with safe and pleasant working conditions. “In the cooperative there is also a school, a creche and a sponsorship program for the women grow kids to send them to university. There is also a medical center, a mutual fund and so on. It is a real social project that go way beyond the manufacture of clothes”. As packaging they use regular recyclable big envelops.

The challenges they face: The main one is linked to the very high cost of developing a sustainable business (raw materials, factories, packaging …). Furthermore, the final cost of the products is, of course, higher than that of fast fashion. “Sometimes people don’t understand why, because they have been used to fake prices for so long. So there is also a part of education”. The other challenge is to find the right partners to make sure they are as involved in sustainability as them.

Next steps: They are working for a more sustainable packaging. They want to develop the pre-order system more, in order to produce quantities as close as possible to the demand. For the new collections they are exploring other materials like Tencel and recycled fibers. They want to expand sales to other countries.

UN Sustainable Development goals: 5, 12.

Link to website

Zola Amour

Women clothing, with essential and quality garments (shipping all over the world). Emilie Evans decided in 2016 to dedicate herself to this project after working for the fashion industry, also for a well-known shoe brand, shocked by a system that causes damage to people, to the environment, to consumers, by the drive to buy more and more. At work she realised the number of collections to be released, four times a year, with products that have to be always different in order to encourage new purchases. On a business trip to Hong Kong, she was impressed by the smog that blurs the sky, thinking at the beginning it was simply foggy. It is during the journeys that Emilie became aware of the shocking footprint of the industry. “As we walked up a narrow backstreet near a factory entrance, we were met with towering heaps of off-cuts from the recent production run. Rubber, PU, foam, expanded polystyrene, leather, polyester, insole board, outsole board… you name it, it was there. This was only a few of the many discarded mountains of waste we would see during our travels. All of which contribute to the staggering 12 million tonnes of textile waste thrown into landfills each year”. Emilie decided not to contribute to all this. She resigned and worked for two years in two coffee shop jobs while she was studying for her project. This is how was born Zola Amour, which offers clothing to wear long, simple, in natural biodegradable fibers, certified: organic cotton, linen, hemp, bamboo. In the “Transparency” section of their website, suppliers and certifications are indicated. Even the thread is natural: 100% GOTS certified organic cotton. The zips are in recycled polyester. Clothes are handmade in the UK. The packaging is in recycled tissue paper and the box in recycled cardboard. The articles of the collection are inserted little by little as the need arises to insert a basic piece, not every season several times a year.

Next steps: Coming soon a top that can be worn in five different ways. Organising more pop up stores, also in other countries (Germany, Holland for example). Find a fixed sales space. Improving the site, especially the section on transparency. Introducing a charity program as soon as possible.

UN Sustainable Development goals: 12.

Link to website

Menesthò

Sustainable and luxury swimwear (shipping all over the world, free in Europe). This brand was not among the finalists, but we would like to tell you the story. Vicki Griva has studied and worked for a while in Italy and we can interview her in our language. She also had professional experiences in fashion companies, before starting her own brand, which impressed her and pushed her to undertake something different. She tells me of two episodes that were the straw that broke the camel’s back. The first one was in an Italian company of the Luxury Fashion sector: for the new fall/winter collection she found a whole chinchilla in front of her… She felt bad and from that moment decided “no animals, it is an absolute cruelty and it is not necessary”. The second episode was in a fast fashion brand. It was the end of April 2013, the Rana Plaza plant in Bangladesh collapsed. The head of the company convened the employees and the only thing he wanted to communicate on that tragic occasion was: “We do not produce in that establishment”. Vicky then says: “It’s enough, I want to do something myself”. With her brother, Giorgos Grivas, she began in 2014 with clothes (now no longer in the catalog) and swimwear, producing to order to minimise waste and to satisfy customer requests when possible. Even in design she applies the zero waste philosophy, limiting fabric waste to a minimum. They have chosen Vita, an Econyl fabric produced in Italy from the recycling of plastic bottles and fishing nets recovered in the seas, created in such a way as to minimize the release of microfibres. Fabric printing and production are in the UK. The costumes are reversible: you buy two in one, choosing the combinations. The packaging is in organic cotton. 

The challenges they face: What they find most difficult is to reach customers with the message that a sustainable choice is better not only for the planet, but in the long run also for their wallets. In a world where mass-produced companies sell at very low prices, it is difficult. But buying low quality items, the consumers will have to replace them in a short time, and this will result, in the long run, in a choice that is not cheaper than buying a quality, handmade, long-lasting garment right away. Another challenge: finding sustainable materials for other aspects of the business, such as stationery, shipping etc. “The choice is really limited, so unfortunately sometimes we have to proceed with what is available, even if it is not the best from an eco-friendly point of view”.

Next steps: A software that allows the customer to better evaluate in the purchase phase how she will look with the swimwear she wants to buy. They are also thinking of a fabric that can be used again at the end of the product life cycle. They plan to expand their collections soon, becoming the “go to” brand for every aspect related to the “aqua outfit”. In the long term, instead, they aim to add a collection program for the used swimwear to recycle them. “Every day we focus on doing something more towards absolute sustainability. The objective is to create a company that does the least possible harm to our environment and to our planet in general, while we try to remain economically sustainable”.

UN Sustainable Development goals: 12, 14.

Link to website

 Puoi ascoltare qui l’articolo: Canapa

Ci chiediamo se davvero questa fibra sia sostenibile e da inserire nel nostro guardaroba più responsabile.

La canapa è un tipo di “fibra di rafia” che significa che è una delle numerose fibre naturali derivate dal fusto della pianta, come il lino, la iuta e l’ortica. La sua fibra è simile alla tela di lino.

La canapa è coltivata da migliaia di anni in quasi tutti i continenti. Si pensa sia la più antica pianta coltivata al mondo. Sono stati trovati tessuti di canapa datati circa 8.000 a.C., rappresentando così uno degli esempi più antichi di industria. Fino agli anni ’20, l’80% dell’abbigliamento era realizzato con la canapa. Anche i jeans Levi Strauss erano inizialmente realizzati con una tela di canapa leggera.

Attualmente, più di 30 paesi coltivano questa pianta. La maggior parte dei produttori sono in Cina, Canada, Cile, Corea ed Europa (soprattutto nei paesi dell’Europa orientale come Romania, Ungheria e Russia, oltre che in Francia e Italia).

Nel 1940 l’Italia dedicava alla coltura della canapa 90.000 ettari del proprio territorio, poi la coltivazione è stata abbandonata. Dal 1940 al 1970, le superfici sono scese a circa 900 ettari.  Dal 2016, anno in cui la coltivazione è diventata legale, la quantità di terreno dedicata a questa pianta è cresciuta fino ai 4.000 ettari di oggi.

Il principale produttore mondiale è la Cina, da cui proviene oltre la metà della produzione. Qui si utilizzano metodi chimici, mentre in Europa sono state introdotte tecnologie più pulite di tipo biologico. Non si ottiene morbidezza e il colore totalmente bianco del cotone con nessuno dei due metodi, ecco perché spesso la canapa è mischiata al cotone, un tessuto non molto sostenibile. Meglio perciò verificare l’etichetta quando acquistate un capo di abbigliamento in questo materiale.

La canapa ha davvero tanti aspetti positivi:

• È biodegradabile, diversamente dalle fibre sintetiche, per cui non inquina una volta terminato il suo ciclo di vita come succede con i tessuti derivati dal petrolio.
• La sua coltivazione non richiede pesticidi, fertilizzanti sintetici, semi OGM né prodotti chimici. È densamente coltivata, soffoca le piante in competizione bloccando la luce del sole con le sue ampie foglie, per cui non sono necessari forti erbicidi chimici. Inoltre, riduce naturalmente i parassiti, rendendo superflui i pesticidi. Attualmente una grande quantità di canapa è coltivata biologicamente, senza bisogno di alcun additivo agricolo sintetico.
• Ha bisogno di pochissima acqua e cresce rapidamente utilizzando il 50% in meno di acqua rispetto al cotone.
• Richiede una quantità relativamente limitata di terra da coltivare. Ha una resa in fibra che arriva fino al doppio rispetto al cotone: un ettaro di canapa produce la stessa fibra ricavabile da quattro ettari di alberi o due ettari di cotone.
• Può essere coltivata in ogni stagione e ad ogni ciclo di crescita si rinnova restituendo il 60-70% dei nutrienti necessari che prende dal terreno: pian piano matura e il fogliame che cade si decompone nutrendo il suolo. Le sue lunghe radici aerano il terreno a beneficio delle colture future, eliminano le tossine e prevenendo anche l’erosione del suolo. Si utilizza al meglio in un raccolto a rotazione, con soia, sorgo, ecc. L’apparato radicale e il fogliame restituiscono l’azoto tanto importante per i terreni sempre più sfruttati.
• Le piante di canapa assorbono più anidride carbonica degli alberi e possono rimuovere le tossine dal suolo attraverso le radici. La canapa fornisce un habitat eccellente per la fauna selvatica e i fiori sono una buona fonte di polline per le api.
• Nulla della canapa viene sprecato nel processo produttivo: i semi sono utilizzati in prodotti alimentari o integratori, i fiori e le foglie nella cosmesi, i gambi nella produzione di fibra naturale.
• Tiene chi lo indossa caldo d’inverno e fresco d’estate. Le fibre di canapa hanno il miglior rapporto di capacità termica rispetto a tutte le altre fibre, creando un sistema di aria condizionata personale.
• È antimicrobica, antibatterica, antiodore, ipoallergenica, assorbe l’umidità del corpo e non irrita la pelle.
• Protegge dai raggi UV.
• È resiliente, duratura, flessibile, non perde forma anche dopo più lavaggi. La canapa è anche naturalmente resistente alla muffa, all’usura, allo sporco, al restringimento e ai danni del sole. Le fibre di canapa sono più resistenti del cotone, poiché percorrono la lunghezza del gambo che può arrivare fino a circa mezzo metro mentre quelle del cotone tendono ad essere lunghe solo pochi centimetri. Per questo i sacchi di canapa durano di più e la tela era utilizzata in marina e dai pescatori per le prime vele, per corde e reti. Queste sono qualità importanti quando si sceglie un involucro per trasportare gli oggetti a cui più teniamo, come borse porta computer o i nostri effetti personali in viaggio.

La canapa è quindi un tessuto che possiamo considerare sostenibile. Vogliamo trovarne difetti? Come il lino, la canapa si stropiccia facilmente, può essere un po’ ruvida, assorbe poco colore. Per questi motivi la canapa é a volte mescolata con altri tessuti, per cui come dicevamo all’inizio meglio verificare in etichetta prima di acquistare!

English – Hemp: is it really a sustainable fibre to be included in our more responsible wardrobe?

We wonder if this fibre is really sustainable and if should be included in our more responsible wardrobe.

Hemp is a type of “raffia fibre” which means that it is one of several natural fibres derived from the stem of the plant, such as flax, jute and nettle. Its fiber is similar to linen.

Hemp has been cultivated for thousands of years on almost every continent. It is thought to be the oldest cultivated plant in the world. Hemp fabrics dating from around 8,000 BC have been found, representing one of the oldest examples of industry. Until the 1920s, 80% of clothing was made with hemp. Even the Levi Strauss jeans were initially made with a light canvas.

Currently, more than 30 countries grow this plant. Most producers are in China, Canada, Chile, Korea and Europe (especially in Eastern European countries such as Romania, Hungary and Russia, as well as in France and Italy).

In 1940 Italy dedicated 90,000 hectares of its territory to the cultivation of hemp, then the cultivation was abandoned. From 1940 to 1970, the surfaces fell to around 900 hectares. Since 2016, the year in which cultivation became legal, the amount of land dedicated to this plant has grown to 4,000 hectares today.

The main world producer is China, from which more than half of the production comes. Here chemical methods are used, while in Europe cleaner biological technologies have been introduced. You don’t get softness and the totally white color of cotton with neither of the two methods, that’s why hemp is often mixed with cotton, a not very sustainable fabric. It is therefore better to check the label when buying a piece of clothing in this material.

Hemp has really many positive aspects:

• It is biodegradable, unlike synthetic fibers, so it does not pollute once its life cycle is over, as happens with petroleum-derived fabrics.
• Its cultivation does not require pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, GMO seeds or chemicals. It is densely cultivated, suffocating competing plants by blocking sunlight with its broad leaves, so no strong chemical herbicides are needed. In addition, it naturally reduces pests, making pesticides superfluous. Currently a large quantity of hemp is cultivated organically, without the need for any synthetic agricultural additives.
• It needs very little water and grows rapidly using 50% less water than cotton.
• It requires a relatively limited amount of land to cultivate. It has a fiber yield that reaches up to twice as much as cotton: one hectare of hemp produces the same fiber that can be obtained from four hectares of trees or two hectares of cotton.
• It can be grown in every season and at each growth cycle it is renewed by returning 60-70% of the necessary nutrients that it takes from the soil: it gradually matures and the falling foliage decomposes nourishing the soil. Its long roots aerate the soil for the benefit of future crops, eliminate toxins and also prevent soil erosion. It is best used in a crop in rotation, with soy, sorghum, etc. The root system and the foliage return the nitrogen that is so important for increasingly exploited land.
• Hemp plants absorb more carbon dioxide than trees and can remove toxins from the soil through the roots. Hemp provides an excellent habitat for wildlife and flowers are a good source of pollen for bees.
• Nothing about hemp is wasted in the production process: the seeds are used in food or supplements, flowers and leaves in cosmetics, stems in the production of natural fibre.
• It keeps the wearer warm in winter and cool in summer. Hemp fibres have the best heat capacity ratio compared to all other fibres, creating a personal air conditioning system.
• It is antimicrobial, antibacterial, anti-odor, hypoallergenic, absorbs body moisture and does not irritate the skin.
• Protects against UV rays.
• It is resilient, durable, flexible, it does not lose shape even after multiple washes. Hemp is also naturally resistant to mold, wear, dirt, shrinkage and sun damage. Hemp fibres are more resistant than cotton, as they travel the length of the stem which can reach up to about half a meter while those of cotton tend to be only a few centimetres long. This is why hemp sacks last longer and the canvas was used in the navy and by fishermen for the first sails, ropes and nets. These are important qualities when choosing a wrapper to carry the items we hold most, such as computer bags or our personal belongings when traveling.

Hemp is therefore a fabric that we can consider sustainable. Do we want to find flaws? Like flax, hemp is easily rubbed, it can be a bit rough, it absorbs little color. For these reasons hemp is sometimes mixed with other fabrics, so as we said at the beginning it is better to check on the label before buying!