INTERVIEW #13 THRIVE
“The reason why we started THRIVE back in 2015, was simply because there was no place where you could buy 100% organic, vegan, and fairly produced clothes in Gothenburg.”
An interview with THRIVES founder Fredrik Alexandersson
Why did you start THRIVE?
The reason why we started THRIVE back in 2015, was simply because there was no place where you could buy 100% organic, vegan, and fairly produced clothes in Gothenburg. Especially clothes that had a contemporary, modern and timeless feel to them. And since both me and Sara are sustainability advocates, passionate about environmental issues, social economics, and animal rights. We wanted to consume clothing that checked those boxes.
So we started to do our research and we didn’t like what we found. The fashion industry has a dark and filthy side, and we quickly realized..that needs to change. We got inspired by the motivational quote;
”Be the change you wish to see in the world”
Instead of sharing yet another social media post or smashing yet another "like" while doom scrolling on the couch, we decided to take action. If we wanted the fashion industry to change, we had to become a part of it, and be that change. Our WHY was simple, make it easier for people to make better choices by offering clothes that are not only good for the consumer, but also for the person that made them, and the planet we live on. We call it Respektfullt mode utan kompromisser..
“We call it Respektfullt mode utan kompromisser..”
How do you pick your products/what you sell?
We are very picky when it comes down to choosing our suppliers and deciding who we work with. For starters, we only work with companies that have sustainability as their core value. Transparency, materials, certifications, and quality are really important factors for us. If the supplier only has a collection that’s "pretty good" or just a has few items in their collections that are sustainable, it's not enough for us. Sustainability has to be the driver.
Some of the first questions we always ask a new supplier is. Why did you start your business? How and where is your collection produced? Can we get your items sustainably delivered to our store? What kind of third-party certifications do the factories and the garments have?
We ask these questions since we only want to find/sell items that are sustainable long term. They need to check all our boxes, be contemporary, timeless, and simply have good quality. Items that you will fall in love with, care for, and repair if needed. But sometimes that process fails, since we love innovation, some new materials might not work as intended, so it's also important for us that the supplier owns up to that and compensates the customer if the material doesn't meet the customers' standards.
“Transparency, materials, certifications, and quality are really important factors for us. If the supplier only has a collection that’s “pretty good” or just a has few items in their collections that are sustainable, it’s not enough for us. Sustainability has to be the driver.”
Your store is a Vegan store right?
Yes, THRIVE is a 100% vegan and PETA approved store. In short, it means that we don't sell any items that contain leather, wool, silk, seashells, or any animal materials.
We simply don’t think a pair of jeans or chinos gains its value from a piece of chemically treated animal skin. Or that a blouse gets its luxury feel from boiled silkworms. And even though nonchemical and plastic coated wool is a very good material from an environmental perspective. You still need an animal host to grow it. And the wool industry is a very very dirty industry. The thing with most of the wool produced in Sweden is that it needs to be chemically treated and mixed with merino wool to be able to be worn. Since no one enjoys wearing an itchy sweater. So international producers need to produce high-quality merino wool, which is the go-to standard when it comes to wearable wool. That wool needs to be grown on a specific kind of sheep, called.. a merino sheep.
Imagine for a second a small Australian sheep farmer focused on wool production, it's a small family-run farm with only 10 000 animals. The farmer needs to care for their animals, house them, protect, feed, and graze them. The farmer also needs to clean the sheep backend to avoid the horrible act of mulesing. And that's all good.
But then it's time for the shedding. An elite-competitive shearing professional could probably shed a sheep in 2-3 minutes without any risk for the animal. But how one manages 10 000 animals when it's time to shed? How do you house them without stressing the animals?
Most shedders also work on contracts with 8h days divided into 4 "runs with breaks". The shedders are paid per unit, so the faster they cut the more money they make. Some of the more seasoned shedders manage to shed around 200 sheep in a day. But the shedding process is the most stressful and risky part of the production chain since it's a very high risk of cuts and extremely stressful for the animal.
And here I am. I run a 100% organic animal-friendly farm with only 600 sheep. I pet them daily, give them the best organic food available and clean every sheep by hand. When it's time for the shedding im very gentle and spend ~5-10 minutes per animal. I would then need aprox 7-10 work days, just to shed my small flock.
But the wool from 600 sheep won't get me far if i want to produce a line of sweaters, underwear and sports items. So my wool needs to be sold and brokered. My super organic mega animal-friendly wool then gets mixed with someone else's wool, and since the industry lacks transparency. well, then you as an end consumer won't know what you get. Did you get my wool? or someone, who is not as dedicated for the animals wool?
Since our philosophy is transparency, and that no humans or animals ever should be harmed or exploited in the production of any items that we sell. We simply can’t risk it, not even with the more "sustainable wool" options.
“Since our philosophy is transparency, and that no humans or animals ever should be harmed or exploited in the production of any items that we sell. We simply can’t risk it, not even with the more “sustainable wool” options.”
What has been or are the major challenges?
I don't think anyone actually would buy clothes that have traces of toxic chemicals, have a huge environmental impact and that is produced under slave labour conditions. If they only knew about it.
I think people in general just want to do good, feel good and enjoy life as usual. So our biggest challenge has been since day one, how do we communicate the dark side of our industry? How do we show the game changers, the brands, and companies that actually do the good work, without pointing fingers at current actors or adding guild or shame to the mix?
For example:
If held up two basic white t-shirts in front of you right now:
One is from a well known fast fashion company, it's white, has a cotton/polyester, mix, was produced in Bangladesh under minimal labor rights conditions, and costs 49kr.
The other is from a Sustainable fashion company, it's white, has 100% Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified organic cotton, was produced in Portugal with Fair wages, and costs 300kr.
They both look the same for the naked eye, but their backstory and footprint are hugely different. So why would you choose the more expensive one if you didn't know the reason why?
Slave labor and huge toxic footprint for 49kr?
People got paid and it's good for the environment 300kr?
The choice is yours..
Since we are curators, we handpick the best styles and designs from the leading sustainable fashion brands on the market. For us, it's all about, be the best in class, or go home. But it's also a challenge with the margins, we pay way more for the items we retail, and we still need to be able to sell them at a competitive price. We also don’t want sustainable choices to be about income or class. We want it to be affordable and available for the masses. But we truly understand that buying a T-shirt for 300kr isn't for everyone, well not at least if we are used to buying a t-shirt for 49kr every weekend. But hopefully, if you play the long game, you will realize that is better to buy quality than quantity.. to quote Vivienne Westwood " Buy Less, Choose Well, Make it Last"
“But hopefully, if you play the long game, you will realize that is better to buy quality than quantity.. to quote Vivienne Westwood “ Buy Less, Choose Well, Make it Last””
What has been or are the largest gains?
We have slowly become the change we seek, and it's quite amazing for us as a small family-owned, passion-driven startup. To become an trusted authority within sustainable fashion! We have inspired countless of companies, students, and organizations. Visited international trade shows, fashion weeks, and conferences. Educated thousands of people on the importance of sustainability inside the fashion industry.
Everything we do at THRIVE is based around our core values "Sustainability, participation, and change" it's our DNA. That's what we eat, sleep and breath all day, every day. We have been able to use those values to help out other brands and businesses with their sustainability journey. Inform, inspire and guide on the importance of transparency, third-party certifications, and sustainable processes. We have helped our suppliers change, we have influenced the way designers work. Do we need a leather tag on our chinos? Do we need to add plastic to this garment? Well maybe not..
What do you think needs to change now in the fashion industry to make it more sustainable?
The meaning of the word sustainability differs, and the answer to what it means may vary from person to person. But for us it's a holistic approach, everything needs to be accounted for.
For instance, just because something is produced in the global south doesn't mean it's bad by design. We simply need to make sure that the chemicals used in the production are being handled in a safe way for the environment and the workers. We need to make sure that no animals have been harmed in the process, and that the people in all parts of the supply chain have been paid fair living wages and can work under fair/safe conditions. Since the fashion industry moved most of its production in the last couple of decades to the global south, with an interest to grow their profits by using cheap labor. We all now have a global responsibility to those countries. The fashion industry needs to clean up its act. Start paying fair wages, promote unions, remove harsh chemicals and start sustainably producing their items. And yes. we need to stop buying fast fashion. To be brutally honest; fuck fast fashion.
“The fashion industry needs to clean up its act. Start paying fair wages, promote unions, remove harsh chemicals and start sustainably producing their items.”
What do you believe is “greenwashing” and what can producers and consumers do to avoid it?
Second-hand is greenwashing.
Okay, that might sound harsh and contradictory from a climate perspective, but let me explain. The reason why I think it's greenwashing is the birth of fast second-hand. I have no issues with vintage designer items or true sustainable fashion second-hand. Hey, I even promote it! Swap clothes with friends, remake, re-design, and fall in love with your clothes, care for them, and make em last.
But what bothers me is the fact that I could tell my best friend to walk into a fast-fashion store. Buy a cheap, low-quality but trendy item that I want. Ask them to sell/give that item to a Second-hand store. I could then walk into that store, buy the same item, straight off the hanger. Go home, put it on, take a couple of selfies in front of my bedroom mirror. And actively promote on social media how awesome I am, for only buying second-hand. We don't fool anyone but ourselves here. And the brands know that.
I might even buy items and show off brands I usually don't buy from. Global brands that I usually boycott, since they are from my normal sustainability standards. Simply because, well its second-hand.
Sure, buying fast second-hand is great, from an environmental aspect. But that's about it.. Slave labor is still slave labor, second-hand or no second-hand.
Over the last couple of years, second-hand has turned into quite an industry throwing around buzzwords like "100% Sustainable" and "Conscious". The same goes for global brands flirting with the sustainability-focused consumer. A typical example is the major shoe brand that launched a campaign, boosting how they saved the environment by used 2.5 million recycled plastic bottles in their latest shoe-line. And with the huge marketing campaign that followed, they even almost got me fooled..
When in fact, over 60 million plastic bottles are being sent to landfills every single day in the United States alone. No, I didn't say that they get recycled, they are sent to landfills. So "saving the environment" by using 2.5 million recycled plastic bottles while investing hundreds of thousands of dollars into marketing, to promote one single shoe line, all while keeping the rest of their "800 something" lines non-sustainable.
Well, that's just top-grade greenwashing to me..
But if there is money to be made, capital follows.
I love quality garments and extending the life of an item using second-hand when it is done in the right way. And to solve the issues I have with fast second-hand, we have started selling used items under our line THRIVE & THRIVE. Basically, anyone that bought an item from us, can return that item to our store and receive a small monetary reward and some karma points. We will then repair the item if needed, freshen it up and sell it again at a discounted price. So the environmentally-conscious consumer, who only wants to consume secondhand, safely can do that. Without the compromises of social economics, working conditions, and original climate impact.
“Sure, buying fast second-hand is great, from an environmental aspect. But that’s about it.. Slave labor is still slave labor, second-hand or no second-hand.”
The founders Sara Lundqvist och Fredrik Alexandersson
What would your advice be to consumers who seeks to create a more sustainable closet and lifestyle?
Find your style, and only buy things that work with what you already have, stay true to your style instead of following trends.
Learn about third-party certifications and how they differ, Stay away from BCI and greenwashing certifications and instead focus on ex GOTS, GRS and Fairtrade.
Learn how to repair your stuff, its not that hard and you will feel great when you have repaired your first piece, pure self-love.
Learn how to wash your clothes the right way to make them last.
Only buy items that's a "100% Hell Yeah!"
Study upon materials, it is fun! what works long-term, what doesn't.
Always read the garments labels and ask the question why. Where is it produced, by who, in what material, and how?