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.

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Entrepreneur Brothers Ride the Green Wave

An Eco-Surfwear Brand from the Isle of Wight has proved that even small businesses can turn sustainability into profitability.

The company have been making radical changes to the way the fashion business sources its materials, offering their customers an unprecedented level of detail, facts and figures and even interactive maps covering the entire supply chain from field to finish on every product.

The business was founded by Brothers Rob and Martin Drake-Knight in early 2008 and has quickly grown into an award winning brand, Earning recognition from enterprising young brits and the sustainable business awards for their commitment to ethical and sustainable methods. Their ambitious sustainable business model is the key to their success; the motivation to develop Rapanui’s eco-friendly style came from their experiences in the water, repeatedly getting ill from sewage released onto their local beach in storm surf.

The boys have implemented several initiatives to help the local environment, including the quarterly beach cleans the company hosts in association with the MCS, which remove and recycle tonnes of beach waste from Island beaches. They also help support the marine conservation society with their limited edition MCS T-shirt, with £5 from every tee going to MCS

The brand takes a holistic approach to sustainability, using sustainable textiles like organic cotton, bamboo and hemp. Clothes are manufactured in a Fairwear Foundation audited supply chain including a wind powered factory. Critically though, this isn’t a clothing brand ticking the green box; the brothers accept that sustainability is not just about the design of products, technology or economics, it’s about communication design and dialogue.

Their open policy encourages customers to ask questions and decide for themselves, but those short on time can take advantage of their unique eco-labelling initiative which gives you at a glance information on a product by giving it a simple rating based on its sustainability.

“The idea is to educate our customers about where their clothes come from and exactly how it was made so that they can be empowered to make an informed decision as shoppers” said Co-Founder Rob Drake-Knight. “At Rapanui we have a passion to be a success for doing business the right way”

There is a wealth of information for any interested customer to read through on Rapanui’s website, including a Wikipedia style resource with all the essential knowledge on their Eco-Fashion page, they are completely open and honest about the entire process of their clothes, how they are made and what impact each piece has on the environment, yet at the same time provide garments that perhaps you wouldn’t expect from a company whose main concern is about reducing the environmental impact of the fashion industry.

Find out more about men’s organic clothing and also women’s organic clothing.

Check them out at

www.rapanuiclothing.com

And let them know what you think.

ENDS

Notes to Editor
Photos attached – Rapanui director spear fishing

For further information please contact Rob Drake-Knight, on 01983 873430 or email rob@rapanuiclothing.com

Visit their About and Traceability pages to learn more

July 17th, 2010