Sustainable Wardrobe Overhaul
Photographer: Byron Keulemans Location: Radisson Red Hotel
Supporting brands that prioritise the planet, ensuring employees earn fair wages and that garments are made with a sustainable approach should be on the top of everyone’s list. Let me tell you that there are a growing number of companies answering the call for more eco-friendly options. These brands which I’ve selected reduce emissions and waste and provide a better quality of life for the workers. There is an array of brands ready with versatile sustainable items to enhance your wardrobe. Here are some of my picks. Let me know on your thoughts below.
KOIKOI is all about adopting a relaxed style and comfort living. Their entire range is sustainable with environmentally conscious initiatives deeply embedded in the KOIKOI ethos. Only traditional Kenyan Kikoy fabric made by locals in Kenya is used with the occasional linen and Tencel. The fabric is 100% cotton, coloured with organic dye, and then carefully weaved into the final product and all the garments are made in Cape Town, South Africa. The Koikoi pants I’m wearing in the picture conforms to all the above.
Arnette is a Californian street-style eyewear brand which focuses on making the world a better place. The brand’s eco-friendly approach embraces not only lenses and frames, like the one I’m wearing in the picture, but also the materials sent to stores which, in addition to being plastic-free, have been entirely reinvented with a circular approach using production waste for bio-plastic frames.
Basic t-shirts are the cornerstone of every man’s wardrobe. These t-shirts from Woolworths are cut from breathable cotton and have a slick slim-fit—great to be worn as the main player, or layered under a stylish jacket. By buying this t-shirt, a Better Cotton Initiative product, you’re supporting responsibly grown cotton and their Stay New technology is a bio-polishing treatment that removes short fibre strands from cotton T-shirts to reduce pilling and give the fabric a softer feel.
Ex Nihlo The Hedonist was designed by perfumer Jordi Fernández, from the most sustainable and technologically advanced ingredients including Akigalawood®: an exclusive natural captive resulting from bioscience. Pretty impressive if you ask me! An energising slice of Ginger spices up Bergamot and triggers a fresh thrill for that special occasion. Notes of Cedarwood associated with Vetiver from Haiti bring strength, while Musks melt with Akigalawood® and leave an intoxicating signature on the skin.
Radisson Red Hotel opened in 2017 in the vibrant V&A Waterfront, Cape Town. This luxury hotel has won accolades for its sustainability efforts. At the hotel’s Bar and restaurant, they avoid buffets, which reduce food waste by 30 percent. The innovative central cooling system utilises seawater, the concrete and brick exterior is low maintenance and lots of natural lighting and efficient electrical design help to minimise energy waste. Hence this location was the ideal choice to shoot my sustainable feature.
