Varieties of merino wool footwear are emerging faster than Netflix series about British aristocracy. Michael Andrew takes a look at the rise of the shoe that almost everyone – including his 95-year-old grandma – is wearing. Some might say it all started with Allbirds. After all, to the average consumer, it was the New Zealand-American … Read more
Charlotte Muru-Lanning is an ethical consumer, and she wants a hot AF party dress for the festive season. Why is it so damn hard to find something sexy and sustainable? For many, lockdown meant reflecting on our normal ways of doing things, as the pandemic cast a magnifying glass over how cruel, unsustainable and frankly … Read more
After years of specialising in low-carbon footwear, Allbirds has introduced a new line of sustainable apparel made from an unconventional yet innovative source. In April, when Allbirds announced it would be the first fashion label to introduce a sticker that measured the carbon footprint of each one of its products, it was seen as a … Read more
With Covid-19 devastating demand for global fashion brands, millions of jobs in Asia’s apparel factories hang by a thread. That’s why one New Zealand business has taken a different tack to keep its Cambodian staff working and well-cared-for. To the average consumer, there’s little discernible connection between Te Awamutu and the small Cambodian community of … Read more
Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand. This week he talks to James Bartle, founder of ethical clothing brand Outland Denim. Right now, you’re probably wearing something you’re not super … Read more
Nisa founder Elisha Watson’s step-by-step guide on the most important things to think of when trying to build an ethical brand. Two years ago, I quit my job as a lawyer to start Nisa, an underwear brand that employs former refugees. I set up a garment manufacturing workshop with zero fashion or manufacturing experience and … Read more
In our Q&A series, The Lightbulb, we ask innovators and entrepreneurs to tell us about how they turned their ideas into reality. This week we talk to Little Yellow Bird founder Samantha Jones whose social enterprise makes sustainably and ethically-made uniforms and basics. First of all, give us your elevator pitch for Little Yellow Bird. We’re … Read more
‘We call ourselves slow-fast fashion’. Ellen Falconer meets the young label working across hemispheres and subverting the traditional Fashion Week model. On a yacht moored in Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour last Wednesday, a crowd of 50 fashionistas sipped gin cocktails and slipped their feet into towelling slides with the words ‘oh hej’ stitched across the top. … Read more
H&M’s first multi storey experience in New Zealand opened to much fanfare last week as hundreds lined up to be one of the first to get a glimpse. Jihee Junn joined the masses on Thursday morning. Held at an offsite location in the heart of Grey Lynn, the Stolen Girlfriends Club show on Wednesday night … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to Nick Leckie, co-founder of rainwear company Okewa which is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for its newest product line – raincoats made from recycled plastic bottles. ONE: How did Okewa start and what … Read more
Allbirds has a brand new product and investor – one from Brazil, the other from Hollywood. First, they came for our sheep. Then they came for our trees (but not before coming for our children). And now, they’ve come for our sweet, sweet sugar. I’m talking about Allbirds here, the San Francisco-based Kiwi footwear company … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to sibling entrepreneurs Brittany and Johanna Cosgrove of Nopesisters, the social enterprise championing ‘fashion for a cause’. ONE: How did Nopesisters start and what was the inspiration behind it? Nopesisters started in October 2016 during Breast … Read more
Thinking about consumption is sometimes easier said than done, so we’re here to help: check out The Spinoff’s guide to buying ethical clothing for men. Last weekend we posted about a number of stylish and purpose-driven New Zealand womenswear brands, but some of our readers were feeling left out, so we brought forward the next instalment: … Read more
Buying New Zealand made matters to you? All about ethical gear and sustainable materials? Read on. If the outrage over World’s practice of selling clothes manufactured in Bangladesh and China has taught us anything, it’s that if you make a claim about your clothes you should to be able to back it up. World founder … Read more
Companies in New Zealand make a lot of claims about their environmental values and support of local communities – but is it all a greenwashed dream? Jenny Keown lifts the lid on ethical consumerism. Picture this: you’re a mum rushing through the supermarket, wailing child in tow, headache forming and needing to make a split … Read more
Our story about the mislabelling of clothing produced by ‘Made in New Zealand’ brand WORLD has prompted a renewed conversation on the aspirations – and limits – of so-called ethical fashion. So what can consumers do to ensure the people who made their clothes are treated fairly? It wasn’t until recently that I started to … Read more
A note from the editor regarding the WORLD founder’s response to Spinoff revelations about its ‘Made in New Zealand’ garment labelling Give Dame Denise L’Estrange-Corbet this: she didn’t attempt to hide from the story published on the Spinoff yesterday. The WORLD founder and ethical fashion proselytiser spoke widely to media, scattering arguments in her own … Read more
Made in New Zealand. Four words that attract a premium price. But who says what’s Kiwi made and what’s not? Following today’s revelation that WORLD sells clothing manufactured offshore with cardboard swing tags that state “FABRIQUE EN NOUVELLE-ZELANDE” (translation: Made in New Zealand) we started to wonder – what are the laws and rules which … Read more
The outspoken ethical fashion champion has contacted The Spinoff with further comments about the garments that were manufactured offshore but boast ‘Made in NZ’ tags. Following the publication this morning of a story revealing the provenance of garments being sold at WORLD with a “Fabriqué en Nouvelle Zélande” label attached, the fashion house’s founder Dame Denise … Read more
Exclusive: Dame Denise L’Estrange-Corbet of New Zealand fashion pioneer WORLD is this country’s most out-spoken critic of off-shore manufacturing. Yet a Spinoff investigation has revealed that multiple garments labeled as made in New Zealand are manufactured in China and Bangladesh. “When did you last look at the label to see where it was made?” – … Read more
If Trelise Cooper is “deeply committed to strong ethical standards” she appears to have a funny way of showing it, says fellow fashion designer Denise L’Estrange-Corbet. This article was first published on Newshub.co.nz. Dame Denise L’Estrange-Corbet has slammed Kiwi designers who use third world labour to manufacture their clothing. The WORLD co-founder yesterday spoke to … Read more