Hello and welcome back to Leeds RAG. This week we had the pleasure of interviewing Alex and Freya from Alexander Clementine. You may have seen their beautiful underwear gracing your Instagram feed, or even from their shout out in Vogue; they’re brewing up quite the sustainable storm at the moment as the brand making underwear out of SEAWEED. Yes you read that right....read on for an exclusive insight into Alex and Freya’s business.
1. First things first, why Alexander Clementine? Is there a story behind the name?
Alex: Alexander is my name and Clementine is Freya’s middle name!
2. Do you mind telling the readers of Leeds RAG the idea behind your business - how did Alexander Clementine come about and what was your first product?
Freya: So initially we set out to make leather jackets from ocean plastic- we saw how much plastic waste there is and thought that making things out of waste was the first entry into sustainable and circular fashion. Unfortunately it wasn’t really working with having overseas suppliers and the fabric was more suited to smaller accessories. We started researching other eco-friendly ways we could make these jackets and we just stumbled across seaweed! And we were like this is crazy- I can’t believe this! We ordered a sample…. and honestly from that day I am just like a seaweed connoisseur… it was just SO soft and amazing! Also, if we are trying to get more people into sustainability then underwear is a great way we can do that, as it’s something that everyone needs. It’s not necessarily just a luxury that you could only buy once a year- it is an essential. As well as this, the fabric really lends itself to underwear- it was just the greatest accident ever that we came across seaweed.
Alex: Another one of the reasons why we chose to make underwear is because sustainable fashion is quite expensive, so underwear is a lot more accessible- as with a smaller garment as you are not using as much fabric, so the price can be cheaper!
3. Would you mind going into detail about how you discovered seaweed and how you manufacture it into the underwear?
Alex: We came across seaweed fibre and then we worked with our supplier to develop the blend. You can't use 100% seaweed so we blend it with Tencel. Tencel is made from wood pulp so it is from a renewable resource and it is biodegradable. The fabric retains the natural properties of seaweed, which include the vitamins: A, C, E, B12, iron and iodine, which makes it naturally antibacterial and anti-odour- perfect for underwear. It’s also amazing if you’ve got sensitive skin!
4. How does the wearer gain the benefits of the vitamins and minerals in the fabric?
Alex: These elements exchange with the moisture in your skin whilst it is being worn and the vitamins and minerals are retained in the fabric even after multiple washes.
Freya: We were doing some research the other day about textile waste, as it's one of the biggest fashion problems. I wanted to see how many pairs of underwear were thrown away a year and I came across an article from gynaecologists advising you should throw away your underwear every 6 to 12-months! Whereas, with our underwear, you wouldn’t have to because they have these vitamins and minerals, as well as the iodine which makes them antibacterial and anti-odour. So they are super long-lasting and even if you do need to throw them away, as they are made from natural fibres, they just decompose in the compost back into the earth, which I think is great.
Alex: A few things to clear up with the fabric though…One- it doesn’t smell like fish! We get that question a lot. And two- it isn’t edible!! It also won’t fall apart while you are wearing it- it only decomposes when it is in an environment which allows it to do so. You would be surprised at how many and how often we get those sorts of questions. And can you wash it? That’s another one we normally get.
Freya: Yes you can wash it at 40 degrees, just don’t tumble dry it, but it dries very quickly, so you actually don’t need to tumble dry it!
5. What is the texture of the material?
Freya: It’s hard to explain- we’ve become quite desensitized to how soft it is now. One of my friends just bought one, and she was like oh my goodness I’ve never felt anything like it before. It looks like cotton and it feels like silk. It is SO soft. When we got our first sample I was literally astounded- I was like THAT has got seaweed in it?? You just couldn’t tell- it is literally just like stretchy cotton.
Alex: Yeah it’s really REALLY soft.
Freya: It’s super cute.
6. What was your first Alexander Clementine product?
Alex: It's difficult really when you're trying to come up with your first product to market because we could have quite easily just come up with a black or white set- I just think it's a bit boring. We choose this green- it's a mixture between a sort of blue of the ocean and the green of seaweed. It was a bit of a risk to be honest when we were starting but it paid off!
Freya: When we went to select our first colours we were working really closely with our manufacture and I said we wanted to go for this green, but they said it was risky as no one knew who we were and advised we stuck to a basic colour… but we were like too late we just ordered like 300 metres of it. But then it did so well and people loved the colour!
7. What was your biggest inspiration in starting your business and what inspired you to create a sustainable fashion brand? Freya: So I got into sustainability just before I was about to leave uni- I was suddenly noticing how many big online shopping sprees we were doing; on that last week of uni we were going out all the time and wanted something different to wear every single day. The amount of clothes that was coming to an eight person house, that wasn’t being worn or was just getting left- I was just like oh my god this is actually really really bad. Then I stumbled across Fashion Revolution on Instagram and read more about fast fashion and how it's actually just awful. Then I just thought oh my goodness I didn't realise I was part of this big problem, that's not just bad for the planet, but also it's really affecting people. I think that's where I sort of did a shift from wanting to buy fast fashion and keep up with trends to just wanting to shop more consciously. I hadn’t learnt about how awful working conditions can be- it really affected me finding out how people in fast fashion are treated. Then I learnt more about the planetary devastation that gets caused by fast fashion-not only in the manufacturing but the after process and care of the garment.
Alex: Air mileage as well. And the travel.
Freya: It also helped that I just left uni; I didn't have a job so I didn't have much money to spend on clothes anyway- I couldn't be buying new pieces all the time. I just became radicalized by Fashion Revolution really! It was a really good right-place-right-time for me too- getting a job meant that I actually had my own money and was open to choose where to spend it- I had that purchasing power.
And then I sort of radicalized you (Alex) a bit then, didn’t I. Telling you about how awful for the planet fast fashion was. Then I got really into plastic- after seeing those images of the seahorse riding a cotton bud. And then Alex was like why not do something about it? So then I was like let's do something about it! Let's change the world! That's how we got into the ocean plastic bit- and now we’ve come full circle to seaweed.
Alex: But yeah it was interesting because obviously we were struggling with the fabric for the jackets, but it's still not really a solution. I mean it's good that it uses plastic already made, but it’s just changing it into a different form of plastic. Even vegan sort of leather uses virgin plastic as well, so there is still plastic being made to make them- obviously it's not using animals which is good but it’s still contributing to the problem. I think the solution is biodegradable, sustainable, natural fibres.
8. How is Alexander Clementine sustainable? Alex: Obviously the materials we use are natural fibres and we source these from Portugal. We choose to have everything driven rather than flown so our carbon footprint is reduced- this does take longer but it’s better for the environment. Another way we are sustainable is that pretty much everything, apart from our fabric, is sourced within the UK- including all labels and everything like that. Our factory is in London, about 20 minutes away from where we are now, so the garments themselves aren’t doing a huge amount of mileage. Everything down to the packaging is recycled or biodegradable. We use plain, recyclable boxes and chemical free tissue paper which is made from recycled tissue paper. We use mailing bags that are made from potato starch. We also have notes inside that are written on seed paper, so people can then plant them. We've got new stickers also made from wood pulp- stickers are quite a tricky one. Freya: We found these amazing wood pulp, naturally made stickers that are great and decompose! Alex: So there’s lots of ways- we are super sustainable.
9. Did you encounter any difficulties entering the fashion market as a sustainable brand?
Freya: It’s very stressful because obviously the sustainable segment is full of people that are very passionate- which is amazing but I was absolutely terrified when we first started. I was so scared to say anything wrong. You don’t want anyone to be able to pick holes in your business. Alex: Yeah you have to make sure that it’s watertight- which we wanted to do. We had to consider everything- where the fabric comes from, where it is produced, where it is made, how is it getting from A to B? Price is a big thing for us- it’s just more expensive. Also choosing to get it made in London is far more expensive- we could easily have outsourced to China at a fraction of the cost but this wasn’t something that we wanted to do. We could charge a lot more, but we want it to be as accessible as possible. Freya: I was discussing the issue of pricing the other day and a lovely lady said that we shouldn't be having to explain why we are so expensive- it should be fast fashion explaining why it's so cheap! And I thought that was such a great way to think about it. I think anyone interested in sustainability will understand that paying somebody fairly across your whole supply chain and manufacturing in London is obviously going to be more expensive than a fast fashion brand who doesn’t pay their workers fairly. Alex: Yeah I mean if something is cheap, it’s probably because someone has paid along the way. You shouldn’t be able to buy a pack of five pants for £5 as someone clearly isn’t being paid fairly for that. Freya: Yeah education is really important.
10. Do you see the future of the fashion industry becoming more sustainable? Alex: I think it's a difficult question because there is always going to be fast fashion and a need for fast fashion. Not everyone can afford to pay more for sustainability. But if more people started to use sustainable fabrics it would bring the price down because it wouldn't be so unique and niche- we pay a premium right now. Fashion houses have started to do things in the way of sustainability- Gucci's gone season-less which is great as seasons often encourage overconsumption. Freya: I don't think the way that big fast fashion places produce could ever really be sustainable. We could be making a million undies a month, but just because they are made from seaweed and wood pulp doesn’t mean this would be sustainable. It’s still overconsumption- that volume of clothes and turnover still fosters that mindset. Alex: I think it’s about education. It’s about buying less and reusing- not just wearing an outfit once and throwing it away- swap it. There are loads of great apps and rental places where you can swap and rent clothes- there’s lots of ways you can wear new clothes which aren’t as harmful. Freya: There’s too much investment in peoples own interest. People are earning too much money. Alex: We read this fact the other day- it was something along the lines of a fast fashion CEO takes a few days to earn the same amount as a garment worker in Bangladesh could earn in their entire lives. Which is wild. Freya: We can have a go at fast fashion brands for greenwashing but its CEOs that know exactly what people are saying about them- that they are making loads of money and the people that are working for them aren’t being paid anything- but they don’t care. So as long as these people don’t care and aren’t held to account there are no repercussions- I mean there has even been slave labour in the UK with the Leicester factories. These people know what they are doing and they don’t care.
11. What is your favourite Alexander Clementine product?
Freya: This is really hard for me as they are all my children. I think I like my lilac bralet the most. It’s so cute. It’s got quite a lot of coverage so you can just wear it as a crop top. I’d want to wear it with a pair of high-waisted trousers and a cute little jacket. I feel really confident in the sets, especially with sensitive skin, they're supportive but not with the pain of some other brands- you don’t get indents into your skin from wearing them. All our pants are high-waisted- putting one of our high-waisted briefs on just sucks you all in and you’re like yes- I’ m ready to hit the town!
Alex: A lot of people have said it doesn’t feel like they are wearing anything as well and it makes them feel really confident which is really nice to hear.
Freya: It’s all we want to do: make girls feel more confident Alex: My favourite will be the mens boxers, when they come out.
12. Do you have any plans to expand your product range in the future?
Alex: we want to be the go-to place for underwear. To start with we obviously want to get mens out, more ladies styles, more colours, more patterns and more sizes. Then eventually we want to evolve into a sustainable brand where we make other things from other fabrics that are all sustainable....but right now we want a big name for ourselves in the underwear game. Freya: And be the best that we can be! Alex: Yes and to be an example to other brands of how to be sustainable and conduct business.
13. How has COVID19 impacted Alexander Clementine?
Alex: We can't really complain to be honest. We've been developing Alexander Clementine for two years now but we launched in May, for the first time, during Coronavirus. So we don't know what it could have been before COVID; we don’t know any different. There's been a lot of attention on social media as well which has probably helped us because most people are at home and most people are online shopping on their phones. We aren’t in boutiques or physical stores so we haven't been affected in that way.
14. What top tip would you give to students trying to become more sustainable with their fashion choices?
Freya: That's really difficult as I was not a sustainable student- I was one of the girls who wore a new top for every night out and I completely understand the pressure. You want to get that cute photo in your kitchen and you want to feel good- so much of that is looking and feeling your best! I don’t judge anyone that buys fast fashion- as long as you are not over consuming it. I still have fast fashion things from years ago that I look after- it’s getting out of the mindset that important. But my top tip is to remember that no one cares about what you are wearing, other than yourself. Like truly- I have worn outfit repeats where I have just switched around the jacket, or the top, or even the shoes. Every single time I'm out with the same people and they will be like you look so cute is this new?? Also make little sustainable swaps like getting a water bottle, eating less meat, using a keep cup etc...
Alex: I think with students as well it's just such an amazing time- you're with so many new people and you can just swap with each other. It’s like you've got an extended wardrobe- so it's like you've got a new outfit but you're not buying anything new. Also you save money as well!
Freya: Clothes swaps- arrange a swap night that’s super fun! Get drunk and swap your clothes with your friends. I completely get that clothes are so important to people's identities so if you want to buy stuff, just be careful about where you are buying it from. Depop! We know people at Leeds love Depop. The most sustainable way to shop is in your own wardrobe- have a clear out, do some Marie Kondo Sh*t.
Alex: But don’t buy second hand underwear, unless you’re into that, buy from us!
Freya: Nice plug there- big fan.
We hope you enjoyed this insight into Alexander Clementine; we are seriously obsessed that this gorgeous underwear is made out of SEAWEED.
A huge thank you to Alex and Freya for inspiring us with their passion for sustainability, we cant wait to see where your business expands next.
For more information or to shop Alexander Clementine check out their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexanderclementineltd/ and website: https://alexanderclementine.com/
Love,
LRFS x