Longtime customers may have noticed a familiar label popping back up in the apparel store this season - we're thrilled to welcome Wellington, New Zealand-based Kowtow and their impeccable clothing back for spring! We have always admired Kowtow's commitment to materials and construction, which makes for incredibly long-lasting basics, but this year is extra special for the brand: after 17 years of work, in 2024 they have achieved the distinction of offering a 100% plastic-free collection.

At this point we're all well aware of both the ubiquity and intrinsic harm of plastics, both macro and micro, but it may be surprising to learn just how much effort it takes to remove all traces of it from our clothing. From buttons and zipper components, to thread, tags and elastic, plastic has been woven into many of our favorite garments since the 1950s, but Kowtow has put in an incredible amount of work - including discontinuing their bestselling leggings after they couldn't replicate them to their standards without plastic - to change that. They've even published an open-source handbook of everything they've learned in the process to help other businesses in the fashion industry kickstart their own plastic-free initiatives. 

In 17 years of business, Kowtow has never taken the easy way out in their pursuit of solutions to harmful fashion practices. From the start, their clothing has been made of 100% certified Fairtrade, organic cotton, traceable from seed to finished product in a transparent and thoughtful process. Going completely plastic-free in addition to their many other efforts to create an ecologically responsible business is an incredibly impressive achievement, and we're honored to share this collection with you. 

For more detailed information about what it takes to reach this kind of milestone, we recommend watching this excellent interview between Kowtow founder Gosia Piątek and sustainable fashion journalist Lucianne Tonti, where they discuss the move to plastic-free and what it means for a circular future in the fashion industry.