Who Made My Clothes? This is the primary question of the movement called the Fashion Revolution. The Fashion Revolution Week is here, and the campaign encourages us all to ask about the stories behind our clothing.
In 2015, we started with ethical manufacturing in Tallinn because humane working conditions and living wage were the most important things to get right from the very beginning. Népra activewear is still sewed in the same small factory, and we are very proud of the relationship with them. In the beginning, we used zero recycled materials. On the other hand, a garment is worn on average just four times, and about 40% of clothes are rarely or never worn. Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned. [Facts from Fashion Revolution] This is why, we still believe one of the most sustainable acts is to make our clothing last despite what the material is - buy less and choose well.
We have been creating our brand for almost four years. We understand how complex, even overwhelming, the terminology around sustainability can feel. We have learned there are neither 100% right or wrong decisions, nor there are any simple, black and white solutions. For us, fair production and making Népra items last are still among the most important sustainability factors. During the past 3,5 years, we have increased the number of recycled items quite a lot. If you look at our collection now,18 items out of 30 are recycled. Back in 2015, the recycled material selection was very limited, but now there are new recycled fabrics born every year. This makes the development of fabric and recycling technologies one of the most exciting future topics for us.
Since the beginning, we have believed in progression instead of perfection when it comes to sustainability, we still do. If you are interested in Népra’s transparency, you might want to visit our blog Speak Of The Frog regularly. Here, you can dig deeper into the different topics around responsibility and sustainability in the garment industry.
In the end, we all are part of the industry. We, who design, make, buy and/or wear clothing, make it work. Together, we can demand a better, fairer, cleaner, safer, more transparent and responsible, and more accountable fashion industry. We can make a difference by choosing responsible and sustainable choices. If you want to help us to develop, the best way to do it is to write us feedback via hello@wearnepra.com- even if you are not a user of our clothing you can always give us ideas for our blog.
Love,
Ama & Essi
Photos by Julius Töyrylä
