Going Good With Kowtow
This series looks at people and brands around Aotearoa trying to do a little more good.
Going Good means being bold, courageous and kind, striving to do more good and learning from nature to innovate and find a more sustainable way.
Showcasing that you can still lead the way in design whilst innovating with natural fibres and materials.
Our first episode features Gosia Piatek, founder of Kowtow, a FairTrade organic cotton clothing brand from Wellington, New Zealand.
Ethical manufacturing
From its inception in 2006, Kowtow has been on an international mission to lead positive change in the fashion industry.
Gosia consciously decided to exclusively use natural fibres in its clothing garments, including Fairtrade organic cotton, a renewable resource. “It just makes sense to do what’s right for the planet as well as creating design solutions.”
Another demonstration of Kowtow’s sustainable ethos is its commitment to becoming zero per cent plastic as soon as possible. An example of their continuous pursuit of more sustainable solutions is that all their buttons have been replaced with shells and nuts, and the rubber they use in their elastics is biodegradable.
Circular design
Like Bremworth, Kowtow focuses on finding a more sustainable way to design and manufacture its products.
They design with the entire lifecycle of their products in mind and are working towards full circularity across all their ranges.
Waste is also a massive consideration for Kowtow. So to prevent garments from ending up in landfills, Kowtow offers a Take Back Programme for customers to return any Kowtow garment that has reached the end of its wearable life. These garments will then be repurposed and recycled into new yarns and materials.
And for those garments that still have a little life left in them, Kowtow offers a free repair program to extend the life of their garments.
It is great to see Kiwi companies able to create beautifully designed products whilst having a genuine desire to act responsibly around the things they produce, not only now but as they continue that journey into the future.
"I hope that Kowtow is nimble enough to evolve as we learn more about the environment." Gosia.
