WHY SO SLOW?

Clothing production is not sustainable, but there are many things we can do to make it a little better.

 

When developing our clothing brand, there has simply never been any other option for us than to do what we can to help the environment and the people allowing us to pursue our dream. 

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We also believe that as a supplier we carry a responsibility of helping you with the most important task as a consumer; choose well, buy less and make it last.

 

That’s why we are a part of the International movement Slow fashion.

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WHY PRE-ORDERS?

By pre-ordering you help us calculate how many garments we should produce. That way we avoid using excess resources. 

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We do pre-ordering on most of our garments before we start production. As a thank you for your patience and for helping us save nature for excess clothing production, we give you a discount on pre-ordered items. 

 

Maybe having to wait a little longer for a garment also could help change the fast buy-and-dispose relationship we have with clothes today?

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WHY NATURAL?

We love natural fibres. Fabrics and yarn made of natural fibres like wool, cotton and linen are all biodegradable, they breath and feel comfortable on the body, and they last long.

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WHY WOOL?

• Wool is a 100% natural and renewable fibre.

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• It’s temperature regulating: by absorbing and transporting moisture away from your skin it keeps you warm and dry when it’s cold, and dry and cool when it’s warm. Wool can absorb up to 30% of its own weight without feeling wet or cold.

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• Its ability to absorb moisture also makes wool self-cleaning, antibacterial and anti-odor. What’s not released while wearing the garment will disappear from the fibres’ complex structure when it’s being aired or washed.  

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• Wool is also environment friendly because it has a longer lifespan than other fibres and it requires fewer washing cycles. 

 

In addition to regular sheep wool we use cashmere, alpaca, merino and mohair, which all have their unique characteristics and advantages. 

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WHY UNDYED?

Undyed textiles or yarn are left with their natural colour. The dyeing is one of treatments in the clothing industry that are most harmful both to nature and health due to the chemicals used.​

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WHY RECYCLED?

Recycling isn't a flawless solution for the future. That alone can't correct the imbalance we have today, nor is it necessarily a good choice in all cases. Nevertheless, in combination with other measures we believe that it is an important contribution. And then - recycle isn't the same as recycle:

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• The recycled yarn that we use for our knitted garments is 100% mechanically recycled (not chemically). 

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• The yarn is not made from plastic bottles (which should rather be new plastic bottles) nor other waste that is demanding to recycle, but from knitted textiles. It's 100% recycled and not mixed with new fibres. 

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• Our recycled yarn from Filpucci is certified by the Global Recycled Standard. GRS is promoted by Textile Exchange, one of the most important non-profit organisations promoting international responsible and sustainable development in the textile industry. GRS covers the following areas: composition and content of recycled materials, traceability throughout the entire production process, restrictions on the use of chemicals, compliance with relevant environment criteria and worker's rights.​

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The textiles which the yarn is spun from come from different suppliers and every batch will be different. If you experience that the quality of your knitted garment is not good enough, please let us know.

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WHY ORGANIC?

• When choosing organic cotton we know that the farmer who supplied the raw material is free to choose the seeds he wants (and is not locked into costly contracts with the GM giants that control 95% of the cotton seed market).

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• Organic cotton is grown alongside food which feeds the farmer, and the quality of the soil where it grows is not destroyed.

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• Organic cotton requires less energy and less water compared to conventionally grown cotton, and it produces up to 94% less greenhouse gas emissions.

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• The farmer will not be among one of the 77 million agriculture workers who suffer from pesticides poisoning every year.

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• When choosing organic we also know that there'll be no traces of toxic chemicals in the garment that you'll be wearing.  

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WHY GOTS?

• When choosing GOTS certified fabrics we know that not only the end product, but its whole lifecycle is following strict requirements and controls. Everything from the cultivation of  the raw material to the last finish in the production of the fabric is inspected and controlled. Also the quality of the end product itself (how it reacts to sunlight, shrinkage etc.) has to be approved. Strict criteria for all the involved workers’ health and safety also apply.

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• No hazardous chemicals are allowed in the production and all waste water is treated to protect the workers and their water supplies.

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• The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is recognised as the world’s leading processing standard for textiles made from organic raw materials. Only products containing a minimum of 70% organic fibres can become GOTS certified. These will be labelled "made with organic", while only products that contain a minimum of 95% organic fibres may be labelled "organic".

(Read more about what GOTS and organic mean on global-standard.org)  ​

 

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HEKNE REPAIR

Our hope is that our garments are used so much that they end up completely worn out! And in order for them to be used for even more time we offer free repairs on all HEKNE garments, no matter how long it has been since they were purchased and the reason for the damage. We are happy to mend, patch and repair as best we can - both visible and invisible. 

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If we need new parts for the repair, such as a zipper, you only pay for this. Otherwise the only thing you need to do is to make sure the garment is clean before you send it to us. 

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The condition of the garment and the extent of the damage will determine what we'll be able to do. Please get in touch and we'll at least give it a try! 

 

According to The Consumer Purchase Act in Norway (Forbrukerkjøpsloven) you have the right to complain about defects in clothing for two years after the purchase. If we are to blame for the error you'll obviously receive a new garment or repair service including new parts at no cost. 

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Would you like to repair it yourself? We have extra yarn and fabric for most of our garments. Please get in touch and we'll be happy to send you what you need.

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A SECOND CHANCE

In our webshop you'll find a category for second hand clothes. Here you can find garments that have been rented out, used in photoshoots or that have small defects. These garments are sold with a discount. This way we hope that we can help saving valuable garments that otherwise often end up in the trash. 

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In the same category you'll also find products made from garments that are so worn out that they can no longer be used in their original form, but get new value as something else.

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WHAT ELSE?

• We don't make collections, but individual garments. We work without following short trends and frequent seasons, and slowly enough for every garment to be well thought out before it goes into production.

 

• We keep the garments in stock until they’re sold out instead of exchanging them for something new every season.  We believe the garments have as much value now as when they just arrived from the factory, and we don’t like to throw away anything.

 

• We care about quality when selecting materials and design our products. Products that don't last long are not sustainable.

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• We collaborate with small and medium sized factories where we know that the workers are taken good care of. You can read more about our suppliers and factories here.

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AND THE PRICES?

We sell through our own webshop only. With no wholesale middlemen, we can offer prices that are lower than traditional retail prices without compromising neither quality nor ethics. 

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Carefully made. Norwegian design.