Rapanui Blog

Rapanui is an Eco-Fashion company from the Isle of Wight, that makes Organic, Ethical clothing using Renewable Energy with award-winning traceability. Rapanui is about making eco-fashion cool.

MENS / WOMENS

Rapanui Blog Latest

Drying for Freedom

Store 1 Officially Open

Rapanui on BBC News

How it's done

Could the Easter Island Culture Hold the Answer to Our Future?

Could the rich culture of a handful of ancient Polynesian sailors hold the answer to our 21st century struggle with climate change and sustainability? A unique company on the Isle of Wight seems to think so.

Set up by two brothers, Rapanui is breaking into the mainstream and bringing with it its ethical values and sustainable way of doing business which seems to defy the old belief of ‘eco costs more’ – the brothers started their company with £200 and now employ 12 people. “We got stuck in the recession like most unemployed young people and just thought, if we can’t find a job, why not just make our own?”

Influenced by the rich cultural history of Easter Island, Rapanui has put the environment and people at the heart of their business and have scooped up countless awards for their efforts. The story behind the name goes a long way to explain the culture within the company.

“I had planned to go on a surfing trip to Rapanui and stumbled upon the name and thought it would be a good name for an eco business. The story of Easter Island is more relevant to so much more than just surfing. It’s a great metaphor for the ‘bigger picture’ challenges we are facing with overpopulation, resource depletion and carrying capacity – Rapanui says ‘sustainability’ in a nutshell. These themes are carried into our designs with the names, designs and themes of products as well as in hidden messages, like the Malthus tee, the ‘top score’ is the earth’s population, or more blatant messages like the Earth-bomb design.” Says Martin.

The aim of the brand is to make eco-fashion cool - to make it fashionable for people to go green. “Our eco business model centres around the philosophy that it’s not that people don’t care it’s just that they don’t know.” Said co founder Rob Drake-Knight “It’s about communication and informed choice. The eco message is a side effect. We just want to do business the right way.

At Rapanui traceability is so thorough that you can see on interactive maps exactly where clothing comes from and how it is made, from the sewing of the seed to the garment on the shelf – at prices that don’t cost the earth. This is not a clothing company ticking the green box. This is a company aiming to change the entire fashion industry. An idea that can be traced back to Easter Island.

Find out more about Rapanui

August 6th, 2010