Few brands have undressed the stigma that has surrounded sustainable fashion as consistently and efficiently as Pōneke / Wellington label Kowtow. Having woven itself into the wardrobes of both the eco-conscious and style seekers, Kowtow’s unwavering commitment to sustainability has become the blueprint for the future of mindful fashion design.
This year, the brand achieved a significant milestone by becoming entirely plastic-free — a move when combined with their use of organic and Fairtrade cotton is a first in the industry. This achievement required years of research, innovation, and unwavering commitment.
Every component of Kowtow’s garments, from cotton thread to shell and nut buttons, has been carefully sourced or developed to ensure it’s free of plastic. Even packaging and the garment labels have been redesigned to align with their vision of creating clothing that comes from the earth and can return to it without causing harm. And while they’ve succeeded with it, the road to plastic-free fashion wasn’t without its challenges. “We had to be brave and make sacrifices,” says managing director Emma Wallace. “Firstly, in a rather scary but bold move, we removed our bestselling garment from our offering — the Kowtow leggings. A garment so synonymous with Kowtow that customers would come back year after year. But they contained elastane and the infamous prints had plastisol ink for screen-printing, which was not environmentally friendly. It takes hundreds of years for elastane to decompose, a reality we didn’t want to continue contributing to. Separating elastane and plastisol from cotton was also a challenge, causing a hurdle to our goal of circularity.”
It was tough, but they knew their mission to ‘eliminate plastics, reduce waste, and support circularity mattered more to [their] business.’ One of the final pieces to their plastic-free puzzle was achieving their goal of replacing the industry-standard polyester cotton thread with 100% Oeko-Tex and Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) allowed organic cotton thread. “[It’s] a change that affects every garment made in a Kowtow collection.”
What’s even more groundbreaking is that Kowtow not only changed how they were doing things but they shared their blueprint. Introducing an open-source handbook, they gave a guide to whoever wants it (designers, students et al.) to read and learn from their experience. Their reasoning was simple.
“To achieve tangible impact for the planet, these types of initiatives will need to happen at scale. The more brands we can get making their clothes plastic-free, the more impact we can collectively have for the planet. The intention of releasing the open-source handbook was to help brands start, or continue, their plastic-free journey,” says Wallace.
It’s no wonder that Kowtow was awarded the Sustainability Initiative of the Year award at the recent FQ Fashion Awards. The judges said: “Kowtow has always set the standard and pushed boundaries to lead the way, and their achievement this year to be 100% plasticfree, an industry first, and sharing their innovation with the wider industry is to be truly respected and celebrated.”
Emma Wallace, who flew to Auckland for the event, said she was very honoured to accept the award on behalf of founder Gosia Piatek and the Kowtow team. “The judges comments on achieving our plastic-free goal, but also the many years spent pushing the boundaries, gave me an immense sense of pride and gratitude for all the amazing people that have shaped Kowtow. We don’t often stop to take stock in this industry and the awards were a moment to do that and celebrate the positive impact that can be made through collaboration and creativity.”
As they continue to push boundaries and inspire others, Kowtow remains at the forefront of sustainable fashion, showing the world that change is necessary — and possible.
Words: Sarah Murray
Photography: Supplied
