Clothing made from...wood? Yup, it exists! It’s called Tencel, or sometimes Lyocell. Joined by our seller Laura from the webshop Take It Slow, we’ve made a video series about vegan & fair fashion. This episode: our Tencel favorites! We have collected 5 wonderful pieces to tell you more about this magical fabric.
Tencel: Softer than silk, stronger than polyester and entirely made from... wood!
Its strong threads are spun from the wood pulp of eucalyptus trees through a smart closed-loop factory process - no less than 99% of the used chemical additives are recycled. The result is a beautiful fabric that is naturally antibacterial and absorbs moisture even better than cotton. The term 'Tencel' is actually nothing more than the patented brand name of the lyocell fabric.
This People Tree snake print jumpsuit from Tencel mimics satin and was made by the women from Creative Handicrafts, a social enterprise dedicated to helping underprivileged women in the slums of Mumbai. Also from Tencel: a wonderfully sunny yellow turtleneck from Jan 'n June, with a ribbed texture.
The By Signe black pants with its classic design has a high waist, loose and straight leg fit with pleats on the front. The fabric is a soft Tencel with shine. Both beautiful on their own and combined with the Damla Shirt (also made of Tencel) to get the cool full-black look.
This blouse from Kings of Indigo whose factories are under the supervision of the Fair Wear Foundation, is chic and very flexible. This loose dress with small button closure and a small chest pocket in a dark blue, almost black color, comes from the same Dutch brand. Combine this durable dress with beautiful tights, a pair of (NILO) sneakers or boots and you're good to go!
These charming NILO sneakers from the awesome brand NAE ('No Animal Exploitation') are not made of Tencel but are featured in the video. These unisex low-top oxford sneakers are ingeniously made from recycled fabrics.
Why, you might ask? It is estimated that at least 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in our oceans every year - that’s around one garbage truck full of plastic, per minute. That is shocking! To address this problem, NAE has launched their RE-MOVE line, a project that offers sustainable shoes made with recycled plastic from the ocean and other recycled materials.
These durable sneakers feature a 100% recycled PET upper - made with collected plastic from the ocean and post-consumer plastic. The shoes are lined with recyclable, climate-neutral microfiber made without CO2 emissions. This material is hypoallergenic, antibacterial and antimicrobial and also prevents the development of odors.
The sole is made of natural and recycled rubber and has a good slip resistance. The padded collar and tongue together with the flexible soles make these comfortable sneakers perfect to wear both indoors and outdoors. Beautifully hand-made in Portugal in a fair working environment. What else could you want?
This first video with Take It Slow was made by Fotograaf Cindy.