INTERVIEW #58 TIZZ&TONIC
Based in: Bremen Germany
Founded in: 2018
Founded by: Sister duo Yanna and Imke Hanscomb
Stores: Online (EU, UK, North America) www.tizzandtonic.com
Two physical shops in Germany: Ekofair and Green Door Concept Store One physical shop in Graz: Lieblingsplatz
Price range: 14,95 - 59,95 euro
Instagram: @tizz&tonic
Welcome to A Sustainable Closet! We love your colourful profile. What is Tizz & Tonic and why did you start your brand?
Tizz & Tonic is an independent women owned and operated underwear business. The company was founded by Imke & Yanna in 2018 - a sister-duo, born and raised by artistic parents in the small vibrant town of Elora, Canada. After following their family roots back to Germany, the pair embarked on a new enterprise in order to build something unique connecting fashion and biology educational backgrounds. TIZZ & TONIC as a brand combines bold colours with delightful prints, to offer 4 underwear cuts in sizes XXS-XXL and made-to-order bralettes. The studio is located in an old cocktail lounge in Bremen, Germany. Using only certified organic cotton and plant-based textiles for the designs, all of the Tizz & Tonic production happens - by a small female team. Our brand was created to fill a gap in the women's underwear industry. We noticed that the women's undie business was lacking humor and fun with so many predictable prints on the market designed from cheap synthetic textiles. And most sustainable options or organic cotton underwear styles were often very boring. A real snoozeroo. We wanted to design underwear that was as different and delightful as it was environmentally conscious and ethically produced.
Furthermore, we planned to go against the grain of fast fashion undergarments and the way they are pitched to us as consumers and more importantly, as women.
Imke: I always knew that I wanted to work with clothing and textiles. From a young age I used to cut-up and mash-up my clothes so each piece in my closet had its own story. I taught myself how to hand sew around the age of 8 and got my first machine when I was about 12. During my studies in Toronto at George Browns Fashion & Techniques program I was buzzing with creative ideas but lacked money and space. So I started channeling this energy into underwear design as I could pattern draft and sew intimates on my fold-down table with as little as a quarter meter of fabric. And from there, my love of underwear design bloomed. I called up my sister and pitched her my idea. She had graduated with a Bachelor of Science with a focus on sustainability so we merged our brains eggs together and hatched Tizz. Undies and loungewear that make you say yay- with a spotlight on sustainable practices.
What is your sustainability profile?
The philosophy and three main ingredients that go into our eco-intimates are positive low-impact production, quality organic cottons, and plastic free packaging. Tizz & Tonic products are designed and produced/handcrafted in Bremen Germany at our Head Quarters which is an old cocktail lounge that we have converted into our production area, office and events space. Everything except for the socks are produced by us in Bremen. After the fabric arrives at our workroom, we handle the entire production process. This includes creating the designs, making the pattern pieces and all the sizes, cutting the cotton, sewing the garments from start to finish. The organic cotton fabric that we purchase for our intimates come from certified organic cotton producers in India. The super soft micromodal comes from Dairago MI, Italy. We are currently working on trying to shift our fabric supply to European Suppliers in order to reduce our carbon footprint and long supply chains. All of our packaging is plastic free recyclable and or compostable. This includes acid free and soy-based ink tissue paper, recycled paper hang tags and vegan stickers.
The brightly coloured paper packaging (which is sewn in-house) is also designed on recycled paper. And the compostable mailers that we chose to use are made from plants and non toxic, compostable resin. They come with two adhesive strips for at least two trips! So use them again if you need to make a return or hold onto it for the future to send something to a friend.
To find our more check out this link https://tizzandtonic.com/pages/ecointimates
How and where are the products produced and how do you choose your design?
‘Our designs at Tizz & Tonic are basic with a twist - we have that little extra somethin’-somethin’. We want our items to be everyday options but not mundane or routine. So we keep our design looks simple and easy-to-wear with add in extra flare - be it printed fabrics, colour-blocking or fun seaming. First comes the idea then this idea is put on paper as we draft out how each piece will be made into a pattern and how that pattern will fit and be sewn together once it’s cut into fabric. We still do our pattern drafting by hand, so there is a lot of trial-and-error, prototypes, going back to the drawing board and doing it again until it’s just right. Once the design and staple size is determined and we’re happy with it, we grade the pattern into our size range and plan the production.
Conceptualizing the collection is the most fun though. We normally come together with colour-palette and print ideas, throw all of these ideas onto the floor in our studio, and see what comes of it.
Where do you find inspiration?
Imke: I mainly draw my inspiration from city-escapes and interior design. As much as I like to follow trends and see ‘what’s hot now’, I try not to look too intensely at forecast reports so as to not be too persuaded from outside sources. Personally, I found it exhilarating to travel to different cities across Europe and South America and let myself be surprised by unexpected colour combinations found in architecture, street-art or even fruit-stalls for example. I’m also a super-fan of hyper-colour interior design, so I like to take the feeling of enticing spaces and translate that into my work.
Who is your typical customer and where are they based?
Our typical customers are women who demand more from their underwear selection than what the mainstream market currently offers. This includes women who are looking for something different (e.g. printed organic cotton fabric), has a playful side but want to support a small business or environmentally conscious brand. Typically they are based in Europe since that is where we are located and our focus is, but we do also have a nice home fan base in Canada where we are originally from.
What has been and is the largest gain?
In recent years we have noticed that it is not enough to be “a sustainable brand”. You have to go the extra step as sustainability is becoming the norm (at least here in Europe). We always try to push the story of our little brand and offer extra flare that shows we are different. I think this has been one of our biggest gains, not only to be sustainable, but also fashionable, a fully women owned company, plus small production in an old cocktailbar. It has pushed us to constantly redesign, redevelop, stay inspired and love what we do.
What do you think needs to change in the fashion industry to make it more sustainable?
Sustainability is a very broad concept, with many layers, and for this reason it is often difficult to frame it, quantify it and evaluate it. For us, being sustainable means respecting and taking responsibility for the environment, our production practices and our customers. One thing I would change would be full adoption of circular business models throughout the entire supply chain of the industry. This is something we are going to be working hard on this year for our brand in 2022.
What do you believe is “greenwashing” and what can producers and consumers do to avoid it?
Yanna: I believe that greenwashing is when companies use marketing, imagery, and wording, to give the impression that their products and/or services are environmentally friendly without meaningfully reducing its environmental impact. Basically misinformation that looks “green” from the outside. I would say from a producer point of view the best thing to do for the consumer is to be transparent. It helps to build trust with the customers and show the “real value” of the textile production. Consumers should always ask more questions, if brands aren't open to answering the basics or defend their “eco friendly claims” that is a red flag.
What would you advise consumers to do who seek to create a sustainable closet and lifestyle?
Creating a sustainable closet and lifestyle is an amazing, fun and inspiring journey. I would recommend people to do a lot of their own research to find the options that fit best for them and their lifestyle. At TIZZ & TONIC on long days of sewing we often listen to sustainable lifestyle and fashion podcasts to keep ourselves inspired and curious.
Shopping tip: We would advise consumers to shop for and invest in versatile clothing pieces that you like and can be mixed and matched with other things to create multiple outfits.
