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OUR STORY
From discarded flags to unique and sustainable gadgets
Anyone holding a Flagbag item will immediately see that it is a unique creation. And a sustainable one, because the hip gadgets we make are the result of upcycling and social employment. Whether it’s a bicycle bag, a laptop sleeve or something else, our creations are all living proof that sustainability and design can indeed go hand in hand.
Smart recycling
As an upcycling project, Flagbag is a textbook example of the cradle-to-cradle principle. We use discarded flags, pennants and sails, which would otherwise end up on the waste mountain, and we give them a new life as a hip design object in a smart and unique way. We use the flags and sails as raw materials for unique shoulder bags, bicycle bags or toilet bags. We also try to recover the other raw materials, such as zippers, as much as possible from old textiles. Even the sewing machines we work with are second-hand. In this way we contribute to a better environment and a smaller mountain of waste.
We strive for a 100% local product. We keep the distance from raw material to finished product as small as possible so that the impact on the environment is also as small as possible. The flags and sails come from municipalities and companies in Belgium and are processed in a local workshop by local workers.
Social employment
In addition to an upcycling project, Flagbag is also a training and social employment project: we help people who find it difficult to find work on the regular job market. Our employees, people from disadvantaged groups, use a sewing machine to convert the old flags and sails into bicycle bags, shoulder bags and other unique items. They derive great job satisfaction from the responsibility they are given to us and are justifiably proud of their creations. And who knows, thanks to the work and training they receive at Flagbag, they may grow into the mainstream economy.
Who is behind Flagbag?
Flagbag is an initiative of De Springplank vzw. De Springplank vzw is a tailor-made company: our core task is to offer tailor-made work and support to people who find it difficult to find a job on the regular labor market. In this way they find meaningful daytime activities, financial security and job satisfaction. Thanks to this work experience and the broadening of their competences, they often find a regular job after a few years through a transfer process.
In order to give as many people as possible a tailor-made job, De Springplank vzw is active in various domains: recycling activities “Okazi”, upcycling with Flagbag, recycling with Creazi, assembly of (company) bicycles with Velovisie, rental and maintenance of bicycles via bicycle paradise Limburg. be, operation of bicycle points at the stations of Genk, Hasselt, Sint-Truiden and on the Portavida Welfare Campus in Genk and the concept store with vintage loft Hendrikshuis in the center of Hasselt.
Stadsheide 2 Hasselt 3500 Belgium
Fam
FamThe LabelMore Info
ABOUT
Conscious Fashion
Over the last years, the word ‘sustainable’ has become fashionable. It is being used often and in a lot of different contexts where it always seems to take on a different meaning. In many cases brands use this word as a marketing tool, in some cases this word is abused to greenwash. 100% sustainability is impossible but we do try to be conscious about our responsibilities as a label. Let us state what our approach to conscious fashion looks like to us and to our FAMily.
Everything we do has an impact, leaves a footprint. It is our goal to make this imprint as positive as is commercially possible. We reduce our carbon footprint in a number of creative ways and make sure that all the people involved with FAM are positively empowered.
How We Achieve This
Sustainable Design
Short-lived trends are not in our vocabulary. We strive to make clothing that transcends seasons and stay with you for the longest possible time. We like to think of our collection as a capsule. As our environment changes and temperatures fluctuate, we deem it important that our clothing is versatile and that certain pieces can easily transition the seasons with you.
Each year we design and produce two transseasonal capsule collections for which we choose fabrics that are suitable for summer as well as winter.
Sustainable Production
We have chosen to have all of our clothing produced in Europe to ensure a minimal amount of transportation and a working environment that is congruent with European Social law.
Ilda and Manuel are the proud owners of a small family business in Portugal and have themselves sewn our very first FAM pieces. This was the start of a very fruitful collaboration and a way to make sure that our clothing is made to last by well paid happy people. Happy people are important if we are to build a new world together.
Sustainable Fabrics And Printing
Technology and industry have made impressive advancements in the last years however we still have a long way to go to produce fabrics that are versatile, durable and ecologically innovative at the same time.
Although the possibilities are sometimes still limited, we put a lot of effort into sourcing fabrics that help us achieve both our goals in regards to conscious fashion as a company and our aesthetic goals as a fashion label.
All of our prints are designed in Belgium and printed in Europe with inks that pollute less and with a process that significantly reduces water consumption.
Transparency
It is important for us that you, our beloved FAM, are provided the tools to make decisions with integrity and enable you to consume and buy in such a way that is in line with your environmental and social ethics.
In striving for perfection, we have learned it is unattainable. Today it is strictly impossible to do everything 100% sustainably but we are encouraged to know our society and economy are slowly changing directions. We have you to thank for this and it is you and your choices as a consumer that can help us achieve a world where a well thought through approach to conscious fashion can become our collective reality.
Washing Prescriptions
Buying conscious clothing is an excellent first step in reducing our carbon footprint. The second step would be to make our clothes last longer so that we don’t have to throw them away
The Story
Before she created FAM, Vanessa Beniers was racing through life, like a lot of us, working a busy job with little creative satisfaction. Right after losing her mother and later also her job, she hit a metaphorical wall and crashed.
Loss is destructive but destruction always means opportunity, so Vanessa started digging for things that could give her life a renewed sense of meaning. She promised herself to never put another dream in a box, to unapologetically stand for what she believes in and to let love and passion guide her way. Turning her setbacks into wins ultimately guided her back to her childhood passion, her love for fine clothes.
Friendship And Collaboration
Life has a funny way of bringing the right people together at exactly the right moment. Around the same time Vanessa decided to enroll herself in several courses on patternmaking, fabrics and business she met Clarisse Rocha.
Clarisse was making a sustainable impact with her organic farming business in Portugal until the economic crisis hit. She felt forced to leave her home country and family to become a cleaner in Belgium and found a job working for Vanessa. As they both shared their stories about life and loss, they also shared their dreams and found common passions. A deep friendship was born and so was the drive to share their love for fashion and sustainability.
A few years later this friendship has grown into a strong collaboration. Clarisse was able to move back to Portugal and now manages FAM’s entire production process.
Meet The FAMily
We are a fashion brand but first and foremost, we are people. People who laugh and cry and crave connection. People who love hard and believe in the magic of community.
We are a fashion brand but first and foremost, we are human. We are more than cold measurements of size and weight, of revenue and efficiency. We want to put our humanity front and center in all of our endeavours. We don’t build a community around our brand, we build our brand around our community. People are the driving force and people are the reason we center our values around sustainability and inclusiveness. It is our connection with one another that makes our work worthwhile. When we feel we are all working towards a common goal we feel united and empowered. When we see that we share the same values, hopes and dreams, we start to consider ourselves a FAMily.
This is us, the FAMily.
Get to know us.
Vanessa
Designer & Founder
My favorite song: La Foule – Edith Piaff
Most loved FAM item: Our Mona dress, for its endless versatility.
A talent I am proud of: My creativity, being grateful in every situation and my ability to forge deep bonds with people.
On being a FAMme: It’s all about authenticity for me and embodying the duality of my sensitive sides and my badass edges.
FAMbitions: Make our brand grow by building it with the right people; our FAMily. Bringing about a change in our mindsets when it comes to dressing sustainably and making FAM an established value in this market.
Clarisse
Head Of Production & Quality Manager
My favorite song: Here Comes the Sun – The Beatles
Most loved FAM item: Our Hanna Jumpsuit
A talent I am proud of: Connecting the creative aspects of the brand with the technical. My ability to easily connect with other people and making them smile in stressful situations. I love taking care of people and am also considered the mom of the family.
FAMbitions: To see FAM grow into an internationally successful brand.
Anaïs
Creative Community Manager
My favorite song: Lazy Nina – Greg Phillinganes
Most loved FAM item: Ash & Lee in Dark Clay Tencel
A talent I am proud of: My creative side – exploring & expressing new ideas.
FAMbitions: Spreading our message with creative content that reflects our FAM values. To not be afraid of being a little silly or breaking boundaries in order to reach our goal of a sustainable and ethical future.
Ilda & Manuel
When researching how we would tackle the production of our garments, one of our fabric suppliers gave us an address. We didn’t have a phone number to make an appointment so we just drove there and were immediately welcomed as family.
Everything just clicked and after discussing some things over a nice dinner that Ilda and Manuel had prepared for us we decided that these were the people who would handle our production. Soon after that Ilda made our very first FAM piece because she deeply believed this was the start of an amazing adventure together. She couldn’t have been more right.
Ilda and Manuel are now irreplaceable members of our FAMily. Our connection is deep and the amount of care and perfection they put into the production is uncomparable. We could not do this without them.
Katrien
Print Designer
My favorite song: Roam – The B52’s
A talent I am proud of: My sense of color, my capacity to capture ambiance and feeling with my drawings.
On being a FAMme: Sharing values and visions with a community of likeminded people is what’s important to me.
FAMbitions: To make women feel joyful and unique in their FAM outfits.
Celine
Wordsmith & Visual Content Creator
My favorite song: Millionaire (ft. Andre 3000) – Kelis
Most loved FAM item: All of our Kate trousers, they are incredibly flattering.
A talent I am proud of: Living and thinking outside of the box.
On being a FAMme: Embracing the full scope of what I am, trusting my intuition and not waiting for anyone’s approval to stray off the beaten path is what makes me feel complete.
FAMbitions: To be a drop in the ocean of people who are working towards a sustainable and inclusive future. That our mindful way of doing business will one day outweigh the impacts of fast fashion.
Sophie
Producer Prototypes
My favorite song: Boys will be boys – Dua Lipa
A talent I am proud of: My ability to turn a 2D design into a 3D garment and the sewing skills I need to accomplish that.
Most loved FAM item: I absolutely love the Elise jumpsuit.
FAMbitions:I want to keep improving communication between the design team and production team to produce high-quality garments.
Christel
Marketing Coach
You
The FAMme We Design For
You’re the star of our FAMily because your choices as a consumer are driving the real change. You are making our dreams possible and for that we love you, we thank you, we see you. Keep shining, keep doing you.
Ooievaarsnest 16 Gentbrugge 9050 Belgium
FIBR
FIBRMore Info
OUR MISSION
MEET FIBR. THE FAIRCHAIN ALPACA SWEATER. SOFT ON YOUR SKIN AS EASY ON YOUR CONSCIENCE. FIBR BRINGS RADICALLY COMFORTABLE BASICS, YOU ARE PROUD TO WEAR.
The fashion industry has some of the most complex and unfair supply chains in the world. FIBR believes that creating transparency is a first step towards fairness. Today, only 7% of fashion brands know where their materials come from.
Some room for change, if you ask us.
THE FIBR SUPPLY CHAIN
FIBR IS FAIRCHAIN KNITWEAR: FAIRNESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL, ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE VALUE CHAIN.
Fairchain knitwear takes it a step further, rethinking the entire value chain from the source of the raw materials right to your closet.
FIBR connects three strong local players in PERU, all doing their part to make the Peruvian alpaca sector more fair. By connecting these dots, we managed to set up our own value chain and bring you a product of which we know exactly who made it, where it has been and of which we can be sure that everyone is treated well.
OUR PRINCIPLES
QUALITY IS WHERE IT STARTS
We bring you a timeless sweater made from 100% alpaca fibre, a natural fibre which is praised for its robustness and warmness. This sweater is made to last! And if not, a repair kit will teach you all the tricks.
TRANSPARENCY TO THE BONE
Discover where your money goes to, and all the steps your FIBR sweater has been through. No need to hide our imperfections. We rather would like to share them with you and show where improvement is still needed.
EVERY SWEATER COUNTS
We know that we won’t change the world (although we would love to). But we do know that big changes are made by many small steps.
Leading by example, we tell the clothing industry to dive into their supply chains and show more ambition. We are convinced the fashion sector needs small disruptive ideas to evolve and innovate. Every sweater sold means that another person is inspired by our story. Which is something huge!
PRE-ORDER
AT FIBR WE WORK WITH A PRE-ORDER SYSTEM. THIS MEANS THAT WE ONLY START PRODUCTION AFTER A MINIMAL AMOUNT OF PIECES IS ORDERED. TO CONTRIBUTE TO YEARROUND WORK STABILITY FOR THE KNITTERS, PRODUCTION IS IN LOW SEASON, FROM FEBRUARY UNTIL EARLY APRIL.
Tarbotstraat 10 Ghent 9000 Belgium
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Our Story
Belgian designer Alexandra Jacmin and her entrepreneur twin sister Ségolène Jacmin established their eco-conscious label FAÇON JACMIN in 2016. After graduating from La Cambre, Alexandra worked for Maison Martin Margiela and Jean-Paul Gaultier. The duo has since carved out a unique position amongst Belgium’s most innovative emerging talents.
FAÇON JACMIN is an attitude. With their label, the twins aime to give women more confidence and empower them in their everyday life, helping to express themselves to the fullest.
Alexandra’s designs explore the codes of seduction, and the alliance of masculinity and femininity. If denim remains her field of predilection, other fabrics are intertwined with it, to present a playful silhouette, meddling boldness and charm – a vision for an eco-conscious, modern, desirable, and determined woman.
Next to the main collections, capsule collections made of up-cycled designs are crafted by hand in our atelier in Antwerp and revealed once a year.
FAÇON JACMIN was awarded “Best Talent 2016” by C’est du Belge/RTBF, and a year later, in 2017 an award for “Best Emerging Talent” at the Belgian Fashion Awards.
A Japanese love story
FAÇON JACMIN has a certain affinity for denim, and more particularly for Japanese denim, giving the clothes finesse and durability. Japan, renowned globally for producing the best denim, has managed to preserve their traditional, artisanal craft creating an affinity to authenticity.
The natural indigo, a dye that is among one of the oldest, gives the pieces a rich colour, as well as a rich history. Natural indigo is still used in Japan, resulting in deep blues and improved wear resistance. They work with traditional machines that create a tighter weaving pattern improving resilience, while offering strength and delicateness at the same time. Japanese denim, supported by the culture of perfectionism, has a premium and distinctive composition that has become the nation’s pride, leaving a mark in Japanese modern history – a history that is a true mix of tradition and innovation.
Since the beginning of FAÇON JACMIN, the twins have been influenced and passionate about embracing Japan and its rich culture.