Sustainability strategy 2023
Our mission in HAASTRUP Copenhagen is to create a less wasteful way of producing and consuming fashion. Our fitting algorithm and local production allow us to produce tailor-made garments on-demand. We aim to offer our technology to brands across the industry to leverage the benefits from using our technology at scale.
Strategy. We produce high quality items that last longer, ultimately with the aim of replacing a large volume of short-lived items with few quality items. In the long run, we want to offer our technology to any brand who wish to create styles on-demand in small batches, why we invest in establishing our own production. We want to provide impact transparency on both climate (Co2), environment and social aspects on any step of our value chain. The aim is to offer both a foundation for consumers to make “impact-informed” purchase decisions, inspirations to other brands and for ourselves as a baseline to set new ambitions against.
Design. We do not follow trends and our styles have a very minimalistic look and feel making them relevant across decades rather than seasons. We want to democratize fashion and create what our customers need in their wardrobes. We do not wish to invent a need that is not real or create a trend for overconsumption. This is why we co-develop garments with a dedicated beta-group of our customers, who has committed to the end-product and takes active part of the design.
Textiles, trimming and other materials. We source only from suppliers within the EU to ensure adherence to EU minimum standards such as REACH regulation. We know our suppliers and their working methods and facilities. We meet with our main suppliers twice a year and strive to be actively engaged in their continued efforts to provide sustainable products and services. We constantly experiment with new materials with the properties to provide durability, aesthetics and comfort in our garments, keeping a firm look at the end-to-end impact (including lifetime, shipping and washing during production and use).
Supply chain incl. Production. We produce mainly in Denmark and are living up to our Danish Labor laws and standards. As we produce locally with materials directly produced in EU, we also minimize the need for shipping textiles and samples long distances. Our ambition is to create small, local productions when we expand to new markets both to minimize shipping but also to engage closely with the local communities building commitment and ownership around a less wasteful fashion production model.
Physical stores and Shows. We do not produce collections and thus do not need to dispose of any styles if our monthly sales estimates are not delivered. We use our samples in our shop, where they serve as test models; no items are discarded when commercial SKUs are created. We do not offer volume discounts or sales but constantly seek to communicate the quality our prices are reflecting. If we partake in fashion shows, all styles are used in our showrooms and/or sold to customers for them to love and use the garments.
People. We value each of our colleagues and partners and how they contribute to our shared mission of developing a more sustainable model for fashion production. We encourage and support our partners and suppliers to move towards a better place to work and better ways of working. We welcome anyone from customers and partners to industry specialists or just our neighbors into our Showroom to talk about fashion production and how to improve each step of the value chain. We want to demonstrate a culture in which transparency and action is at the core and want to take part of the industry-wide conversation and action about creating long-lasting clothes in better quality.
End of life and disposal of garments. We produce on-demand and do not have huge inventories we must sell. Given that we control our own production capacity, we also take in alterations and repair – not only of our own products (which we repair for free) but of any product that lies within our seamstresses’ capabilities and capacity. Our focus is on creating long-lasting products in materials that can last a lifetime, rather than on how to deconstruct the fibers after 1-2 years. Furthermore, our business model enables us to match customers with similar measures to share or sell their clothes between them. And it is key for us to offer a garment quality that allows for that.