More and more brands are popping up that create expressive and contemporary clothes while being eco-friendly at the same time. Lucky us! Since it's my job to explore the expansive constellation of fashion from a cosmos-polite point; here is a list of 5 fashionable, ethical and sustainable brands.
What stood out this month? Brands are becoming more affordable and share how they manage to do so, a father-son duo with a mission to create a new self-care routine, trash turned into diamonds and eco-friendly Crocs look a likes.
TOM ÀDAM. Never take of PJs and other self-care wear.
Tom started making environmentally friendly underwear in 2018. Today the brand is on a mission to create a new self-care routine in the shape of sustainable garments. The brand focusses on sustainable garments closets to the skin, like their unisex never take off pyjamas. When you think of Tom Àdam, words like seasonless, made to last, and versatile come to mind. Clothes are made with sustainable materials like Tencel and recycled cashmere. They leave out single use polyester. And by limiting their production to a set number of pyjama sets, they bring down waste to zero. By cutting out the middle-man (no warehouse, overproduction, no agent fees or wholesale markups), they are able to offer a fair price that is more affordable than that of high-end luxury brands. The brand is based between homecountry Latvia and Berlin.
Fun fact: These days the whole family is involved. Mom is hand knitting pre-order sweaters and packs each shipment. Grandmother can be seen in front of the camera. And there are more members all involved in a different way. What really stood out was the personal reply I received from Tom, with a fun update on the family as if I was part of it.
JESLER. Diamonds made of plastic street trash from Rotterdam.
Jesler walks through the city of Rotterdam and collects plastic waste with the aim to recategorize plastic as a luxury material. She envisions a future in which the carelessly discarded shopping bags and candy wrappers of yesterday will form tomorrow’s equivalent of diamonds. Sounds like a million dollars!
DUBIÉ. Shoe extravaganza from Argentinia
Or chaotic street culture meets exquisite silhouettes as they like to call it themselves. Established in Buenos Aires in 2012, Dubié is an iconic Argentinean footwear label. The hand made shoes are made with the softest sheepskin and napa leathers, conceived as second skin with sharp minimalistic look. A modern take on Argentinean distinguished shoe-craftsmanship tradition. Can't wait for these yellow boots to arrive this fall.
SUSHCHENKO. Bold printed indie brand from Barcelona.
Sushchenko is based in Barcelona. It's an indie endeavour and shouldn't be taken too seriously. It's clothes, it makes you feel something and they want that feeling to be "damn good". Natalia Sushenko creates her own prints, works with deadstock fabrics and produces very small batches in small ateliers across the EU relying on pre-order and made to order. She makes sure her designs stand out and are not for everyone. They are the kind you fall for and will never leave your possession until you hand them over to your (grand) kids.
ALES GREY. Sustainable Crocs look a likes now online at Kickstarter
Foot tech brand Ales Grey is currently funding money on Kickstarter for this new eco-friendly Crocs look-a-like (have been waiting for this for a looong long time) The shoes are made with XL EXTRALIGHT, a high quality sustainable foam containing 51% recycled materials. The patented technology allows a saving of 50% new mineral resources. And the entire solar-powered manufacturing process requires zero water consumption and creates no waste. Wow that's a lot of goodness! Let's hope to see more of this innovative and sustainable material within the footwear industry. Manufactured in Le Marche, Italy. Based in Los Angeles.
Follow @thecosmospolite for a continuos flow of sustainable brand discoveries.
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