Paperstrip comes from the overflowing imagination of two ketjes (slang for inhabitants of Brussels): Arnaud Herr and Nicolas Denié. Arnaud is a computer graphics designer and works in a digital communication agency as a front-end developer. Nicolas chose to work in the banking sector after his marketing studies. One rather artistic and the other rather operational…, a perfect combination !
The globalization of clothes production chains and the culture of appearance on social networks have led to an explosion in demand for ready-to-wear clothes. A devasting phenomenon if we think of the future of our planet and our children. Those cheaper clothes are synonym with tons of greenhouse gas emissions, overconsumption of our natural resources and pollution. A glimpse on Instagram on the posts using the hashtag #ootd (outfit of the day) and browsing the profiles of the models, more or less professional, behind leaves no doubt: these outfits of the day are most probably the outfits of a single day and will never be posted again. Or even worse… perhaps they will never be worn again. A study by the British NGO Barnado’s highlighted the emergence of a “wear it once” culture back in 2015, when few Facebook users had already migrated to Instagram, where the image speaks louder than the words. A third of the 1,500 women surveyed indicated that an item of clothing was already “old” after being worn more than three times.
The clothes we create are made for the buyer, they have a unique value.
Nicolas Denié
Sustainable
Luckily today, lots of consumers are increasingly concerned about the environment and want to turn to a more sustainable way of consumption. That’s why Paperstrip believes it can make a difference by offering its eco-friendly and original clothing. The brand makes it a point of honor to work with a supplier who shares the same values and who applies them in its work. “We focus on transparency, in collaboration with Stanley&Stella, a Belgian brand, which produces its clothes in Bangladesh”, Nicolas says. “We are aware of the controversies linked to Bangladesh. That’s why we were absolutely determined to be transparent with our supplier.”
All of our clothes meet ecological and societal criteria. Indeed, they are made of 100% organic cotton and recycled materials.
Arnaud Herr
What does this mean in practice?
“All of our clothes meet ecological and societal criteria. Indeed, they are made of 100% organic cotton and recycled materials”, Arnaud says. “In addition, our partner has labels that certify the respect of its workers and the environment, which allows us to offer environmentally responsible clothing. In the future, we hope to hire a designer and produce our clothes in Europe. Unfortunately cotton is a raw material that is only grown in very specific regions. We are open to proposals to improve this, our project is in constant evolution. Thanks to this system, we order only the quantity needed from our suppliers. No surplus, unsold items or huge stock. We also make sure that we have enough time to produce our clothes properly to guarantee a certain quality. Financially speaking, making a pre-order is like financing the project because the buyer will not have the product directly, a bit like crowdfunding. The clothes are not made in advance, so it’s a promise we make: to deliver the clothes no matter what. While waiting for his package, the buyer enjoys even more the moment when he will be able to unwrap it and discover his new clothes. Today’s society wants everything very quickly without taking into consideration the necessary work. The clothes we create are made for the buyer, they have a unique value.”
