This is how you can contribute to a circular fashion industry!

By Martina Novàkovà

Circular fashion is making waves in the fashion industry as the future of what it means to design and shop sustainably. It’s no wonder as, at the moment, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned every single second. That is why Ware Westen has introduced circular fashion routes to amplify the most impressive circular initiatives located in the West of Amsterdam, the capital city of the Netherlands.

Ware Westen
The disposable approach to fashion has been long overdue to be replaced by circularity that reuses valuable resources and rethinks the second-largest polluting industry as a whole. The city of Amsterdam alone wants to become 100% circular by 2050. And Ware Westen is one of the many local projects that spearhead this ambitious goal.

“The clothing industry is the second most polluting industry in the world after the oil industry, with a turnover of up to 10 billion a year. Making a t-shirt already costs more than 2700 liters of water. The same amount one drinks for three years. And less than 1% of all clothing is recycled back into clothing, while on average we only wear a garment 10 times.” - Melanie van der Horst, co-founder of Ware Westen

The mission of Ware Westen (translated as ‘True West’) is to make the journey toward sustainable shopping simpler by creating an online and offline platform for sustainable fashion in Amsterdam West. With their brand-new circular fashion routes in this lively area, you will get a chance to meet one of the best tailors and shoemakers in the city, learn how to sew and repair clothes yourself and discover local makers and brands that already work with high-quality circular materials. 

From the designer clothing rental to the ingenious upcycled baby towel brand, the founder of MUMSTER Chanel Trapman has embarked on one of the Ware Westen circular fashion routes herself to discover what Amsterdam West has got to offer when it comes to circularity. And these are the extraordinary initiatives she found.

Are you ready to see these circular initiatives from up close?
Come along with Chanel Trapman as she takes you on an online circular fashion route through these Amsterdam West finest sustainable hotspots.

Makers Unite
Founded in 2016, Makers Unite has since grown into an internationally renowned network of creative locals and newcomers with a refugee background that together designs sustainable and often circular products with a story. One of the most impactful examples is their upcycled laptop sleeve made from discarded life jackets that were worn by refugees coming to Europe for a better life. On top of that, they collaborate with well-known designers such as Bar Kosters, high-end brands like Filling Pieces or facilitate local productions for companies like Ben & Jerry’s. 

Palais de L’eau
Palais de L’eau is a dream come true for Conchita van Doorn, a mother of two children. Juggling both a towel and her 4-month-old son while bathing, Conchita was convinced of a more practical solution. To keep her baby warm, safe, and dry, she created the first Palais de l’eau essential, the Baby Towel. Ultimately, the mission of Palais de L’eau is to leave their footprint in the sand instead of the footprint on our planet. That is why they introduced their Recycled Denim collection that is made with the most sustainable yarn possible, combining recycled jeans and extremely sustainable fabric Tencel™.

The Collectives
The Collectives is a designer rental platform that primarily focuses on the rental of daily wear. Additionally, you can also find high-end pieces for occasional wear and capsule wardrobes. With their circular platform, The Collectives wants to empower everyone to become more sustainable without compromising on style. Browse through their curated collection of designer pieces and rent high-end brands like Chanel, Celine, Isabel Marant, Acne Studios, and many more for any occasion.

Do-It-Yourself Divas
Do you want to learn to sew at your own pace and level? At Do-it-yourself Divas, you can start at the level that perfectly suits you. From group lessons to various workshops or individual tailor-made lessons, Do-it-yourself Divas offers a charming creative learning environment in the heart of the Staatsliedenbuurt, near Westerpark. The owner Ineke Arzbach’s mission is to let her students make their own clothes as independently as possible. She considers it a crucial step in the awareness process of how clothing is made. After all, a dress that you put into hours of love and time is not likely to be ever thrown away.

Sympany
Sympany is a textile collector that works toward a sustainable world by preserving and reusing raw materials. Every year Sympany collects approximately 25 million kilos of clothing and other textiles. Their goal is to give a new life to all collected pieces. The money earned from the sale of wearable clothing is used for breakthrough innovation to make the textile chain fully circular.

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